Door County is loaded with parks, in fact there are more state parks in Door County than any other county in Wisconsin. There are also quite a few county parks as well as plenty of smaller Door County Land Trusts and not to mention city and town parks. There are miles of hiking and biking trails in the summer which easily convert to ski and snowshoe trails in the winter. For a lot of people, that’s the main draw to Door County. The best part is how diverse all of these parks are. Some offer stunning views of Green Bay from the tops of the bluffs while others meander through wetlands and various forests. Since there are so many parks here we tried to highlight a few that should be on your must see list. If you’re up here for just a weekend or a week or two be sure to check out one of there amazing parks.
- Peninsula State Park
- Cave Point County Park
- Door Bluff Headlands
- Whitefish Dunes State Park
- Rock Island State Park
Peninsula State Park
Coming in at 3,775 acers, Peninsula State Park is one of the largest parks in the entire state of Wisconsin. You could come to Door County for a week and still not see everything in this park. There are over 460 campsites spread out over multiple campgrounds, a golf course, several beaches (some hidden), an outdoor theater called northern sky, boat and bike rentals, a lighthouse, a small island, a nature center, an observation tower with amazing views, and miles of hiking, biking, ski, and snowmobile trails. This park really has it all. Even on a busy day in summer you can still find peace and solitude in the middle of the park away from the crowds. The topography is also notable with white limestone bluffs running through the park offering varying degrees of difficulty for hiking and biking trails and several scenic overlooks. Below the newly constructed Eagle Tower is Eagle Cave, a giant cave in the side of the cliff which was carved out by wave action shortly after the last ice age. It is an impressive sight which can be seen on the Bayside Tour with Door County Adventure Rafting. Another sight which can be seen on the tour is Horseshoe Island. Originally privately owned, it was eventually added to the park after its creation in 1908. A home that was built on the island was demolished and all that remains of it today is a cellar. Eagle Bluff Lighthouse is also an impressive sight looking over the Strawberry Islands. Tours of the lighthouse are offered daily during the summer but seeing it from the water is also a great way to check it out. If there is time on your trip to only check out one park make sure it is Peninsula State Park.
Cave Point County Park
Over the past couple of decades Cave Point County Park has exploded in popularity and with good reason. The sea caves (lake caves?) located here are unlike anything else you’ll find in Door County. This park has become so popular, a few years ago the county built a new parking lot over double the size of the original. This park is also the only place in Door County you can cliff jump into the water though we wouldn’t recommend it when the lake level is low. These limestone caves have gotten carved out from the wave action for thousands of years since the Great Lakes were created after the last ice age. Whether you’re here on a calm day or rough day Lake Michigan is an impressive sight from this park. On the calm days you are greeted with crystal clear water with visibility over 20 feet deep while on the rough days you can watch the waves crash into the rock spraying water over 50 feet in the air. This area probably sees the biggest waves on the lake because of the way it sticks out into Lake Michigan. If you come here on the roughest days you’re bound to see people surfing on the lake near by. Even though you can drive a car here it can be difficult to see all of the sea caves since you are standing over the top of them. The best way to check it out is on the Cave Point Tour with Door County Boat Tours. You’ll get right into the caves and get to see ones you didn’t even know existed, plus you will get to see a few shipwrecks along the way. No matter how you see cave point it is bound to be one of the coolest things you see in Door County.
Door Bluff Headlands County Park
At the end of the peninsula tucked well off Highway 42/57 is one of the lesser known but equally impressive 156 acre Door Bluff Headlands County Park. This park offers some of the best views overlooking Green Bay and the entrance to Death’s Door Passage. It is a fairly rustic park with hiking trails that lead you along the edge of the Niagara Escarpment. Access to the rocky shoreline is limited to one area and the trail is fairly steep. This park also has the only known Native American pictographs in Door County. These faint reddish markings along the bluffs depict a deer, an eagle, and Native Americans in canoes. One theory suggests it is a depiction of how Death’s Door Passage got its name. Because they are in a remote part of the park the best way to see it is on the Death’s Door Tour with Door County Adventure Rafting. There is also the shipwreck of the Fleetwing near by which sank in 1888.
Whitefish Dunes State Park
In my opinion Whitefish Dunes State Park has some of the nicest hiking trails in Door County. You might not have the same breathtaking views as Peninsula State Park but there are a lot of scenic transitions that take place through the park. Trails lead you up and down sand dunes, through fields, forests, and wetlands. There’s a beautiful sand beach that stretches for miles, a nice picnic area close to the water and parking lot with a pavilion, and a fascinating nature center that showcases some of the Native American settlements that were here long ago. Whitefish Dunes State Park also surrounds Cave Point County Park and all the trails connect so you really could spend the whole day hiking here and enjoying the beach. It is also worth noting that Whitefish Dunes also have the tallest sand dunes on the west side of Lake Michigan, though they may not be as impressive as the Sleeping Bear Dunes they are still worth visiting while you are in Door County. Just offshore from the beach are the remains of the Australasia, a wood steamship that ran aground here and burned in 1896. It is one of several shipwrecks you can see on the Cave Point Tour with Door County Adventure Rafting. There are also great views of the dunes from the water too, a perspective not many people get the chance to see.
Rock Island State Park
We really hate to give away our favorite spot in Door County but Rock Island State Park is definitely worth a visit if you have the time and budget to get there. To reach Rock Island you have to take two ferries to get there, so it’s pretty much an all day event. We prefer to camp there though which really is the best way to experience this park. There are no cars on the island, no electricity, and no stores or shops for supplies. Rock Island is loaded with history and was where the first white settlers arrived to Door County and built a fishing village. There are several cemeteries with the remains of Native Americans and settlers. The first lighthouse in Wisconsin was also built there on the north end of the island. Today the lighthouse is completely restored to what it would have looked like in the early 1900’s and tours are available during the summer. In the early 1900’s an inventor named Chester Thordarson purchased the island with the intention of preserving it and after his death the state of Wisconsin acquired it and turned it into a state park. The most notable building on Rock Island would be Viking Hall located next to the ferry dock. This magnificent building was constructed when Chester Thordarson owned the island and is a museum today. There is an abundance of information about the history of Rock Island including some of the excavations of the Native American village there and palisade constructed by Robert Lasalle, a French Explorer who spent some time on the island in the 1670’s. There is both a sand beach and a rock beach on the island great for swimming. You could easily spend two days camping here exploring the island and enjoying your time unplugged from the outside world.
