Explore the shoreline
Great Lakes coastal places
Find coastal towns, lighthouses, beaches, parks and maritime stories along the Great Lakes.
70 places in this view · Save a favorite or use the map to get your bearings.
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34 of 70 places mapped. 36 remain in the list without a map pin. Unverified locations and precise shipwreck sites are not plotted. Pins are representative locations, not verified entrances.
Black-and-white basemap by OpenStreetMap. Great Lakes highlighted in color. Hold Ctrl (or Command) while scrolling to zoom. Use two fingers on touch screens.
Lake outlines: Natural Earth (public domain). Town centers: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Not for navigation. Selecting Live ships loads an external VesselFinder map for this area. Privacy details.
National Lakeshore
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
A Lake Superior archipelago of forests, beaches, sea caves and lighthouses.
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Photo: Sharon Mollerus · CC BY 2.0
Devil's Island Sea Caves (28462731415).jpg by Sharon Mollerus · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Bayfield
A small harbor town and gateway to the Apostle Islands.
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Photo: Dls4832 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bayfield Wisconsin.jpg by Dls4832 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Chicago
A world-class city with a miles-long Lake Michigan waterfront.
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Photo: NorbertNagel · CC BY-SA 4.0
Chicago Skyline Sunrise March 15 2026 - 02.jpg by NorbertNagel · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Duluth
A working harbor city at the western tip of Lake Superior.
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Photo: Bspor.88 · CC0
Duluth, MN - Aerial Lift Bridge and harbor, aerial, August 2024.jpg by Bspor.88 · CC0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Erie
Pennsylvania's Great Lakes city beside Presque Isle Bay.
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Photo: Tomdonohue1 at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Bicentennial Tower.jpg by Tomdonohue1 at English Wikipedia · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Mackinac Island
A car-free island where Lake Huron meets the Straits of Mackinac.
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Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mackinac Island July 2010 02 (downtown from harbor).JPG by Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Niagara-on-the-Lake
A heritage town where Lake Ontario meets the Niagara River.
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Photo: Paste · CC BY-SA 3.0
Niagara on the lake.jpg by Paste · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Lighthouse
Point Betsie Lighthouse
A landmark white tower on the Lake Michigan shore.
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Photo: Belle montano-zygmunt · CC BY 2.0
Pt Betsie lighthouse Frankfort Michigan.jpg by Belle montano-zygmunt · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
National Lakeshore
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Expansive dunes, forest and long beaches on Lake Michigan.
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Photo: en:User:Grod028 · Public domain
Sleeping Bear Dunes.jpg by en:User:Grod028 · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Lighthouse
Split Rock Lighthouse
An iconic beacon perched above Minnesota's rugged North Shore.
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Photo: MichaelDPhotos · CC BY-SA 4.0
Split Rock Light Station.jpg by MichaelDPhotos · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Shipwreck story
SS Edmund Fitzgerald
The Great Lakes' best-known shipwreck and a lasting story of Lake Superior.
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Photo: Unknown photographer · Public domain
Edmund Fitzgerald-USACE.jpg by Unknown photographer · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Traverse City
A northern Michigan favorite between bays and rolling countryside.
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Photo: Phoenix-Five · CC0
Downtown Traverse City from Wayne Hill.jpg by Phoenix-Five · CC0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Alpena
Thunder Bay's waterfront city and a gateway to Great Lakes shipwreck history.
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Photo: Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States · CC BY 2.0
Alpena City Hall (53882685763) (cropped).jpg by Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Lighthouse
Big Sable Point Lighthouse
A black-and-white tower beyond the dunes north of Ludington.
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Photo: Bailiwick Studios · CC BY-SA 2.0
Big Sable (29688853832).jpg by Bailiwick Studios · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
National Park
Bruce Peninsula National Park
Niagara Escarpment cliffs and Georgian Bay's blue water near Tobermory.
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Photo: The Cosmonaut · CC BY-SA 2.5 ca
Indian Head Cove cliffs1.jpg by The Cosmonaut · CC BY-SA 2.5 ca. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Buffalo
The eastern end of Lake Erie, where grain-elevator heritage meets a renewed waterfront.
