Frankfort, MI

            Just south of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the United States, the Point Betsie Lighthouse. Nestled among the sand dunes, this lighthouse marks the southern entrance to the Manitou Passage. Opening in 1859, it would be one of the longest manned lighthouses on the Great Lakes. The lighthouse was manned until 1983, making it the last manned lighthouse on Lake Michigan. I visited on a foggy morning in July, which illustrated the importance of a foghorn in addition to the light. Visibility was limited to a few hundred feet, and the fog was thicker out over Lake Michigan. The lighthouse has a small beach area with crystal clear water. Many other visitors were scavenging for Petosky stones.