Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fish Creek-Ephraim:
5 miles (7 minutes)
Ephraim-Sister Bay:
4.3 miles (6 minutes)
Sister Bay-Ellison Bay:
5.6 miles (7 minutes)
Ellison Bay-Gills Rock:
3.9 miles (5 minutes)
Driving to Door County is fairly straightforward from major surrounding cities. There
areinterstatesorfour-lane65mile-per-hourroadsallthewaytoGreenBay,thenafour-lane
state highway to Sturgeon Bay. From Chicago (via WIS 57, I-43, and I-90, 249 miles), it
takes four hours. From Milwaukee (via I-43,154 miles), it takes two and a half hours. From
Madison (via WIS 57, U.S. 41, and U.S. 151, 183 miles), it takes three and a half hours.
Unfolding along the western edge of Sturgeon Bay and flanked by Sherwood and Cabot
Points, Potawatomi State Park (3740 Park Dr., 920/746-2890) is known for rolling birch-
lined trails atop the limestone ridges scraped off the Niagara Escarpment. Indeed, the stone
here was carted off to build ports all around the Great Lakes. Islets rimmed in hues of blue
andgraypeppertheoutlyingreachesoffthepark(bringapolarizingcameralensonasunny
day). The geology of the park is significant enough that Potawatomi marks the eastern ter-
minusoftheIceAgeNationalScenicTrail.Youwon'tneedasciencebackgroundorsuper-
lative designations to appreciate its inspiring vistas and solitude.
Sights
The great
Tower Trail
quickly ascends the ridges through thicker vegetation, leading to a
75-foot-tall
observation tower
and a belvedere vantage point of Michigan's Upper Penin-
sula on a good day (check out the sunsets). You can actually see some 16 miles away from
here.
Beech trees, found statewide only close to Lake Michigan, are a highlight of the natural
world in the park. Otherwise, expect to see some 50 types of resident songbird (plenty of
hawks riding bluff wind currents) or deer aplenty staring quizzically at you from sugar
maple, basswood, and white/red pine stands.
For a quick road trip, head back toward WIS 42/57 but turn right onto Highway C and
then right onto Highway M, which takes you all the way to the
Sherwood Point Light-
house
(it's a bit tough to spot). Built in 1883, this lighthouse took precisely one century to
finallybecomeautomated.The38-foot-highhouseguardingthebaysideentranceintoStur-
