01
Climb Sturgeon Point Lighthouse
A boxy white light at the end of a sand spit. Original Fresnel lens in the basement museum.
Mile 75 · Alcona County, Michigan
Lat 44.66° N · Lon 83.29° W
Harrisville .
One stoplight, one harbor, one lighthouse, and a state park whose pine forest comes right down to the water. The quietest of the seven.
Mile
75
US-23 N
Quick facts
Population
478
Smallest on the coast
State park
Harrisville
94-site camp · 1 mi sand
Stoplights
One
Main and US-23
Drive
3 hr
Detroit via I-75 / M-72
Things to do · 5 picks
What to do in Harrisville.
Curated by Sunrise Coast Council editors. Half a day to a week, family-friendly to wilderness-grade.
02
Harrisville State Park beach
A mile of soft sand with old-growth white pine coming right to the dunes. Camp on the lake.
03
Hike Negwegon State Park
No paved roads, no power, no cell. Three loops through pine forest to seven miles of empty beach.
04
Sandhill Crane viewing at Negwegon
Hundreds of staging cranes at dawn before the long flight south. Bring binoculars and a thermos.
05
Harrisville Harbor walk
A short stone breakwall walk out into Lake Huron. The town behind, the lake ahead, not much in either direction.
The quiet section
The quietest part of a quiet coast.
Harrisville never recovered from the lumber bust. That's not a problem; it's the whole appeal. The population peaked at 1,200 in 1900 and has been drifting toward 400 for a century. The downtown is two blocks long. There is a coffee shop, a hardware store, a bar that's been there since 1937, and an ice cream stand open between Mother's Day and Labor Day.
The state park is older than the town's current population, the lighthouse is older than the state park, and the silence at Negwegon — eight miles south, where there is no road in — is older than anything human. Go for that.
478
Population
8 mi
Wilderness beach
1869
Sturgeon Pt
Harrisville · the quiet section
"You come for the silence. You stay because you forgot what it was like."— Sunrise Side Visitor Guide, 2019
Where on the coast.
Where to stay · 3 picks
All Harrisville lodging →
Cottages, inns, campgrounds.
B&B
The Big Paw B&B
An 1894 Victorian on Lake Street, third-generation family-run. Breakfast on the porch.
from $135 / night
Cabin
Negwegon Wilderness Cabins
Three off-grid cabins with composting toilets and solar lights. Bring everything.
from $195 / night
Camp
Harrisville State Park Campground
94 sites in pines on the lake. Half have lake views; book those.
from $24 / night
Questions · 4 answers
Common questions about Harrisville.
Quick answers to what travelers ask most before driving up.
Q.01
Where is Harrisville, Michigan?
Harrisville sits at Mile 75 on US-23 in Alcona County, about three hours north of Detroit. With a population of 478, it is the smallest of the seven anchor towns on the Sunrise Coast.
Q.02
Is Negwegon State Park worth the drive?
For travelers who want true wilderness, yes. Negwegon is roadless — vehicles park at the entrance and the only access is on foot or by paddle. Seven miles of undeveloped Lake Huron beach and three forest loops are the reward.
Q.03
What is there to do in Harrisville?
Harrisville State Park's beach and campground, Sturgeon Point Lighthouse, Negwegon's wilderness trails, the Old Bailey Schoolhouse Museum, and the small downtown make up the visitor list. Plan a quiet day, not a busy one.
Q.04
Can I climb Sturgeon Point Lighthouse?
Yes — the 1869 light is open for free tower climbs June through September, weather permitting. The original 4th-order Fresnel lens is displayed in the keeper's basement museum.