Wilderness Days At Newport State Park

Peninsula Pulse file photo.

Newport State Park will host its annual Newport Wilderness Days Sept. 2-3. Established in 1992, the event has provided a way for members of the Newport Wilderness Society (NWS) – the park’s official friends group – to showcase the wilderness park by leading hikes and programs.

The first day, Sept. 2, 8:30 am will start with coffee on the beach, donated by Kick Ash Coffee in Ellison Bay.

At 11 am a forest tour with volunteer naturalist Mary O’Grady and Lynn Reuter will lead visitors along the Upland loop.

Charlotte Lukes, who has been studying wild mushrooms for 40 years, will give a presentation about mushrooms at 1:30 pm. At 2 pm, join arborist Donna Danielson and learn how to identify several common trees and about their life cycles and shared history with humans. 

The second day, Sept. 3, 8:30-9:30 am, join Sherry Seubert of Embraced by Nature for a slow, morning-flow yoga class with guided meditation.  

At 10 am, NWS board member Gene Kenny, and master naturalist Helen Berch-Kenny, will lead a guided tour to the construction site of Fern Trail and at 1 pm, visitors can learn about the history of Newport that began in the 1880s as a small, bustling town.

The weekend closes with a campfire-building workshop at 2 pm. In addition to getting a campfire started – even in the rain – Tom and Maureen Flatley will show participants how to make fool-proof fire starters.

All of the Newport Wilderness Days programs are free, but a state park admission sticker is required on all vehicles.