Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Whitefish Dunes State Park #15
Whitefish Dunes State Park was our next stop on our State Park Bonanza Week. This is a good park for swimming and great beaches that area easily acessible by a short trail. We hiked the Red Trail, which took us past examples of structures that Native American people would have used when they lived in this area thousands of years ago. This trail also takes hikers to "Old Baldy", the highest sand dune in the park. Even at 9:30am, the beach was packed, it was a warm day, and visitors weren't wasting time getting out to enjoy the great outdoors. This was a quick stop for us as we have enjoyed this park many times before. Next stop, Newport State Park!
Rock Island State Park #14
Best park yet. I know, it's a bold claim, but Rock Island is jawdroppingly beautiful and has intriguing history to boot, as well as claiming the honor of being the least visited State Park in the system. After two ferry rides, (and $76 in ferry fees), we arrived by "people" ferry on Rock Island and were greeted by an effusive state park ranger, telling us just what a great day it was to be visiting Rock Island, and I had to agree. The skies were bright blue, it was sunny, and the green fields of the island seemed to stretch forever.
There is an enormous stone boat house built by wealthy investor Charles Thordarson in 1910, that can be toured by the public. The boathouse was built to house Charles' vast collection of valuable literature and features high, arching windows overlooking the water, an impressive collection of hand carved furniture, and a fireplace big enough to roast an oxen. There is an excellent story about the boathouse here https://doorcountypulse.com/thordarsons-boathouse/.
We also discovered one of the best beaches yet at the State Parks we have visited. It requires a 1/2 mile hike to get there, but it's well worth the effort. We would have stayed all day if G hadn't still been recovering from being sick, and asking to sleep on the beach. Yes, we were as shocked as anyone might be to have a toddler ask to sleep on a beach.
Rock Island State Park does offer rustic camping and the Pottawatomie Lighthouse built in 1836, something we will definitely be returning to do in the future! It was a long day, and as you can see below, someone fell asleep on the ferry ride home. Next stop, Whitefish Dunes State Park!
There is an enormous stone boat house built by wealthy investor Charles Thordarson in 1910, that can be toured by the public. The boathouse was built to house Charles' vast collection of valuable literature and features high, arching windows overlooking the water, an impressive collection of hand carved furniture, and a fireplace big enough to roast an oxen. There is an excellent story about the boathouse here https://doorcountypulse.com/thordarsons-boathouse/.
We also discovered one of the best beaches yet at the State Parks we have visited. It requires a 1/2 mile hike to get there, but it's well worth the effort. We would have stayed all day if G hadn't still been recovering from being sick, and asking to sleep on the beach. Yes, we were as shocked as anyone might be to have a toddler ask to sleep on a beach.
Rock Island State Park does offer rustic camping and the Pottawatomie Lighthouse built in 1836, something we will definitely be returning to do in the future! It was a long day, and as you can see below, someone fell asleep on the ferry ride home. Next stop, Whitefish Dunes State Park!
Peninsula State Park #13
Peninsula State Park is a beautiful park, one of my favorites in Door County. The Eagle Trail can't be missed, it showcases Door County's beautiful shoreline, cliffs and views of the water. We hiked the Lone Pine trail on this day, (due to G being a little under the weather), and discovered a tennis court seemingly in the middle of the woods.
After a rousing game of something resembling pretend tennis we continued on our hike. There is so much history in this state park, including a previous girl's camp, a lighthouse built in 1868, German POWs working to cut lumber and build viewing towers, and winter activities including snoshoeing and cross country skiing, there is something for everyone. The Northern Sky Theater is located within the park as well as a golf course. One could spend days here, don't miss Nicolet Beach, it's great! Unfortunately, the viewing tower was out of order as it was deemed unsafe and needed to be rebuilt. Once it is rebuilt, visit! It's the best view in the county! Next stop, Rock Island State Park!
After a rousing game of something resembling pretend tennis we continued on our hike. There is so much history in this state park, including a previous girl's camp, a lighthouse built in 1868, German POWs working to cut lumber and build viewing towers, and winter activities including snoshoeing and cross country skiing, there is something for everyone. The Northern Sky Theater is located within the park as well as a golf course. One could spend days here, don't miss Nicolet Beach, it's great! Unfortunately, the viewing tower was out of order as it was deemed unsafe and needed to be rebuilt. Once it is rebuilt, visit! It's the best view in the county! Next stop, Rock Island State Park!
High Cliff and Potawatomi State Parks #11 and #12
Thus starts the week of State Parks! The plan is to visit 8 state parks this week, I think that I would even label it a "State Park Bonanza". Luckily, before the State Park Project was created, we already had a week's vacation planned with family in Door County over the fourth of July. The first day was another twofer day, with High Cliff and Potawatomi State Parks on the list on our way up to Gills Rock.
