Door County has a total of five Wisconsin State Parks and we love them equally. Well almost. We have a favorite. A park you SHOULD NOT MISS. And that park is Whitefish Dunes State Park. Let’s start there. (see above)
Whitefish Dunes State Park
This beautiful 863 acre park is just south of Jacksonport on the shores of Lake Michigan. It has a huge sand beach and adjacent dunes that are breathtaking in winter too. We have been at WDSP in February when the sun is shining and the air is so cold you can hear the ice cracking and moaning as it freezes along the rocky shore of the Niagara Escarpment. It’s a wondrous thing. Don’t miss this place.
The land the park sits on was home to 8 significant Prehistoric Native American villages. Structural replicas of the villages can be seen on the hiking trail behind the sand dunes.
Cave Point County Park adjacent to Whitefish Dunes State Park
Cave Point is a county park next door to Whitefish Dunes State Park. Cave Point. like Whitefish Dunes, also showcases the fabulous-ness of the Niagara Escarpment. It features secret caves, limestone cliffs, and is a favorite picture taking destination every season of the year. The picturesque caves are the result of Lake Michigan’s relentless pounding against the limestone bluffs. The park is 19-acres of hiking trails, picnic facilities, including a gazebo which you can reserve for special events.
Newport State Park
North of Ellison Bay at the end of County Road NP is the state’s only formally designated wilderness park. There are 2,400 acres of wilderness; 11 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and 38 miles of trails. 16.8 miles of the 38 are open to off-road bicycles. Newport is also a popular year-round destination for Geocache enthusiasts. There have been 174 bird species recorded at the park, reason enough to come back in spring.
For more information on all of Door County’s state parks visit: Door County Visitor Bureau’s website.
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