A Perfect Winter Day in Door County

Writer Angela Sherman cross-country skis through Peninsula State Park.

The sun greets my groggy eyes as our dog, Gizmo, paces in anticipation of going outside. My husband and I quickly get bundled up and head to the Sister Bay Dog Park. We enter through the gates and Gizmo gallops in to mark his favorite spots. After a short round of catch another dog arrives. Gizmo welcomes him with a game of chase. Gizmo would stay here all day if we let him.

We arrive back home and spend time looking out the window of our kitchen nook, trying to name all the birds that come feast at our bird feeders – the pileated woodpecker, black-capped chickadees, blue jays, and a variety of winter birds make an appearance.

In the afternoon, we head to the YMCA in Fish Creek to jump in the swimming pool, hot tub and sauna. There are few things more pleasurable than looking out the window and watching soft snowflakes fall as you are swimming in a heated pool.

In the evening, we leave the dog at home and head to Peninsula State Park for a sunset cross-country ski. We start at Lot 5, which offers five trails ranging from one to seven miles. We take the rolling, medium difficultly Orange loop that runs three miles. We can see the sun setting through the trees as we curve back towards the car. By the time we arrive at the parking lot, it is getting dark and we are exhausted from an adventure-filled day in northern Door County.