Flowerpot Island

Did you know that at one point Flowerpot Island was part of a land bridge connecting the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island? In another past life, all but the tops of the bluffs were underwater. In the 12,000 years since the last glacier melted, Great Lakes water levels have changed dramatically. The flowerpots of Flowerpot Island were carved from island bedrock as water levels have receded slowly over the years. More than 5,000 years ago, wave action created the sea cave which is now high in the bluff above the flowerpots.

In 1897, during the zenith of the shipping industry on the Great Lakes, a navigation light was put into service on the northeasterly point of the island. That summer, a square wooden tower was erected atop Castlebluff. From a height of 33 metres (88 ft) above the water, the light was visible for 22.4 km (14 miles). This square lighthouse was burned and pushed from Castlebluff in 1969 and was replaced by the current steel tower light. The fog plant, decom-missioned in 1995, now stands where the lighthouse once stood. An observation deck was built on the foundation of the original fog plant. A short hike along the face of Castlebluff and over a catwalk will take you to this observation deck to experience a wonderful view of Georgian Bay and the surrounding islands.

1987 was the last season that the Flowerpot Island Lightstation had a lightkeeper. From that time until 1996, the lightstation sat abandoned, slowly deteriorating from neglect. Concerns over the future of this historic lightstation led a volunteer association, the Friends of Fathom Five, to contact the Canadian Coast Guard and forge an agreement. Since 1996, a large group of dedicated volunteers set out each summer to care for this lighthouse to the delight of 10,000 visitors annually.


The lightstation on Flowerpot Island is a great place to visit with numerous picnic tables, beverages and souvenirs for sale, and wonderful swimming along the shore near the boathouse. There are volunteer lightkeepers on duty all summer long available to answer your questions and regale you with island history. The Friends host an anniversary party for the lightstation on the third Saturday in July each year. Volunteers take visitors back in time, demonstrating how everyday chores were done in the days before hydro and running water.

Glass-bottom tour boats depart from Tobermory’s Little Tub Harbour several times daily to Flowerpot Island, part of Fathom Five National Marine Park. While on the island you can follow the hiking trails to the flowerpots, the sea cave and the historic Flow-erpot Island Lightstation.