Door County makes up most of Wisconsin’s peninsula that juts out into Lake Michigan. This area is a hub for tourism with its wineries, shopping, good food, and nature. No matter what you like, you’re sure to find something in Door County that piques your interest.
That said, this post is all about the best hikes in Door County. Despite having lived close to Door County for nearly my entire life, I hadn’t spent a lot of time there until recently. I made an effort and spent four Saturdays hiking over 50 miles of trails in Door County to come up with this list. From seemingly endless walks through forests to strolls along the shores of Lake Michigan, there’s a trail for everyone in Door County.
Top 15 Hikes in Door County
After four weekends spent hiking nearly 50 miles of trails throughout Door County, I feel pretty confident that this list is truly the best hikes in Door County. The hikes themselves are scattered across the peninsula, but most tend to hug the shorelines of the lake.
This list is in no particular order, though I will highlight my favorites at the end of this post.
Eagle Trail
Trail Stats: 2.6 miles, 300 feet, 1 hour 15 minutes — stats include the tower
Where: Peninsula State Park
The Eagle Trail is a great introduction to this region and is one of my favorite hikes in Door County. From the parking lot, you have a choice. You can head down toward the lake or you can hit up toward the forest. The trail makes a loop so you’ll see each section eventually.
I chose to head toward the lake. It’s a moderate descent down and you’ll want to watch your step, particularly if you’re here in winter or spring. But once at the bottom, you’ll get your first views of Lake Michigan and the Bay of Green Bay. Work your way alongside the lake and watch as it peeks out between the trees. On a clear day, this is a great view. Don’t forget to watch your step though as the tree roots help to make for some uneven ground.
You’ll eventually find yourself gradually climbing back up and away from the lake. You’ll start to work your way through a forest. This isn’t my favorite part of the trail, it’s necessary to complete the loop.
On your way back you will pass the Eagle Tower. It’s up to you if you choose to add it, but I say you’re here. Go for it. There’s a series of stairs or a very long ramp that gets you to the top for a fantastic view of the bay. Again, if you’re here on a clear day, this is great. From the tower, you can walk along the road (watch out for cars) back to the parking lot.
The Wisconsin DNR lists this trail as difficult. Even when you start the trail, you’ll see a sign stating that it’s a “difficult” trail. I don’t think that’s the case. I’d say easy to moderate. There are hills and while they can be steep, they don’t last for a long time. Yes the terrain is uneven, but it wasn’t very difficult (although there was a still a bit of snow and ice on the trail in early April).
As a note, if you’re just interested in Eagle Tower, there is a parking lot right beneath it. You don’t need to hike the Eagle Trail to visit Eagle Tower.
Death’s Door Loop
Trail Stats: 2.4 miles, 150 feet, 50 minutes
Where: Door Bluffs Headlands County Park
Admittedly, I have a love-hate relationship with this trail. The first part of this trail is fun and interesting. Yes, you’ll be hiking through the woods (this is Wisconsin and nearly all of our trails involve hiking through the forests), but the scenery feels different. It reminded me a bit of the Eagle Trail at Peninsula State Park. It felt more adventurous and that was fun.
As you hike, you’ll eventually come to an overlook of Lake Michigan. This view is very nice, but after this, the trail gets a bit boring. You’ll descend and then it just starts to feel like every other trail as you hike through the woods. Additionally, the trail can be difficult to follow at some points and my friend and I definitely missed our turn and had to retrace our steps.
So what’s my recommendation? I do think this is a hike worth stopping for, but my recommendation is to hike out for the viewpoint and retrace your steps. You’ll have a shorter hike than what I had listed, but you’ll have covered the most interesting section of the hike.
Old Baldy Loop Trail
Trail Stats: 3 miles, 135 feet, 1 hour
Where: Whitefish Dunes State Park
Old Baldy is the highest sand dune in Wisconsin. Don’t get too excited though because the sand dune doesn’t quite reach 100 feet. Still, the view from the top of Old Baldy is worth the effort.
There’s a few ways you can reach Old Baldy but all of them involve hiking. I chose the option that look me in a loop so I got to see different scenery the entire way. Your other options are to follow either the yellow or red trails to Old Baldy and then retrace your steps on the same trail. Admittedly the scenery along the trail was nothing too spectacular.
I have to add that I was a bit disappointed that the red trail, which ran parallel to Lake Michigan offered few glimpses of the lake itself. There are access points to Lake Michigan, so if you’re interested, you could detour from the main trail and walk along the beach.
That said, the view from Old Baldy is what makes this trail unique. And don’t think you’ll have to truly climb up a sand dune. We like to make our hikes a bit easier here in Wisconsin and there’s a dedicated path with stairs to the top of Old Baldy.
Logan Creek Trail
Trail Stats: 1.7 miles, 50 feet, 35 minutes
Where: Logan Creek State Natural Area
This trail was an unexpected delight and definitely earns its place as one of the best hikes in Door County. I hyped myself up and told myself I could squeeze in one more trail (after nearly 12 other miles of hiking) before I headed home. I’m glad I did because this trail ended up being my favorite of the trails I hiked that day.
