The free 2026 Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map is available from the West Michigan Tourist Association (WMTA) as a printed publication or online map. It combines lighthouse locations with the Lake Michigan Circle Tour route. Printed copies can be mailed to U.S. addresses; readers outside the United States can view the publication online.
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Request the Free Lighthouse Map
What is included in the free 2026 Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map?
WMTA describes the publication as a map of the official Lake Michigan Circle Tour, featuring more than 100 lighthouses and attractions across Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. Its coverage follows the lake rather than stopping at Michigan’s state border, making it different from a general West Michigan visitors guide.
The association’s map page describes a route taking in harbor communities, beaches, islands, parks, natural areas and the Mackinac Bridge. The 2026 cover features Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse, with photography selected from WMTA’s 2025 annual photo contest. That identifies the current edition without changing what the free offer includes.
The publication has a long history. WMTA says the first Circle Tour guide was released in 1988 as a 52-page guidebook, following its work with the Michigan Department of Transportation. It became a map in 2007. The current offer is the 2026 map, rather than that original guidebook.
How to request the printed lighthouse map
- Use either blue request button to open WMTA’s official Request Free Travel Info page.
- Under “Select Which Brochure(s) You’d Like,” select “2026 Lighthouse Map.” The “2026 Carefree Travel Guide” is a separate checkbox.
- Complete the required contact and mailing fields, including your name, email address, street address, city, state and ZIP code.
- Review the email-contact choices, newsletter preference and required privacy-policy question, then submit your request directly to WMTA.
The form distinguishes permission to contact you by email from the tourism newsletter question. Review both controls according to your preferences. A phone field, message area and list of travel interests also appear on the page, but the form uses asterisks to identify required information.
Select the map explicitly rather than assuming it comes with another brochure. If you also want the separate travel guide, choose that option as well. WMTA’s request page handles multiple publication choices, so readers can see which item they are asking the association to send.
Mailing eligibility and the online alternative
WMTA explicitly states that it can mail publications only to addresses in the United States. Although the form’s country menu lists other countries, that menu does not override the written mailing restriction. Readers outside the U.S. are directed to the online-viewing links at the top of the request page.
Choose “View Map Online” to reach the Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour page. It provides the online publication and a separate link to the Circle Tour driving itinerary. “View Guide Online” leads to the Carefree Travel Guide, which is a different publication. This distinction helps you open the lighthouse resource you intended to read.
WMTA’s May 2026 release announcement also says printed copies are available at Michigan Welcome Centers and many partner locations. The announcement does not guarantee stock at every location. The online option gives you a way to explore the resource without depending on a particular pickup location or a mailed copy.
How the Circle Tour route relates to lighthouse visits
The official driving itinerary explains that the main Circle Tour follows signed state-highway routes in Michigan and Wisconsin. In some areas, those roads run several miles inland. Separate marked loops may use local streets or county roads closer to the shoreline, so following the main route is not the same as reaching every waterfront stop.
On the Michigan side, the itinerary runs from New Buffalo through lakeshore communities including St. Joseph, South Haven, Grand Haven and Muskegon. Farther north, it follows M-22 through places such as Frankfort and Empire before continuing toward Traverse City and the Mackinac Bridge. Its Wisconsin description includes Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee and the Door Peninsula.
Those route details give the map useful context: it is a regional planning resource, with a main circuit and local variations. The free publication is not a booking for a guided tour or a promise of admission to every lighthouse. Use individual attraction information for actual opening times, access and any charges.
The map page also mentions the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s Passport Program. It directs readers to purchase that passport separately. Requesting WMTA’s free lighthouse map does not mean a paid passport is included, and there is no need to buy it merely to request the map.
