Michigan Lighthouse Groups Recruit Volunteer Keepers for 2026 Season

Groups across Michigan want volunteers to work at lighthouses on the Great Lakes during the 2026 season. Volunteers stay overnight as keepers.

Lakeshore Keepers seeks member volunteers for Big Sable Point Lighthouse, Manistee North Pierhead Light, Ludington North Breakwater Light, and Little Sable Point Light. White River Light Station has no openings left. Volunteers must reach 18 years old and join the organization before applying.

In Muskegon, two sites need volunteers: Muskegon South Pierhead Light and Muskegon South Breakwater Light. Muskegon Lights runs both. The towers stand in Pere Marquette Park along Lake Michigan's shore.

Mission Point Lighthouse in Traverse City accepts applications for its keeper program. Built in 1870, the tower guided ships until 1933. It sits in a park at the tip of Old Mission Peninsula, with views across Grand Traverse Bay.

Friends of Tawas Point Lighthouse and State Park accepts applications for Tawas Point State Lighthouse at Tawas Point State Park through Feb. 28. Workers raised the tower in 1876. It operated until 2016, taking the place of an older building from 1853, per the Michigan History Center.

South Fox Island Lighthouse opens to volunteers who join Fox Island Lighthouse Association. Membership runs $25. A boat carries volunteers to Fox Island in Lake Michigan, where a tower built in 1867 stands with other buildings and grounds.

Crisp Point Lighthouse wants keepers for the 2026 season. The site sits on Lake Superior, north of Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Keepers must join Crisp Point Light Historical Society first.

Michigan counts at least 120 lighthouses along its waters. Thousands visit each year.