Wayfarrow

Sand Island Light

Lighthouse · Bayfield County, Wisconsin

Apostle Islands Lighthouses
Apostle Islands Lighthouses · Steve Mercer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Sand Island Light is a lighthouse in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. Wisconsin has 54 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 2 of them in Bayfield County.

It was built in 1881, in the late 19th century, making it the 15th oldest of the 36 in Wisconsin with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 44 feet tall (16th tallest of 26 measured in Wisconsin); its light sits 59 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 6s (a white flash every 6 seconds), with a range of about 9 nautical miles; it guards Lake Superior.

Status check, 2026-11: Brownstone lighthouse in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, still active; the 44 ft height is from NPS-sourced listings, while Wikipedia says 42 ft and one blog says 40 ft. It carries the heritage designation National Register of Historic Places contributing property. It stands at 47.0033° N, 90.9367° W.

Key facts

Current structure built1881
Tower height44 ft
Focal height59 ft
Light characteristicFl W 6s
Range9 nautical miles
Body of waterLake Superior
Heritage designationNational Register of Historic Places contributing property
Coordinates47.00330, -90.93670

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Nearby places

Questions

Where is Sand Island Light?

Sand Island Light is in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, at 47.0033, -90.9367.

How many lighthouses are in Bayfield County?

Bayfield County, Wisconsin has 2 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.