Lighthouses for RV Travelers

A National Park Service lakeshore in northern Wisconsin whose islands hold the country's largest single collection of lighthouses, on Lake Superior. Several — including Raspberry Island, Sand Island, Michigan Island, and the New Michigan Island tower — open for guided tours seasonally, reached by boat from the Bayfield area.

A red-and-white striped lighthouse on the Virginia end of Assateague Island, near Chincoteague, lit in 1867 and now under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service within a national wildlife refuge known for wild ponies and birdlife — a distinctive RV destination on the Eastern Shore.

Bass Harbor Head Light marks the quiet southwestern corner of Mount Desert Island in Acadia National Park. Managed by the National Park Service since 2020, with the Coast Guard keeping the light operational, it offers a classic Maine lighthouse view away from Acadia's busier Park Loop Road.

Beavertail Lighthouse caps Beavertail State Park at the end of Conanicut Island in Jamestown, Rhode Island. Built in 1856, it guards the mouth of Narragansett Bay. The park, managed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, offers dramatic coastal vistas and a lighthouse museum.

A black-and-white Lake Michigan lighthouse inside Ludington State Park in western Michigan, with its original keeper's quarters attached to the tower. Cared for by the Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association, it is reached on foot through the state park and can be climbed in season.

The Biloxi Lighthouse is an 1848 cast-iron tower owned by the City of Biloxi on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Standing in the median of US 90 along the beachfront, it offers guided tours and is the city's signature landmark and a symbol of post-Katrina recovery.

An NPS-managed lighthouse at the north end of Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina, first lit in 1872. The Park Service opens the tower for climbing in the warmer months, and the surrounding seashore offers Atlantic beaches and campgrounds for RV travelers.

A National Park Service lighthouse on Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina, lit in 1870 and known as the tallest brick lighthouse in the US. The surrounding seashore has NPS campgrounds and miles of Atlantic beach within an easy RV drive of the tower.

An 1859 lighthouse in Cape May Point State Park, New Jersey, opened for public climbs by the nonprofit Cape May MAC. The 199-step tower overlooks Delaware Bay and the Atlantic, with state-park trails and renowned bird-migration spots nearby for RV travelers.

Cape St. George Light is a reconstructed brick tower on St. George Island, Florida, operated by the St. George Lighthouse Association. Rebuilt with salvaged 1852 bricks and reopened in 2008, it is open to the public to climb, with an adjacent keeper's-house museum.

A red-brick lighthouse in Corolla, North Carolina, first lit in 1875 and operated by the nonprofit Outer Banks Conservationists. Visitors can climb the 220 steps to the gallery, and the surrounding northern Outer Banks make a scenic RV base.

An 1894 light station managed by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department within Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint. The 56-foot tower perches 206 feet above the ocean, and the first floor is open to visitors on a seasonal schedule. It is a classic stop on a Highway 101 RV trip.

The oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the Great Lakes, on the tip of the Marblehead Peninsula in Lake Erie, Ohio. The surrounding state park is managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and the tower is open to climb during the summer season.

A historic lighthouse on the bluffs of Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington, managed by Washington State Parks near the mouth of the Columbia River. Volunteer-led tours run seasonally in the warmer months. The park pairs lighthouse history with beaches, forest trails, and Lewis & Clark heritage.

Nubble Light perches on Nubble Island just offshore at York, Maine, and is best viewed from Sohier Park across a narrow channel. Maintained by the Town of York Parks and Recreation Department, the easily reached overlook makes it a favorite first or last stop on a southern Maine coastal RV trip.

An 1892 lighthouse in Mackinaw City, Michigan, at the Straits of Mackinac where Lake Michigan meets Lake Huron, beside the Mackinac Bridge. Operated by Mackinac State Historic Parks, it now serves as a museum with restored keeper's quarters and tower open to the public.

Pemaquid Point Light caps the Pemaquid Peninsula in Bristol, Maine, where dramatic banded granite meets the sea. The American Lighthouse Foundation holds the license, with the Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse caring for the tower. It is a scenic Mid-Coast Maine stop set among striking rock ledges.

Pensacola Lighthouse is an 1859 brick tower on Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. It is open to the public for tower climbs of 177 steps, with a maritime museum in the keeper's quarters and long views over Pensacola Bay and the Gulf.

An 1872 light station preserved as Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park by California State Parks. At 115 feet it is among the tallest lighthouses in the country. The tower is under restoration and closed inside, but it remains viewable from the grounds along scenic Highway 1.

A historic 1870 light station preserved by the National Park Service in Point Reyes National Seashore, California. The lighthouse sits below the headland and is reached by 313 stairs; a Lighthouse Visitor Center and Ocean Exploration Center sit at the top. It makes a dramatic coastal day stop on a Bay Area RV trip.

Port Boca Grande Lighthouse is an 1890 light in Gasparilla Island State Park on Florida's southwest Gulf Coast. Restored and operated with the Barrier Island Parks Society, it houses a museum and is open to the public — the only public lighthouse on the state's west coast.

Port Isabel Lighthouse is an 1852 tower near South Padre Island, Texas, managed by the Texas Historical Commission as a State Historic Site. It is the only Texas lighthouse open to the public to climb, with a reconstructed keeper's cottage museum and views over the lower Gulf Coast.

Portland Head Light anchors Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth, just south of Portland. The U.S. Coast Guard maintains the active light and fog signal, while the Town of Cape Elizabeth manages the grounds and the keeper's-house museum. It is a classic first stop on a southern Maine coastal RV loop.

A 1910 Lake Superior light station near Two Harbors, Minnesota, perched on a cliff above the water. The 25-acre historic site is operated by the Minnesota Historical Society, with the restored fog-signal building, keeper's home, and museum store open to visitors.

An 1874 lighthouse and maritime museum on Anastasia Island in St. Augustine, Florida, operated by a nonprofit that opens the tower for public climbs. The surrounding historic coast and nearby state-park beaches make it a strong Florida RV destination.

Oregon's tallest lighthouse, first lit in 1873, on a basalt headland in the BLM-managed Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area near Newport. Beyond the tower, the area is known for tide pools, nesting seabirds, and whale watching, making it a rich coastal stop on a Highway 101 RV trip.