Port Colborne Lighthouses (Inner and Outer)

History

Port Colborne sits at the Lake Erie end of the Welland Canal, the route that lets ships climb between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario without going over Niagara Falls.^[2] The harbour entrance is protected by a T-shaped west breakwater, and a light at each end of it guides ships in.^[2]

The inner light came first, in 1903. It is a square pyramidal tower about 13 metres (43 feet) tall, joined to a one-storey keeper's house, painted white with a red lantern and gallery.^[2] The volunteer Friends of Port Colborne Lighthouses describe it as reinforced concrete and say its light could be seen 12 miles away.^[3] The Canadian Coast Guard's 2026 List of Lights gives it a long white flash every ten seconds from 15.5 metres above the water.^[1] The U.S. Light List carries it too, as a white flash every ten seconds at 50 feet.^[4]

The outer light followed in 1928, at the south end of a breakwater extension. It is a short square concrete tower rising from the middle of a one-storey fog-signal building, floodlit at night.^[2] According to the Friends, its horn was one of the loudest on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, and a tunnel along the extension let the keeper reach it safely in storms and ice.^[3] It shows a fixed red light from 11.3 metres.^[1]

Both lighthouses have been declared surplus by the federal government, and the Friends group raises money toward their care.^[3,2] The breakwater does not reach the shore, so the towers are generally closed; the group has offered boat tours during Port Colborne's Canal Days festival in some years.^[2,3]

How to see it

View from shore Best seen from a public park, beach or pier nearby.

Best public viewpoint

A distant view from Lakeview Park at the end of Elm Street in Port Colborne; the breakwater does not connect to shore.^[2]

Tower climbs

No public tower climbs have been offered, as far as our sources show.

Operator

Canadian Coast Guard

Last verified

Last verified 2026-10

Access details last verified 2026-10. Hours, tours and ownership change. Check the operator before you go. Pier and breakwater lights can be dangerous in wind and waves; obey posted closures and never enter private or Coast Guard property.

Questions people ask

Can you visit the Port Colborne lighthouses?

Generally no. Both stand on a breakwater that does not connect to shore. The Friends of Port Colborne Lighthouses have offered boat tours during the Canal Days festival in some years; check with them first.

Where can you see them from land?

The Lighthouse Directory points to Lakeview Park at the end of Elm Street in Port Colborne for a distant view.

Are the Port Colborne lights still working?

Yes. The Canadian Coast Guard's 2026 List of Lights shows the inner light as LFl W 10s and the outer light as fixed red.