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Photo: Reading Tom from Reading, UK · CC BY 2.0
Autumnal skyline view from Erie Basin Marina, Buffalo, New York, October 2012.jpg by Reading Tom from Reading, UK · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Lighthouse
Cana Island Lighthouse
Door County's island beacon on the open-lake side of the peninsula.
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Photo: August Schwerdfeger · CC BY 4.0
Cana Island Lighthouse 2020-09-07.jpg by August Schwerdfeger · CC BY 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Lighthouse
Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse
A historic tower above Rochester's Lake Ontario river mouth.
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Photo: Leslie L. Gregg · CC BY-SA 4.0
Genesee Lighthouse with Flags.jpg by Leslie L. Gregg · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
State Park
Chimney Bluffs State Park
Sculpted earthen bluffs above New York's Lake Ontario shore.
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Photo: Antepenultimate · CC BY-SA 4.0
Chimney Bluffs State Park 2009.JPG by Antepenultimate · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Cleveland
A Lake Erie city linking waterfront museums, neighborhoods and urban beaches.
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Photo: Erik Drost · CC BY 2.0
Cleveland skyline from Lakewood Park, June 2024.jpg by Erik Drost · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Shipwreck story
Cornelia B. Windiate
A grain schooner whose loss illustrates the hazards of late-season lake travel.
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Photo: NOAA / Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary · Public domain
Ship's wheel of Cornelia B. Windiate by NOAA / Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Lighthouse
Dunkirk Lighthouse
A New York Lake Erie light station with maritime and veterans' collections.
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Photo: Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States · CC BY 2.0
Dunkirk Lighthouse (53861095325).jpg by Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
State Park
Fair Haven Beach State Park
New York's Lake Ontario beach and campground landscape beside Little Sodus Bay.
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Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0
Fair Haven Beach State Park - 20221027 - 09 - dramatic shoreline.jpg by Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Lighthouse
Fort Gratiot Light Station
A Port Huron beacon near the outlet of Lake Huron.
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Photo: Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Fort Gratiot Lighthouse Park 2025e.jpg by Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Goderich
An Ontario harbor town with a distinctive town square and sunset-facing coast.
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Photo: Whpq · CC BY-SA 3.0
GoderichBeachView.jpg by Whpq · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
State Park
Gooseberry Falls State Park
Waterfalls, river trails and a rocky Lake Superior shore on Minnesota's North Shore.
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Photo: Edward Morrissey · CC BY-SA 4.0
Middle Gooseberry Falls, Gooseberry Falls State Park, Minnesota.jpg by Edward Morrissey · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Grand Marais
An artist's harbor at the meeting of Lake Superior and the Gunflint Trail.
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Photo: Pete Markham from Loretto, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
North Shore Trip - Beautiful Grand Marais, MN (14969233032).jpg by Pete Markham from Loretto, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
State Park
Headlands Beach State Park
A broad Ohio Lake Erie beach beside a protected dune landscape.
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Photo: Erik Drost · CC BY 2.0
Mentor Headlands Beach Sunrise (12697691344).jpg by Erik Drost · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Lighthouse
Holland Harbor Lighthouse
Michigan's familiar 'Big Red' lighthouse at the entrance to Holland's harbor.
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Photo: Rodney Campbell · CC BY 2.0
Holland Harbor Lighthouse 2.jpg by Rodney Campbell · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
State Park
Illinois Beach State Park
A protected Lake Michigan shoreline north of Chicago.
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Photo: Yinan Chen · Public Domain
Gfp-illinois-beach-state-park-shoreline-of-lake-michigan.jpg by Yinan Chen · Public Domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
National Park
Indiana Dunes National Park
A mosaic of dunes, wetlands, woodland and beaches on southern Lake Michigan.
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Photo: Indianadunes · CC BY 4.0
Part of the Dunes Succession Trail at West Beach, Indiana Dunes National Park.jpg by Indianadunes · CC BY 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Shipwreck story
Ironton
A schooner barge lost in a Lake Huron collision and later documented by sanctuary researchers.
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Photo: NOAA · Public domain
Ironton wreck.jpg by NOAA · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Kingston
A limestone waterfront city at the meeting of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence.
