County Parks
Take all the land that comprises the Door County Park System and it would easily fit inside either Peninsula or Potawatomi State Park. That’s hard to believe since there are 19 county parks in total. But parks shouldn’t be measured by size but by their significance and what they have to offer.
If you’re visiting Door County and think you haven’t been impacted by a county-owned park you’re probably mistaken. Visitors rarely miss either Cave Point or Cana Island. Each is a county park but the designation is rarely affixed to those iconic attractions. Cave Point, with its limestone bluffs and pounding surf, has been the jewel of the park system for years. A little further north up the Lake Michigan shore, Cana Island was just recently added to the park ledger after years of federal ownership. Its lighthouse and tower symbolize the county’s maritime heritage. Door County Parks Director George Pinney calls it the “Cana Island experience.”
The remaining 17 parks offer an eclectic mix representing historical footnotes, misnomers, family beaches, boat launches, unspoiled habitat and the customary fairgrounds.
“No two are alike,” said Pinney, who downplays the lack of acreage when compared with their higher profile state cousins. “We’re not really trying to be the biggest. We want to preserve some of the pristine areas.”
And many of the parks are just that. Pinney is particularly fond of Sugar Creek Park to the south, a wonderful piece of classic Door County property with a modern touch – it’s a geocaching spot.
Those who positioned Robert LaSalle Park on County Highway U commemorate the landing spot of the French explorer; others claim their compasses need a little adjustment. Pinney doesn’t discount the claims of LaSalle’s early landing area. “The Door County Historical Society put up a plaque there and that’s a pretty good start,” he said. It’s a great place to discover a stunning Lake Michigan sunrise.
The first Door County park was hardly influenced by the county’s stunning beauty. Tornado Park memorializes a small southern Door County village that was wiped out by the horrific firestorm of 1871. Located just off Highway 57, the quiet wayside marks the well site where residents of Williamsonville tried to escape the flames. The wildfire was the same one that ravaged Peshtigo on the other side of Green Bay on the same day of the famed Chicago fire.
One other wayside, Meridian Park near Jacksonport, marks the 45th parallel (midway between the equator and the North Pole). Unfortunately, meridian is a term that refers to longitude rather than latitude. “(The mistake) was brought before the county board a couple of times, but they felt that the park name should not be changed,” said Pinney.
Ellison Bluff Park is another less known favorite just off Highway 42 south of Ellison Bay. The scenic overlook provides a stunning bluff view of Green Bay and is a particularly impressive spot to view sunsets.
Door Bluff Headlands occupies the northernmost real estate on the Door Peninsula. “By 16 feet,” notes Pinney. It’s undeveloped, but like a number of other parks, regular use has developed a network of trails on the property.
The Ridges beach in Baileys Harbor is a short drive across the peninsula from Frank Murphy Park off County Highway G in Egg Harbor, providing a chance to take a dip in Lake Michigan and Green Bay within minutes.
For a taste of history take in the new Old Stone Quarry Park on County Highway B north of Sturgeon Bay. The remains of an excavated quarry provide a stunning backdrop and reminder of the mining and loading port that operated there. Today, recreational boats load and off-load. It’s one of a number of launching facilities the parks department operates.
A map and complete listing of the parks can be found at Park-Locations
