Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, in far northern Wisconsin on Lake Superior, holds what the National Park Service calls the largest and finest single collection of lighthouses in the country. The lights are scattered across the islands and Long Island, dating from the mid-1800s into the 1900s, and several open for guided tours in the warm season. For RV travelers, the mainland gateway around Bayfield makes a scenic base for exploring this Lake Superior archipelago.
Best season — Summer (warm-season tours and boat access)
At a glance
The facts worth checking before you roll out
Conservative, source-minded facts for planning your visit — always worth confirming against current conditions before you travel.
State
Wisconsin
Body of water
Lake Superior
Managed by
National Park Service (Apostle Islands National Lakeshore)
Lighthouses
Multiple across the islands and Long Island
Mainland gateway
Bayfield, WI
On the ground
The lights here span generations of Lake Superior navigation — from mid-1800s towers like Raspberry Island and Sand Island to early-1900s structures — and together they form a maritime collection unmatched anywhere else in the national park system.
Because the lighthouses are on islands, visiting them is a boat-based experience built around the Bayfield-area mainland; the gateway town gives RV travelers a place to stage day trips out into the archipelago.
Which lighthouses are open for tours, and how to reach them by water, varies by season and conditions, so confirm current tour schedules and access on the National Park Service site before you go.
Official sources
- National Park Service — Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Lighthouses National Park Service
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Planning an RV trip near Apostle Islands Lighthouses: An RV Traveler's Guide to Wisconsin's Lake Superior Lakeshore?
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