Fundamentally, it’s the same as so many of the other trails on this list and throughout Door County. You’re hiking through the woods, although you will come to a small lake (not Lake Michigan) and an overlook at one point. The trail was nice and smooth, I didn’t have to constantly watch my step because of tree roots or other debris, and overall I just had a really nice walk. I can’t say that this is the greatest trail that I’ve ever hiked, but there was just something about this trail that made it a fantastic addition to my Door County itinerary.
Fern and Lynd Point Trails
Trail Stats: 2.4 miles, 50 feet, 50 minutes
Where: Newport State Park
The Fern and Lynd Point Trails was my favorite section of trails that I hiked at Newport State Park. With its easy boardwalk and nice views of Lake Michigan, it’s a great way to spend an hour.
The Fern Trail is an accessible trail that takes visitors through the forest on a boardwalk. It’s wide and flat, making it ideal for so many visitors. Along the way there are informational signs to teach you more about the history, plants, and wildlife of this area. At the end of the Fern Trail, you can continue on the to the Lynd Point Trail. The Lynd Point Trail takes you along a small peninsula to Lynd Point. The entire trail follows along Lake Michigan so you’ll get views throughout the trail, which helps to make it my favorite of Newport State Park.
Note that while the Fern Trail is accessible, the Lynd Point Trail is not.
Europe Bay Loop and Hotz Trail
Trail Stats: 3.2 miles, 70 feet, 1 hour 5 minutes
Where: Newport State Park
In the very north of Newport state park, there’s an isthmus running between Lake Michigan and Europe Lake. Through this area, it becomes a bit of a choose your own adventure trail as you can choose which parts of the trail you’d like to hike. It should come as no surprise that I chose to stick to the lakes as much as possible.
I logged 3.2 miles on this hike and enjoyed it. The views along both Europe Lake and Lake Michigan were great and the trail was lovely. To your west is Europe Lake and to the right is Lake Michigan.
Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve Trail
Trail Stats: 2.6 miles, 75 feet, 1 hour
Where: Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve
This was a trail that I nearly skipped. Admittedly a trail and nature preserve with the words “Ship Canal” in them just don’t have the same excitement level as some of the other places on this list. But, it was another nature preserve, the hike was on the way I was headed, and it had a good rating on AllTrails.
This 2.6 mile loop through the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve was one of my favorite hikes in Door County. After so many miles of hiking through the woods, the scenery finally felt unique. But I suppose this is to be excepted because out of the 15 nature preserves managed by the Door County Land Trust, the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve is the most ecologically diverse.
Yes, you’ll walk through the woods—that’s a given when you’re hiking in Door County. But it’s more a diverse woods. I hiked during the spring before many of the trees got their leaves, but it was here where I finally got some color. Pine trees and sand dunes and the bright blue waters of the shipping canal. Not to mention that you’ll eventually reach Lake Michigan where you can take a short stroll on the beach and see two lighthouses.
For some variety in your hiking, I recommend this trail.
Ice Age Trail at Potawatomi State Park
Trail Stats: 2+ miles (one way)
Where: Potawatomi State Park
On my visit to Potawatomi State Park, I had limited time and chose to hike the Tower Trail. This loop was fine and overall, I don’t think you could go wrong doing it. The trail is 4 miles with 180 feet of elevation and takes about an hour and a half. But the reason that I enjoyed this trail as much as I did was not for the entire Tower Loop, but rather for the two miles or so that’s shared with the Ice Age Trail.
The Ice Age Trail is a National Scenic Trail that runs 1000 miles across Wisconsin. The eastern terminus is located within Potawatomi State Park and these first two miles are a fun section of trail. Out of the four miles I hiked along the Tower Trail, the section with the Ice Age Trail was without a doubt my favorite. The trail felt interesting, even before it reached the waters of Sturgeon Bay. Once the Tower Trail broke off from the Ice Age Trail, the Tower Trail got more boring and became just another “hike through the forest”.
So, if I were to do it again (and I probably will), I’d hike along the Ice Age Trail for as long as you want and then retrace your steps in an out and back trail.
Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve Trail
Trail Stats: 3.25 miles, 280 feet, 1 hour 5 minutes
Where: Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve Trail
One of the longer trails on this list is at the Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve. The trail starts with a walk through the prairie as you make your way up to the bluffs. From here, you can get a glimpse of Bay of Green Bay in the distance. It’s up to you how far you want to walk along these bluffs. The views don’t change much so once you have your view of Lake Michigan, I recommend continuing on (either back to your car or to the forest).
Look for the spur in the trail to access the series of trails through the forest. There are a handful of loops you can do here, so hike as much or as little as you want before returning the way you came.
As a note, there are some steeper inclines on this trail. They aren’t anything that I would call difficult, but I have to mention that they are here. So many of the trails in Door County have little or minimal elevation change. Overall, I gained just under 300 feet on this trail, but for a trail in Wisconsin, that’s a lot, so I feel the need to mention it.
There are two parking lots at Bay Shore Blufflands Nature Preserve. I utilized the lot on Bay Shore Drive, so all of my instructions and details are from that lot. If you use the lot on Reynolds Road, you’ll start in the forest and make your way up to the bluffs.
