If you read our last blog post, you might be here wondering why we visited Iowa in August. Well, we aren’t quite ready to share that just yet. It is definitely coming in the near future, but for now, enjoy our latest adventure:
Another Door County, WI trip is in the books! We aren’t kidding when we say that it is one of our favorite places to visit, and the fact that it is closer to home than most of our other favorite places make it a place we return to again and again. For this visit, we tried to visit some different places than we did last year, and even hit a couple of spots that were brand new to us! That’s hard to do when you have visited the same area upwards of TWENTY times!
Since Heather’s Uncle Richard was along on this trip, and he has never visited Door County before, we did need to make sure to hit some of our old favorites. As we have done on almost every trip, we visited the ferry landing at Northport where we wandered the beach for a while, ate some delicious smoked fish at Charlie’s Smokehouse, strolled along the docks in both Sister Bay and Fish Creek, drove through Peninsula State Park where we climbed up the lookout tower and browsed around the Eagle Bluff Lighthouse for a while, and explored the rocks in Cave Point County Park. If you want more information on any of these places, or to see pictures, check out our post from the area last year: https://www.alaskanramtraveladventures.com/2024/10/19/stunning-door-county-wisconsin/
The Sturgeon Bay Canal Lighthouses weren’t new to us, but it had been a very long time since we had visited them, so it almost felt like a new adventure! We loved walking out the pier toward the front lighthouse and while you can’t get right up to it, you can get pretty close – and it feels like more of an adventure than it actually is, since the walk takes you away from shore a bit. The rear light is on the Coast Guard base, so we weren’t able to walk right up to it, either, but we were plenty close enough to get some good photos, and the view of it from the end of the pier is pretty great, as well. On our way back to town from visiting these two lighthouses, we also stopped at one of the canal overlooks. From here we were able to get some great views of the Sturgeon Bay ship canal that opened in 1881, giving ships a safe passage from Lake Michigan to Sturgeon Bay and then on to Green Bay. This canal not only allows for time savings for the ships since they don’t have to navigate all the way around the peninsula, but it also allows passage while avoiding the treacherous stretch of water – known as Death’s Door – at the end of the peninsula.
Visiting the Canal Lighthouses was great, but we wanted to be closer and even head inside a light, so that led us to the Cana Island Lighthouse. When we visited here several years ago, it was located on a true island. We had to get on a tractor to ride through the knee-high water in order to see the light, but this year, water levels are lower, and the jetty between the island and mainland is well above water level, allowing us to simply walk across. Once on the island, we enjoyed browsing through the buildings that are there, along with the keeper’s house, and yes, climbing up to the top of the lighthouse! The views from the top are phenomenal, and we had excellent weather to enjoy while there! We found it so fascinating to not only see the place as it is now, but to imagine what life must have been like for the keepers and assistant keepers who lived and worked here many years ago. What a life that must have been! A tip for you in case you ever decide to visit for yourself…don’t miss walking around on the rocks of the shore around the lighthouse. Not only are the views of the lake amazing from here, but you can also get some great views of the lighthouse itself.
It doesn’t get much more traditional than a Door County Fish Boil. People in this area have been taking part in fish boils for many years. Today it is quite a show to behold, but it really originated as just an easy way to feed a crowd! Potatoes, onions, and locally caught whitefish are all boiled in a giant kettle over an open fire. All the grease and unsavory bits tend to float the top of the water, so at the end of the boil, kerosene is thrown onto the fire to make it flame up really big, causing the “boil over” which takes all the yucky stuff on top out with it, leaving behind only the good stuff you want to eat. There are multiple places along the peninsula that do these traditional fish boils. On this visit, we attended the one at The Old Post Office Restaurant in Ephraim. We have only ever been to one other, but we liked this one the best, if for no other reason than the table that we ate at was out on the patio of the restaurant with a beautiful view of the bay. Otherwise, we found the “show” part to be very similar at both. One thing to note…if you are looking for a delicious, gourmet meal, this is probably not the experience for you. It is literally just boiled fish and potatoes and onions, some bread, and a slice of cherry pie. The food isn’t bad, but this is more of a place to go for an experience than for a spectacular meal.
Now for the experiences that were new to us!
First, we visited the Door County Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay. This had never been high on our list of places to go before because Door County is such an outdoor paradise, than we always want to be outside when here! A bit of a rainy day on this trip spurred us into a visit and we are really glad we went! The museum features a lighthouse tower with some great views from the observation deck along with multiple floors and galleries full of exhibits! We spent a couple of hours here and still didn’t see it all! The exhibits covered everything from the shipwrecks of Death’s Door, to the building of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, to the building and servicing of the giant freighters that happens right here in Door County. There were also lots of hands on activities and simulators to keep everyone engaged. This was a fun and educational way to spend a rainy day!
We also took one hike each in Ellison Bluff State Natural Area and Door Bluff Headlands County Park. Both of these hikes were short and easy, and they each offered one really nice view from the bluffs high above the water. We expected the views to be more plentiful, but because of the dense forest, they were mostly a nice walk in the woods. We aren’t complaining, just explaining these aren’t the hikes to take if you are looking for spectacular bay views the whole way.
Our absolute favorite new experience we had while on this visit was The Ridges Sanctuary in Bailey’s Harbor. This is a sanctuary protecting a series of ridges and swales that have been created over many years by the receding coast of Lake Michigan. Hiking between the forested ridges and boggy swales seems almost magical and if you pay really close attention, you will notice how the ridges and swales vary and changes as you go from the older ones to the ones most recently formed. And, as if that isn’t enough, this area is also home to the Bailey’s Harbor Range Lights. Apparently, Bailey’s Harbor is tricky for ships to get into, so they use the range lights to guide them in. The lights can be seen from far out into Lake Michigan, and ship captains know that when they are in a position where the Upper and Lower lights are aligned it is safe to turn into the harbor. We were even able to go into the house where the upper light is located and walk right up to the light itself! This is a place we had never had on our radar before, but it will now become one of those favorite places we return to again and again!
Even after MANY visits to this area, we still always leave wanting more, so we know this will not be our last visit. If you know of some new places for us to check out next time, be sure to let us know! We are always in search of new adventures!
To see some of last year’s adventures, watch this video!
Until next time!