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Photo: DXR · CC BY-SA 4.0
Waterfront, Kingston, East view 20170416 1.jpg by DXR · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
State Park
Kohler-Andrae State Park
Wisconsin dune trails and sandy Lake Michigan shoreline near Sheboygan.
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Photo: Djngsf · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kohler Andrae State Park near Sheboygan Wisconsin, Sand Dunes and Cordwalk Trail.jpg by Djngsf · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Provincial Park
Lake Superior Provincial Park
Ontario's eastern Lake Superior coast of bays, forest and rugged shoreline.
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Photo: D. Gordon E. Robertson · CC BY-SA 3.0
Gargantua Harbour, Lake Superior PP.jpg by D. Gordon E. Robertson · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Ludington
A ferry port framed by Lake Michigan beaches, dunes and lighthouse trails.
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Photo: NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory · CC BY-SA 2.0
Ludington light at sunset (21099533911).jpg by NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Lighthouse
Marblehead Lighthouse
A stone Lake Erie beacon on Ohio's Marblehead Peninsula.
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Photo: Bobport10 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Marblehead Lighthouse.jpg by Bobport10 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Marquette
A northern Michigan city with sandstone shoreline, trails and a historic ore harbor.
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Photo: ThiloG · CC BY-SA 2.0
Marquette Lower Harbor Ore Dock, 2013.jpg by ThiloG · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Michigan City
Indiana's lakeside city with a lighthouse skyline and sandy beach.
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Photo: Dan Previte · CC BY 2.0
Michigan City East Lighthouse aerial 2021 - Michigan City, Indiana.jpg by Dan Previte · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Milwaukee
Lakefront museums, public beaches and river neighborhoods on Wisconsin's coast.
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Photo: Isaac Rowlett · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dji fly 20241201 160430 0031 1733092392756 photo.jpg by Isaac Rowlett · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Shipwreck story
Monohansett
A steamer whose remains form part of Thunder Bay's protected maritime collection.
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Photo: NOAA / Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary · Public domain
Stern and propeller of Monohansett by NOAA / Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Munising
The harbor gateway to Pictured Rocks and a coastline of cliffs and waterfalls.
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Photo: Notorious4life · CC0
Munising, Michigan (02 August 2016).jpg by Notorious4life · CC0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
New Buffalo
A compact southwest Michigan harbor with a beach-town pace.
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Photo: BigBear_in_IN · CC BY-SA 3.0
New Buffalo Harbor, MI - panoramio.jpg by BigBear_in_IN · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Shipwreck story
Nordmeer
A twentieth-century freighter in a sanctuary collection spanning generations of ship design.
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Photo: National Marine Sanctuaries · Public domain
TBNMS - Nordmeer (27699704940).jpg by National Marine Sanctuaries · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Shipwreck story
Ohio
The grain-carrying freighter involved in the same collision that sank Ironton.
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Photo: Michigan Technological University / NOAA · Public domain
SS Ohio sonar image by Michigan Technological University / NOAA · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Oswego
A historic Lake Ontario port where the Oswego River reaches the lake.
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Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0
From the Oswego River Bridge looking toward Lake Ontario, Oswego, New York - 20210221.jpg by Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
State Park
Peninsula State Park
Door County's Green Bay shoreline, with woodland trails and harbor views.
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Photo: Richie Diesterheft from Santa Barbara, CA, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Ephraim Wisconsin from Eagle tower in Peninsula State Park.jpg by Richie Diesterheft from Santa Barbara, CA, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Petoskey
Little Traverse Bay views and a historic downtown in northern Michigan.
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Photo: Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0
2009-0619-Petoskey-marina.JPG by Bobak Ha'Eri · CC BY 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Shipwreck story
Pewabic
A Thunder Bay steamer lost in a collision during the Great Lakes shipping era.
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Photo: J.E. Keast · Public domain
Pewabic.jpg by J.E. Keast · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
National Lakeshore
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Sandstone cliffs, beaches and waterfalls along Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
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Photo: National Park Service · Public domain
Pictured Rocks Bridalveil Falls.jpg by National Park Service · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Provincial Park
Pinery Provincial Park
Lake Huron beach country with oak savanna and a river-channel landscape.
