In early June of 2024, we took a week or so to hike most of the state parks in Door County again. The only one we didn’t return to was Rock Island.
If the dates on my photos are accurate, we visited Newport, Peninsula, Whitefish Dunes, and Potawatomi, in that order. We also took another trolley tour of the area which let us visit Cana Island – not a state park, but it almost might as well be.
Newport State Park
We mainly hiked the Monarch Trail which is only a (nearly closed) loop if you include the Poetry Trail.
I’m not sure if you’ll be able to read them (or if you care to), but there are actually some poems along the way.
Someone had some fun with this frame.
At the end of the Poetry Trail, there’s a sign that helps you stay on the Monarch, if that’s the way you want to go – as we did. I’m not sure what the bottom, right-facing arrow is really there for. General hiking?
There was plenty of wildlife to see along the Monarch, even some actual monarchs (row 2, far right). There’s a black, spotted butterfly is the first shot too.
There were benches – old…
…and newer.
There was this rock pile which didn’t seem to be a natural formation.
The trail wound around the end of the pile, so we got to see it from the other side too where it seemed to be part of a wall…?
And then there was this thing.
We saw a few of these. Is it an insect nest? A spider web? Do you know? The young ranger at the office didn’t know.
The Monarch Trail, when hiked clockwise, ends at the park road near the office. The trail goes off to the right in the picture below. The “road” on the left is sort of a shortcut.
The office was open this day, so we went inside.
They have an interesting way of telling you the forecast for the area.
Taxidermy is alive and well in the area.
I liked this method of comparing wingspans.
Afterward, we walked to the beach to make sure it was still there.
Peninsula State Park
It wasn’t supposed to rain so soon.
They lied.
We started hiking the Sentinel Trail near the Eagle Tower.
The path is level and easy. We found this interesting “tree compass”. I’m not sure that all the trees it’s directing you toward are still there.
A little way past that disk, it got darker, windier, and wetter.
A lot wetter.
As I said, they lied. The storm broke upon us, and we got drenched long before we could get back to the car. (We weren’t the only ones who got caught.) On top of that, since a trail gets worn down through frequent use, it’s the lowest point in the area and is where water collects quickly in a downpour. So we had to walk in the grass along the side of the trail, avoiding trees, bushes, etc. along the way.
It was an adventure.
24 hours later, our clothes still hadn’t dried out, so we took them to the only laundromat we could find in the next town down the road – Ephraim. (We were staying in Fish Creek.)
===
I was going to make this a really long post about all our adventures in Door County, but I think I’ll split it up and end this one here.
State Parks Journey 
Leave a comment