Tag: Door County Trails
The Harold C. Wilson Three Springs Nature Preserve, and at 515 total acres, it’s one of the biggest Door County Land Trust purchases ever made. Photo by Aleah Kidd.
The karst topography of the escarpment is visible throughout the hike along Eagle Trail in Peninsula State Park. Photo by Myles Dannhausen Jr.
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Hike This: Ellison Bluff County Park
Photos by Aleah Kidd Although Ellison Bluff County Park is on the shoreline of Green Bay just south of Ellison Bay, there’s no access to the water because the bluffs facing the lake soar 100 feet high. There is, however, a wonderful lookout and picnic area complete with a stairway that takes visitors to the […]
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VIDEO: Hike It Again, Sam | The Door County Pulse
This week on the Door County Pulse: The Election is over, here’s where you can find the results, The hike so nice we hiked it twice, And Wild Tomato has frozen pizza! All that and more on this week’s Door County Pulse.
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Hike This: Mink River Estuary State Natural Area, Part 2
I recently wrote about a hike – the Schoenbrunn Trail – on the northern side of the estuary. This week, I’m highlighting the trails south of the estuary, which are accessible by two trailheads on Mink River Road in Ellison Bay. This is a hiking area I had never visited before. The trailheads are rather inconspicuous, and […]
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Hike This: Sand Cove and Duck Bay
If you’re seeking a trail that takes you snugly along the shoreline, then the section of trail along Sand Cove and Duck Bay within Newport State Park will do nicely. Its single-track path winds among roots, trees and rocks to give you glimpses of wide-open Lake Michigan on the lake side. Every so often, the […]
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Hike This: Mink River Estuary State Natural Area
Photos by Aleah Kidd If you haven’t explored the Mink River Estuary yet, then I feel obligated to tell you right off that you’re missing out. And further, you need to know that the best way to experience the Mink River is by way of canoe or kayak. It’s a magical experience that’s a must-do […]
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Hike This: White Cliff Nature Preserve
Hiking into the White Cliff Nature Preserve near Egg Harbor, you get the sense that the trees have been growing there for centuries – and you wouldn’t be wrong. This preserve was once part of the acreage owned by Ferdinand Hotz, a wealthy jeweler from Chicago who owned more land than any other landowner in […]
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Hike This: Ephraim Preserve at Anderson Pond
The historic acreage that makes up this preserve near the heart of Ephraim has been in the Anderson family name since 1858. It was in that year when Aslag Anderson, a hardworking Norwegian, was hired by Ephraim’s founder, Rev. Andreas Iverson, to build a large pier for the fledgling community. The pier he created is […]
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Hike This: Kangaroo Lake Preserve
The Kangaroo Lake Preserve is distinctive in that it was the first nature preserve that the Door County Land Trust purchased. Established in 1996, the preserve began with 57 acres and today comprises nearly 700 acres thanks to the efforts of The Nature Conservancy, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Kangaroo Lake Association and […]
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Hike This: Three Springs Nature Preserve
The Three Springs Nature Preserve is what I’d consider “hidden in plain sight.” Only two miles outside of downtown Sister Bay, this beautiful preserve is a favorite of locals and a great place to get outside for a leisurely hike. Its full name is the Harold C. Wilson Three Springs Nature Preserve, and at 515 […]
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Hike This: Toft Point State Natural Area
The Toft Point Natural Area is one of my favorite hikes at any time of the year. The trail begins off Ridges Road, where there’s a small parking area, and it travels northeast through a mile of forest toward a spectacular, rocky dolomite shoreline on Moonlight Bay. Round trip, the easy hike is about two […]
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Just off Logerquist Road, across from an old barn sporting the words “Logerquist Bros.” in large lettering, an unassuming wooden sign stands at the entrance to the Rushes Nature Preserve. At the top, it reads: In Wildness is the preservation of the world. — Thoreau Often, during morning runs along Logerquist Road, I’ve passed this […]
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Hiking the Yellow Trail in Whitefish Dunes State Park
Whitefish Dunes State Park is known primarily for its sandy beaches and stunning lakeside views. The park was established in 1967, and in 1982, 230 acres of its total 867 acres were designated as a state natural area. On the lakeside, the dunes are open, sandy and home to common milkweed, beach wormwood, beach pea […]
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Hiking the Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve
If you’re looking for a hike to take you from Little House on the Prairie into magical fairy woods in fewer than three miles, the Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve is the perfect place to start. The 2.5-mile loop through this Door County Land Trust property begins in level fields of windswept grass. Open fields […]
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Getting Out: Newport State Park
Most visitors to Door County are well aware of Peninsula State Park, but relatively few make the trek north to Newport, the state’s only designated Wilderness Park. For a beautiful, easy hike, head to Europe Bay for a trek on the Hotz Trail. Difficulty: Easy, with some small hills to climb Distance: The Hotz Trail […]
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To me, fall is the most romantic time of the year in Door County. Spring often gets the credit as the season of love, when the birds and the bees awaken and get busy procreating. Then summer arrives, with “Summer Lovin’” playing on repeat and sunshine heating things up. But fall has always found a […]
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Roughing the Trails of Door Bluff Headlands County Park
A winter hike at Door Bluff Headlands County Park provides spectacular views.
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Autumn eye candy and ancient shorelines on the Sugar Bush Trail
Autumn in Door County is a magical time of year. The combination of kaleidoscoping color in the still-lush foliage, the reprieve of cooling air and the still-sunny evenings make for a season of welcomed change and happy reflection. During this transitional time, I try to spend as much time outdoors as possible – hiking, biking […]
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Exploring Eagle Trail in Peninsula State Park
The bluffs of the Niagara Escarpment are one of Door County’s defining features, and nowhere is their scale and beauty more pronounced than along Eagle Trail in Peninsula State Park. This two-mile loop that drops more than 200 feet from atop the bluff to the bottom is the most popular of all the peninsula’s hiking […]
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Hike This: Four Must-Hike Winter Trails
The temperature outside may be frightful but the views at the state parks in Door County are absolutely delightful. Enjoying the outdoors in the winter might take more planning than when the temperature is above 50 degrees but if you set out for any of the following trails, your efforts will be greatly rewarded.
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Geology, Flora & Fauna on Whitefish Dunes State Park’s Brachiopod Trail
About 10 miles north of Sturgeon Bay on the shores of Lake Michigan is one of Door County’s most unspoiled gems: Whitefish Dunes State Park. The park is known best for its pristine sand dunes gracefully sloping into one of the most magnificent beaches the Door Peninsula has to offer. To characterize it as such […]