Cape Forchu Lighthouse, Heritage lighthouse in Yarmouth District, Canada

Cape Forchu Lighthouse is a white 30-metre tower shaped like an apple core, with a red vertical stripe, standing on a rocky headland 11 km from Yarmouth. It replaced the original 1839 octagonal wooden tower in 1961. The surrounding 19 acres include Leif Erikson Park, a walking trail, the keeper's house with The Keeper's Kitchen restaurant and a gift shop.

Samuel de Champlain landed at the cape in 1604 and named it Forchu, French for forked, after two prongs of land jutting into the sea. The Nova Scotia parliament voted 750 pounds for a lighthouse in 1838, and the first octagonal wooden tower, 18 metres tall, was lit on 15 January 1840. A fog bell added in 1857 was replaced by a steam fog signal in 1869. The present 30-metre white "apple core" tower with a red vertical stripe dates from 1961, and keepers staffed the station until 1993.

The lighthouse's red and white exterior has become a familiar landmark along Nova Scotia's coastline. The site embodies the region's deep connection to maritime traditions and reflects how communities here have long relied on the sea.

The 19-acre headland and its Leif Erikson Park trail are open year-round. The light keeper's house, a heritage property, opens from May to September and holds The Keeper's Kitchen restaurant and a gift shop. The site lies about 11 km from Yarmouth.

In 2000, this became the first operational lighthouse in Canada to shift from federal ownership to local municipal control. This unusual transfer marked a turning point in how coastal properties are managed in the province.