Port Dover West Pier Lighthouse
42.7811° N, 80.2016° W · Ontario · built 1850[1]
- Grounds open
- Heritage lighthouse (HLPA) 2014
- Last verified 2026-10
Iso G 4s · 37 ft[1]
As listed in the Canadian Coast Guard List of Lights, 2026 edition
The small white wooden tower at the end of Port Dover's west pier is the town's emblem and a protected heritage lighthouse. It began as a range light in the middle of the pier, was moved to the end, and still shows a green light with a fog horn mariners can switch on.
History
Port Dover grew up from about 1835 where the Lynn River meets Lake Erie, and it soon became a busy port for shipbuilding, trade and fishing.[2] Parks Canada's heritage designation places the first lighthouse on the site around 1846 and says it was destroyed by fire; the Lighthouse Directory dates the station to 1845 and the fire to 1848.[2,3]
The sources disagree about the age of the present tower. The designation says it was built around 1850, while the Lighthouse Directory gives 1905.[2,3] They agree on its form: a square, tapered wooden tower about 8.6 metres (28 feet) tall, topped by a square lantern, with a fog horn projecting from its south face.[2] It first served as a range light near the middle of the pier and was later moved about 18 metres to the end to act as the harbour light.[2] Parks Canada notes that square tapered wooden towers like this were cheap, used local timber and labour, stood up well to wind thanks to their low centre of gravity, and could be moved when harbours changed.[2]
Lightning damaged the tower in 1981, and it was repaired.[3] It was designated a heritage lighthouse under the federal Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act in 2014, and Norfolk County took ownership in 2015.[4,3]
The light still works as a private aid. The 2026 List of Lights gives it a green isophase light every four seconds from 11.2 metres, with a fog horn that mariners can switch on by radio.[1] It marks the outer end of the west pier, which runs out from the foot of Harbour Street and can be walked.[3]
How to see it
Grounds open You can walk to or around the lighthouse; the tower itself is closed.
- Best public viewpoint
- The west pier at the foot of Harbour Street in downtown Port Dover; the pier can be walked, and the tower is visible from the beach and harbour.[3]
- Tower climbs
- No public tower climbs have been offered, as far as our sources show.
- Operator
- Private aid (fog horn activated by mariners)
- 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 walk to the Port Dover lighthouse?
Yes. The west pier at the foot of Harbour Street can be walked to the tower; the tower itself is closed. Stay off the pier in rough weather.
Is the Port Dover lighthouse protected?
Yes. It was designated a heritage lighthouse under Canada's Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act in 2014.
Is the Port Dover light still working?
Yes. The 2026 Canadian List of Lights shows Iso G 4s at 11.2 metres, with a fog horn mariners can activate.
Nearby lighthouses
- Old Cut Lighthouse View from shore
- Long Point Lighthouse View from a boat
- Port Maitland Lighthouse Grounds open
- Port Burwell Lighthouse Grounds open
- Mohawk Island Lighthouse (ruin) Ruin or relocated
Nearby shipwrecks
Nearby · Sponsored
Run a heritage-tourism business near Port Dover West Pier Lighthouse? Sponsor this page: $79/year. Sponsor this page
Sources
- List of Lights, Buoys and Fog Signals - Inland Waters, 2026 edition (Lake Erie pages), Canadian Coast Guard (Notices to Mariners). Accessed .
- HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca, Canada's Historic Places (Canadian Register of Historic Places). Accessed .
- Lighthouses of Canada: Southwestern Ontario, Russ Rowlett, The Lighthouse Directory (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). Accessed .
- Heritage lighthouses in Canada (designated heritage lighthouses), Parks Canada. Accessed .
- Wikidata Q45324492: Port Dover West Pier Lighthouse, Wikidata. Accessed .
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