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Photo: Ymblanter · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dunes Beach Pinery Provincial Park.jpg by Ymblanter · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
National Park
Point Pelee National Park
A Lake Erie peninsula of marsh, woodland and seasonal bird migration.
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Photo: Quozl · Public domain
Boardwalk in Pelee.JPG by Quozl · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Port Austin
A small harbor at the tip of Michigan's Thumb.
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Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domain
Port Austin Michigan aerial view.jpg by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Port Dover
A fishing-port community on Ontario's Lake Erie coast.
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Photo: JasonParis from Toronto, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0
Erie Beach, Pier and lighthouse at Port Dover, Ontario -a.jpg by JasonParis from Toronto, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
State Park
Presque Isle State Park
A sandy peninsula with beaches and lagoons beside Erie, Pennsylvania.
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Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0
Presque Isle State Park, Millcreek Twp, Erie County, Pennsylvania - 20210904 - 08 - Lake Erie seen from Leslie Beach.jpg by Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Put-in-Bay
South Bass Island's harbor village, with a national memorial above Lake Erie.
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Photo: NAHann · CC BY-SA 4.0
View from the top of Perry's Memorial Ohio.JPG by NAHann · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Rochester
A Genesee River city with a Lake Ontario shoreline at Charlotte.
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Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ontario Beach Park, Rochester, New York - 20201018 - 03.jpg by Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Provincial Park
Sandbanks Provincial Park
Prince Edward County's dune and beach landscape on Lake Ontario.
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Photo: Maxime Laterreur · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lakeshore Beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park.jpg by Maxime Laterreur · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Sandusky
A bayside Ohio city and a jumping-off point for the Lake Erie islands.
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Photo: Mike Sharp (2old) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ohio - Sandusky Waterfront.jpg by Mike Sharp (2old) · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Sheboygan
A Wisconsin harbor town where Lake Michigan meets art, beaches and dune country.
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Photo: Jordan M. Lomibao · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sheboygan.downtown.jpg by Jordan M. Lomibao · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Provincial Park
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
A forested Ontario peninsula with dramatic views of Lake Superior.
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Photo: Tony Webster · CC BY 2.0
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park Cliffs - Amethyst Harbour - Ontario - Canada in Autumn.jpg by Tony Webster · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Sturgeon Bay
Door County's shipbuilding town and a bridge between bay and open lake.
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Photo: Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 2.5
SturgeonBayWisconsinBay.jpg by Royalbroil · CC BY-SA 2.5. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
State Park
Tettegouche State Park
Clifftop Lake Superior scenery and forested river country.
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Photo: Desertson67 at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Northern MN Spring 2005 099.jpg by Desertson67 at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Thunder Bay
An Ontario port city facing the Sleeping Giant across Lake Superior.
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Photo: P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Thunder Bay skyline.JPG by P199 · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Tobermory
Bruce Peninsula harbor life between Georgian Bay and Lake Huron.
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Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0
20150704 - 010 - Tobermory, Ont. - The "Tobermory Frontier" at Big Tub Harbor (panorama).jpg by Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Toronto
Ontario's largest city, with island parks and a changing Lake Ontario waterfront.
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Photo: ImagePerson · CC BY 4.0
Toronto West Humber Bay Mimico Stonegate, Lake Ontario Waterfront.jpg by ImagePerson · CC BY 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Coastal town
Two Harbors
Ore docks, a historic lighthouse and a working Lake Superior waterfront.
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Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domain
Two Harbors Minnesota aerial view.jpg by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Lighthouse
Two Harbors Lighthouse
A harbor light overlooking Minnesota's historic ore-shipping waterfront.
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Photo: pmarkham · CC BY-SA 2.0
Two Harbors Light Minnesota.jpg by pmarkham · CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Lighthouse
Whitefish Point Light Station
A Lake Superior light station at a shoreline known for shipping and shipwreck stories.
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Photo: TCP04 · CC BY 4.0
Whitefish Point Light 2026.jpg by TCP04 · CC BY 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.
Lighthouse
Wind Point Lighthouse
A tall Wisconsin light station on Lake Michigan just north of Racine.
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Photo: User:JeremyA · CC BY-SA 3.0
Wind Point Lighthouse 071104.jpg by User:JeremyA · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.