Oak Road Nature Preserve Trail
Trail Stats: 2 miles, 35 feet, 40 minutes
Where: Oak Road Nature Preserve
The trail through the Oak Road Nature Preserve starts in a prairie. From here you’ll loop around through a forest and back to your starting point. Yes, there is another forest, but the prairie and meadows found here helps to give some nice variety. Depending on when you visit Door County, you may see the blooming flowers or migrating waterfowls.
I have to give one word of warning for this preserve though. I visited during the first weekend of May and while overall the trail was fine, there was one section that was completely flooded. Thankfully the trail makes a few loops so I was able to retrace my steps and loop the other direction to still see most of the preserve.
Schoenbrunn Trail
Trail Stats: 1.6 miles, 25 feet, 30 minutes
Where: Mink River Preserve
This trail is another walk in the woods. Honestly, this part of the trail is just like any other walk in the woods in Door County. But the turn around point is right along the Mink River and honestly this is a really nice spot. If you’re looking for a place to picnic, this would be a really nice option. The area along the Mink River made it the entire hike worth it in my opinion.
Toft Point Trail
Trail Stats: 2.35 miles, 10 feet, 45 minutes
Where: Toft Point State Natural Area
Toft Point is an out and back trail that takes you through the woods and along the shores of Moonlight Bay. While you won’t be walking directly on the beach, you’ll get enough glimpses of the water to make it an enjoyable hike. The trail is mostly flat and easy to walk, so it earns a place on this list.
As a note, getting to the trail head can feel confusing. I put in the trailhead into Google Maps and it took me to a road that looked more like a driveway. Turn down this road and keep driving. There will eventually be designated parking spots where you can start the trail.
Cave Point Lakeside Trail
Trail Stats: 0.75 miles, 20 feet, 20 minutes
Where: Cave Point County Park
This trail doesn’t have a defined start or end, but it still deserves credit as one of the best hikes in Door County because of the scenery. Park in the lot and jump on the trail. Walk as far or as little as you want. The highlight here is the views along the lake. Sure, there’s plenty of places you can get lakeside views throughout Door County, but with the cliffs along the shoreline, this area feels particularly picturesque.
Kangaroo Lake Nature Preserve Trail Loop
Trail Stats: 1.95 miles, 135 feet, 40 minutes
Where: Kangaroo Lake Nature Preserve
This loop takes you through all of the trails at Kangaroo Lake Nature Preserve. While in general you’ll do a figure eight type loop, there is one spur that goes off toward the wetlands along Kangaroo Lake. This wetlands spur was my favorite part of the trail. That’s not to say that this trail wasn’t all nice, but it was the wetlands that stick out the most in my mind.
This trail is a bit a choose your own adventure trail. Yes, you could hike all two miles of it, or if you’re trying to get variety and just want to hike part of the trail, that’s an option too. The really nice part about this hiking trail is that there’s several intersections of trails so you can make it as short or long as you want.
Skyline Trail
Trail Stats: 2.8 miles, 230 feet, 1 hour
Where: Peninsula State Park
The Skyline Trail takes you out to Sven Bluff at Peninsula State Park which is the highlight of this trail. The annoying part is that you can drive up to Sven Bluff so if you don’t feel like hiking, you can still get a nice view.
But let’s say that you do want to hike. What’s it like?
Honestly, it’s your average Wisconsin hike that takes you through the woods. This trail is more of a lollipop where you’ll walk out for a bit and then do a loop before retracing your steps on that same initial part of trail. The trail itself was easy and while there are a few hills, it was nothing that I would consider difficult. About halfway through your loop, you’ll reach Sven Bluff. Don’t forget to stop for a great view of Lake Michigan.
Which Trails Do I Recommend?
I spent four Saturdays day hiking nearly 50 miles of trails in Door County. These 15 are what I consider the best (six didn’t make the cut) and I don’t think you can necessarily go wrong with any of these trails.
That said, here’s what I would consider my favorites (in no particular order)
- Eagle Trail at Peninsula State Park
- Logan Creek Trail at Logan Creek State Natural Area
- Fern and Lynd Point Trails at Newport State Park
- Ice Age Trail at Potawatomi State Park
- Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Trail at Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Nature Preserve
Honorable Mentions are the Cave Point Trail at Cave Point County Park and the Old Baldy Loop at Whitefish Dunes State Park.
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot to do in Door County and while it can be tempting to relax and enjoy the wineries, I highly suggest getting out and doing some hiking on one of the many trails throughout the peninsula.
Continue Your Adventure
Door County: Even if you don’t like hiking, there are plenty of great parks throughout Door County. Don’t miss Newport State Park, my favorite of the state parks in Door County.
More in Wisconsin: Further south on the shores of Lake Michigan is Kohler Andrae State Park, which is one of my favorites. About an hour north of Madison, you’ll find Wisconsin Dells and Devil’s Lake State Park.
More in the Midwest: South of Wisconsin is Illinois and the city of Chicago. Slightly east of Chicago is Indiana Dunes National Park. To the southwest of Wisconsin is Iowa with its fun Maquoketa Caves State Park.