Door County WI

Tour of the Door County State Parks
Potawatomi State Park is a beautifully wooded park on Sturgeon Bay. This is the second year we have camped at this park. The campground offers nice private wooded sites. We had site 52, with plenty of space for the kids to explore and lots of trees to set up hammocks! The Ice Age Trail actually starts/stops here at Potawatomi. We enjoyed the hike along Sturgeon Bay. There is also a tower, but unfortunately it has been closed the last two years because of structural problems.

Peninsula State Park is in Fish Creek and about a 40 minute drive from Potawatomi State Park. It's much closer to the tourist area of Door County, so you can get the best of both worlds. A little nature, along with restaurants and shopping!  We have tried to get a site at Peninsula, with no luck. It is a very popular park with nice hiking and biking  trails. There is also a nice beach area too. Peninsula just opened their viewing tower and rebuilt it to be ADA accessible. The tower is pretty spectacular! Of course you will have to stop to see the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse as well. 

Rock Island State Park takes a lot of planning because visiting this state park requires you to take two different ferry rides. First you must take the ferry to Washington Island, then take another ferry to Rock Island. The last ferry to leave Rock Island is at 4:15, so unless you want to camp overnight, you need to make sure to catch the ferry! Cars and bikes are not allowed on Rock Island, but dogs are allowed. There is a trail that takes you all the way around Rock Island or there are also shortcuts along the way. We took the lighthouse tour at Pottawatomie Light Station, walked down the steps to the lake, walked around the beautiful boathouse, and checked out some of the remote campsites right on the lake. 

Washington Island is not a state park, but would be a nice day trip. Many years ago when Travis was 2 years old, we took our bikes on the ferry and spent the day biking the island. Washington Island is pretty big, so if biking isn't your idea of fun, you can also bring your car on the ferry for a fee. There are restaurants and shops. The lookout tower is closed due to structural damage. Schoolhouse beach is a neat little stop, it is filled with smooth white stones that are just gorgeous. But don't you dare take a rock...you will see lots of warnings of fines for taking these special rocks away from their home! 

Whitefish Dunes State Park and Cave Point County Park are right next to each other. We definitely prefer Cave Point County Park, it offers a beautiful walk along Lake Michigan and also a fun spot to jump in! Beware that the water is really cold!! This was not Mia's year for jumping, she wasn't interested. We had her life jacket just in case, but she chose not to. Travis on the other hand loved it! I hate heights and being cold, so I also chose to sit this one out! I promised to be a good photographer though! 

Newport State Park looks like a beautiful park right on Lake Michigan. This park is designated as a Dark Sky Park, so if you love star gazing this would be worth a stop at night. We only briefly stopped at this park after a long day at Washington Island and Rock Island so we couldn't give it the time it deserves. We will definitely be back to explore and maybe do some star gazing! Would love to hear about your experiences at this park!