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Oak Point, NB |
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Description:
Oak Point Lighthouse is one of the original six Saint John River lighthouses and one of only two hazard lights on the river. The present tower dates from 1902, while the station was established in 1869.
The treacherous currents along this section of the river make it unsafe year-round as only a light ice forms in even the coldest of winter weather. During the spring freshet, the entire point is under water making the lighthouse appear as if it sits alone far out into the river. Although the tower has flooded on occasion, it does not have the recurrent problem faced by the Belyeas Point Lighthouse. The Kiwanis Club that operates the campground had a lease on the Oak Point Lighthouse for several years in the late 1990s. A deck and stairs were built on the landward side of the tower, and for a couple of years, the lighthouse served as a gift shop. The club later installed a window on the ground floor river side of the tower and started overnight rentals of the lighthouse. When the Coast Guard was notified of the alterations, the lease was immediately terminated, the deck and stairs torn down, and the window removed and boarded up leaving no outward evidence that it had ever existed.
References
Location: Located at Oak Point Provincial Park, on the western side of the Long Reach stretch of the Saint John River. Latitude: 45.5074 Longitude: -66.0803 For a larger map of Oak Point Lighthouse, click the lighthouse in the above map or get a map from: Mapquest. Travel Instructions: From Route 102 on the west side of the Saint John River, make a right turn at the sign for the Oak Point Provincial Park. From mid-May through Labour Day there is an entrance fee to the park even if you are simply driving out to the point to see the lighthouse. The lighthouse is owned by the Canadian Coast Guard. Grounds open, tower closed. Find the closest hotels to Oak Point Lighthouse See our List of Lighthouses in New Brunswick Canada |
