Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
dwarf lake iris—are found within the boundaries, and more than 200 species of birds pass
through.
Not much is wild in Door County anymore, but the state's only designated wilderness park
is here (go figure). The rough, isolated, backwoods
Newport State Park
(920/854-2500,
non-residents $10/day) constitutes half of the tip of the county, stretching for almost 12
miles along the Lake Michigan coast through an established scientific reserve. It's a per-
fectly realized park.
Aremarkable diversity ofhardwood andconifers, isolated wetland, bog,andeven afew
hidden coves along the lakeshore make the hiking appealing. Once an up-and-coming lum-
ber village in the 1880s, the town decayed gradually as the stands of forests became de-
pleted. Ghostly outlines of foundations are still scattered about in the underbrush.
From wasted white pine cutover, the inner confines of the park are now dense tracts of
bog forest. The southern section of the park is a scientific reserve on 140 acres of mixed
hardwoods. The park's magnificent ecosystem draws one of the planet's highest concen-
trations of monarch butterflies, which make a mind-boggling trip from Mexico's Yucatán
Peninsula to San Juan Capistrano and then all the way here. Unfortunately, biologists have
noted a dramatic drop-off in monarch numbers, mostly due to pollution and logging.