The views on the drive to High Cliff State Park were outstanding, exactly what one might expect Wisconsin to look like on a warm summer day. Rolling hills, green fields, and red barns, all perched above an azure lake. The park is geographically beautiful, and has some interesting history with the lime industry. There is a main store and museum, as well as a large statue of chief red bird on a trail to enjoy. We hiked the Redbird Trail, which offered panoramic views of Lake Winnebago, but was still manageable for all members of our party.
As with many other state parks, there is a viewing tower that shouldn't be missed. G is becoming very profficient with stairs, mostly allowing to the fact that he insists on going up and down pretty much all of them on his own.
Next stop was Potawatomi State Park, a place we have enjoyed many times before. This is a great park for swimming, boating and biking, as evidenced on this particular day by the number of people doing just that. We hiked part of the Ice Age Trail, which provided great views of Green Bay. The trail was paved, and there were tons of bikers whizzing by, (which made me want to bike, maybe next time.) There is a lot to see at this park, definitely worth a revisit! Next stop, Peninsula State Park!
The views on the drive to High Cliff State Park were outstanding, exactly what one might expect Wisconsin to look like on a warm summer day. Rolling hills, green fields, and red barns, all perched above an azure lake. The park is geographically beautiful, and has some interesting history with the lime industry. There is a main store and museum, as well as a large statue of chief red bird on a trail to enjoy. We hiked the Redbird Trail, which offered panoramic views of Lake Winnebago, but was still manageable for all members of our party.
As with many other state parks, there is a viewing tower that shouldn't be missed. G is becoming very profficient with stairs, mostly allowing to the fact that he insists on going up and down pretty much all of them on his own.
Next stop was Potawatomi State Park, a place we have enjoyed many times before. This is a great park for swimming, boating and biking, as evidenced on this particular day by the number of people doing just that. We hiked part of the Ice Age Trail, which provided great views of Green Bay. The trail was paved, and there were tons of bikers whizzing by, (which made me want to bike, maybe next time.) There is a lot to see at this park, definitely worth a revisit! Next stop, Peninsula State Park!
Harrington Beach and Kohler Andrae State Parks #9 and #10
Another twofer and our first attempt at camping with G. How hard could it be we thought? Camping in a tent with a two year old can't be that different than staying in a hotel room with a two year old, right? As usual when it comes to G, we were wrong (more on the two hour drive home at 11pm later). The day was great though (until we got into that darned tent). Harrington Beach was beautiful, a long stretch of sand, with great swimming. G enjoyed the waves and although it was busy, it wasn't overcrowded. The day was hot, but by the lake, there was a cool breeze and it was enjoyable just to spend time on the beach without swimming. After a refreshing swim, we hiked the Whitetail Trail, which runs around Quarry Lake, a 26 acre lake in the park. One of the benefits of the State Park Project is that we are learning so much about Wisconsin, most notably at this park, the lime quarries in the eastern part of the state.
After we coaxed G into the car, with a promise of a "better" park to go to next (promises of "better" seem to be effective at this stage"). We headed north to Kohler Andrae state park to spend the night. We had a great campsite (74 for you tent campers out there). It was secluded, up a small hill, with a water view and a playground just down the hill. We could hear the waves, it was awesome. We hiked the beach that evening after a great campsite fire, and marveled at the view.
Then the fun started. G insisted that he wanted to sleep in tent, so in we went. And for the next two plus hours, we were treated to a constant stream of chatter, tickles to feet, and other questions about noises. With a severe storm heading our way, we looked at each other and decided to make the call, and break camp at about 11:15pm. I'm sure you experienced parents of toddlers out there are chuckling, (and I know this because when I told this story to parents of toddler, they laughed the hardest), but we thought it was worth a shot. After much thought and discussion we have a plan for next time.
All in all, Harrington Beach and Kohler Andrae are definitely parks that warrant a revisit, near the top of our list so far! Next stop, High Cliff and Potawatomi State Parks!
After we coaxed G into the car, with a promise of a "better" park to go to next (promises of "better" seem to be effective at this stage"). We headed north to Kohler Andrae state park to spend the night. We had a great campsite (74 for you tent campers out there). It was secluded, up a small hill, with a water view and a playground just down the hill. We could hear the waves, it was awesome. We hiked the beach that evening after a great campsite fire, and marveled at the view.
Then the fun started. G insisted that he wanted to sleep in tent, so in we went. And for the next two plus hours, we were treated to a constant stream of chatter, tickles to feet, and other questions about noises. With a severe storm heading our way, we looked at each other and decided to make the call, and break camp at about 11:15pm. I'm sure you experienced parents of toddlers out there are chuckling, (and I know this because when I told this story to parents of toddler, they laughed the hardest), but we thought it was worth a shot. After much thought and discussion we have a plan for next time.
All in all, Harrington Beach and Kohler Andrae are definitely parks that warrant a revisit, near the top of our list so far! Next stop, High Cliff and Potawatomi State Parks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)