Among the plentiful, beautiful lighthouses that decorate Michigan’s Great Lakes shorelines, Point Betsie, just north of Frankfort, consistently sits at the top of my list of favorites. The site is rich with history, starting with the origin of its name: the French phrase “Pointe Aux Bec Scies,” meaning Saw Beak Point or Point of Sawbill Ducks. Native Americans gave it this name as a nod to where sawbill or merganser ducks thrived. Meanwhile, complementing her history as a constant guiding light to mariners sailing Lake Michigan is her simple and serene sense of elegance.
The charming lighthouse, constructed in 1858 and situated along the northern shores of Lake Michigan, is located in an area of our state that can easily be equated to heaven on earth. A visit to Point Betsie when driving along the picturesque M-22 scenic byway is always a must! Surrounded by miles of the Betsie Dunes Nature Conservancy, her beautiful grounds include lilac bushes and her shore is rich with rocks — a rockhound’s paradise!
Although the grounds are lush with greenery during the warmer months, winter at Point Betsie offers a special beauty. Her transformation during the colder months is a type of magic. Tree branches become gloriously glazed in ice and sparkle like diamonds. When the branches and the waters off the shoreline are coated in ice, Point Betsie becomes a frozen wonderland.
There’s something truly special about this Michigan treasure when it’s dressed in winter’s essence. The ice contrasts brilliantly with the hue of the water, especially when the sunlight is filtered through a perfect array of cloud cover. These conditions were present on the evening I captured this image last February. I used my Nikon Z8 camera body and my Nikkor Z 24-200mm lens to preserve the scene, with the goal of getting light that reveals itself through the moody clouds and casts shades of pink on the ice.
The original 1858 lighthouse, keeper’s residence, fog signal building, and Boathouse Museum are open to the public. The lighthouse is open every day from mid-May through mid-October, except for Tuesdays. During May, September, and October, the lighthouse is closed on Wednesdays. The lighthouse opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. On Sundays, it’s open noon-5 p.m. 
Sarah Goodwin, of Spring Lake, is a photo ambassador for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. She owns SG Captures and sells her work on Etsy/SG Captures. Follow her on Instagram at @sg.captures.
