Our Favourite P.E.I. Lighthouses
Prince Edward Island is 225 km long, ranging from 3 to 65 km in width and is basically enveloped by 63 lighthouses. Some are closed or decommissioned, and others are still operational, giving tourists and locals something massive to admire. Here’s a list of our favourite lighthouses across PEI that we think you must visit at least once in your lifetime.
West Point Lighthouse Inn & Museum
West Point lighthouse is the first P.E.I. lighthouse constructed by the Federal Government to help the Colonial Government and the Federal Department of Marine. Its black stripes used to be red but it was realized that red fades easily and black provides more contrast.
Built in 1875
20.6 metres
364 Cedar Dunes Park Rd, O’Leary
Port Borden Back Range Light
This is the first lighthouse everyone sees when they drive onto P.E.I. from the Confederation Bridge on the south shore. Its range light has been decommissioned as of June 1997, the year the bridge opened.
Built in 1917
11.6 metres
Borden-Carleton
Cape Bear Lighthouse & Marconi Museum
A house hauler from Prince County by the name of Wesley Coles was hired to move the lighthouse in 1946. The family living in the lighthouse at that time stayed in their home while it was being relocated.
Built in 1881
12.2 metres
42 Black Brook Rd, Murray Harbour
Wood Islands Lighthouse
The Wood Islands lighthouse became recognized as a Heritage Place on October 3, 2012. It was one of the last lighthouses where the keeper and their family could live.
Built in 1875
16.5 meters
173 Lighthouse Rd, Belle River
Panmure Island Lighthouse and Gift Shop
P.E.I.’s first wooden lighthouse is this one right here. The octagonal heavy timber frame style you see was popular during the pre-Confederation (Colonial) lighthouse times.
Built in 1853
18.6 meters
Rte 347, 62 Lighthouse Rd, Montague
North Cape Light
In 1873, the Department of Marine and Fisheries took an assessment of every P.E.I. lighthouse.The results demonstrated that North Cape was “one of the most important light stations on the Island.”
Built in 1865
19.5 meters
21817 PE-12, Tignish
North Rustico Harbour Light
Even large structures like these face terrible fates at times. On January 12, 1899, it was capsized during a “gale”, otherwise known as a very strong wind. It was later rebuilt, moved, but then damaged again in 2009 during a storm.
Built in 1876
10.4 meters
383 Harbourview Dr, New Glasgow
Cape Tryon Lighthouse
1905 is the year the first Cape Tryon lighthouse was built to help student-pilots from the British Commonwealth Air Training Schools. But the lighthouse we see here today was built in the 60s just to the right of the original Cape Tryon lighthouse.
Built in 1965
12 meters
Cape Tryon Rd, French River
Sources:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-lighthouses-1.3743427
https://welcomepei.com/blog/lighthouses-to-visit-in-pei/
https://www.peilighthousesociety.ca/
