Visiting Pennsylvania’s Three Lighthouses On Lake Erie
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Did you know there are three lighthouses you can visit on Lake Erie in Pennsylvania? They’re all located in the city of Erie, Pennsylvania and you can easily visit all of them in one day.
The Lighthouses and Their Locations
The lighthouses are Erie Land Light, Presque Isle Lighthouse, and Erie Harbor North Pier Light. You can only tour Erie Land Light and Presque Isle Lighthouse. There’s a combo ticket offered so you can easily visit them both in the same day. I recommend getting the combo ticket since it’s the most cost effective. No ticket is required to visit Erie Harbor North Pier Light and it can only be viewed from the outside.
Presque Isle Lighthouse and Erie Harbor North Pier Light are both located within Presque Isle State Park. The park itself is completely free to visit. The park features 13 miles of roads, 21 miles of recreational trails, and 13 beaches. Even if there weren’t lighthouses here, the park would still be worth a visit just for the water views.
While Presque Isle Park features two of the three lighthouses, the third lighthouse is located about 12 miles away. I’d say it’s easiest to have a car to visit these lighthouses. However, there are buses that go to Presque Isle Park and Erie Land Light.
Find Places To Stay in Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie Land Light
When I visited the lighthouses, I started at Erie Land Light. This lighthouse is tucked away in a neighborhood. The parking area is fairly small and there’s not a lot of space in the park where it sits. But, the park does feature plenty of informational signs!
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If you’re looking to climb the lighthouse, you’ll need to go during their hours of operation. If you’re looking to just view the lighthouse, the grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk.
To climb the lighthouse, you’ll need to purchase a ticket. You’ll buy your ticket at the lighthouse. You can pay with cash or card. When I was buying my ticket, the docent let me know that I could get a combo ticket to climb Presque Isle Lighthouse as well. I got the combo ticket since it was next on my list of things to do anyways.
Climbing The Tower
To get to the lantern room and the gallery deck at the top of the lighthouse, you’ll have to climb 69 steps. It’s absolutely worth climbing the tower for the views, especially since there aren’t really any water views from the base of the lighthouse.
At the top of the lighthouse, you’ll be rewarded with some great views of Lake Erie and the surrounding area. You’ll even see Erie Harbor North Pier Light in the distance!
At the top of the tower, there was a knowledgeable docent who told me a bit about the lighthouse and the surrounding area. Since he knew I wasn’t from the area, he gave me some tips on things to see and do as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time for them since I did this on my way home from Ohio and I was just passing through.
Some History About Erie Land Lighthouse
Erie Land Lighthouse was built in 1818 and it was the first commissioned lighthouse on the Great Lakes in the United States. The original structure was a 20-foot-high wooden tower. After about 50 years, the structure began to fail and a new tower was needed.
In 1857, a new 56-foot tower was built to replace the original tower. However, this tower had a poor foundation, so it had to be demolished. In 1867, the current lighthouse was constructed 200 feet east of the original site.
Presque Isle Lighthouse
When I was done at Erie Land Light, I headed to Presque Isle State Park to visit Presque Isle Lighthouse. The facilities and parking for this lighthouse were much larger than the ones for Erie Land Lighthouse. Since I purchased the combo ticket, I simply went inside the gift shop when I arrived to check in. I was given a time for when my tour would be.
The Tour
The visit to this lighthouse was a lot different than the visit to Erie Land Light. For starters, there were no timed tours at Erie Land Light. It was a bit more low-key. The other difference was the fact that there was an actual tour. This lighthouse still has a lightkeeper’s house, so the tour starts with a docent in there. You’ll learn a bit about the house before you climb the tower.
For this lighthouse, the docent was adamant that we have absolutely nothing in our hands when we climbed the tower. The steps up into the lantern room are steep, and they wanted to make sure visitors had free hands to safely make it up and down the steps. I’ve climbed a lot of lighthouses, and it wasn’t the worst set of stairs I’ve ever encountered (I’ve had to climb literal ladders before). However, they are steep enough where you need to go down them backwards like a ladder.
To get to the top of the tower, you’ll need to climb 78 steps. There are some small landings on the way up if you need to take a breather, or just to take a peek at the views out of the window.
At the top of the lighthouse, you’ll get stunning views of Lake Erie and the beaches surrounding the lighthouse. It’s absolutely gorgeous. But, it was quite windy up there.
At the top of the tower, there was a knowledgeable docent who gave great information about the lighthouse. He talked about a little bit of everything from the history to how the old Fresnel lens and new bulb in the tower worked.
When we climbed back down the tower, we had time to explore the lightkeeper’s house at our own pace. There were various exhibits throughout the first floor to check out and read.
You can also go up to the second floor in the lightkeeper’s house to see a bedroom. While I like exhibits, I really like stuff like this to get an idea of what the space would have looked like.
Some History About Presque Isle Lighthouse
Presque Isle Lighthouse was built between 1872 and 1873. Initially, the tower of the lighthouse was only 40 feet high. In 1896, 17 feet and 4 inches were added to the tower to help the light project further over the lake.
While the lighthouse is square on the outside, the inside of the lighthouse is actually circular. The lighthouse is five bricks thick in most places (it is believed to be more than 5 bricks thick in the very corners of the tower).
Erie Harbor North Pier Light
While you can’t climb this lighthouse like the other two, it’s definitely worth a visit while you’re in Presque Isle State Park. To visit, you’ll continue down the Peninsula Drive (assuming you’re coming from Presque Isle Lighthouse) and then turn down Coast Guard Road. Just keep following the road until it ends. If you’re looking for something to put into your GPS, put in North Pier and it’ll take you right to the parking area.
From the parking area, it’s a very short walk down a concrete pier to the lighthouse. You can walk right up to the lighthouse.
I think my favorite part about this lighthouse was the fact that I could photograph it with water in the background. You can’t do that at the other two lighthouses.
Some History About Presque Isle North Pier Light
The original lighthouse was a wooden tower that was built in 1830. That lighthouse sat slightly father west than where the current tower is. That tower was destroyed in 1857 after a schooner crashed into it.
In 1858, the pier it sat on was extended. A two-story lighthouse was constructed out of wrought iron and metal forged in France and assembled on site in Erie. The pier was extended again in 1891 and a final time in 1940.
During the 1940 extension, the light was moved to its current location. It was also during this time that it was encased in steel panels and painted with black and white stripes. The unique square-pyramidal design of this lighthouse is the only surviving example of this type left in the U.S.
Are These Lighthouses Worth Visiting?
If you love lighthouses, absolutely! These lighthouses have pretty rich histories, and the docents were great at both of the sites that offered tours. If you’re looking to spend extended time in the area, Presque Isle Park is large and definitely worth exploring as well!
While climbing the lighthouses is always great, you’re able to visit the grounds of all of these lighthouses for free, which makes them pretty accessible. However, I thought the amount I paid to tour both towers was extremely reasonable at $13.
You can find the hours for all three lighthouses on the Lake Erie Lights of PA website.
