Door County has no shortage of parks and over the course of four weekends, I tried to visit as many as possible. These ranged from state parks to state natural areas to independent nature preserves and more. Throughout all of these parks, Newport State Park stood out as one of my favorites. There are several nice hiking trails, plenty of beach, and it’s just a nice area to relax and enjoy nature.
In this article, I want to outline all of the hiking options at Newport State Park so you can plan your perfect trip.
About Newport State Park
Newport State Park is in the very north of the Door County peninsula and has a wide variety of hikes to choose from. Of all of the state parks that I visited in Door County (I visited all except Rock Island State Park), Newport was my favorite. While it’s true that many of the hikes will take you through the woods and out to views of Lake Michigan, there feels like there’s more variety here than there is at other hiking areas in Door County. After seemingly endless hikes through the forest, I looked for whatever variety I could find.
What’s also unique about this park is that it is a protected dark sky area. If you’re in Door County and interested in stargazing, head out to Newport State Park on a clear night.
Hiking Trails at Newport State Park
Unlike so many of my posts, this covers every hiking trail at Newport State Park. While I haven’t quite gotten to every trail, I’ve covered a lot of ground (and hope to hit up the rest of these trails soon).
This list is in no particular order.
Europe Bay Trail Loop
Trail Stats: 7 miles
The Europe Bay Trail Loop is the longest trail at Newport State Park and takes you from the middle of the park all the way to the very top near Europe Lake. The trail follows old logging roads and ancient sand dunes as you work your way across the park.
While you could hike this trail in full, there are plenty of intersections with other trails so you don’t need to commit to the full seven miles. In fact, I’d be hesitant to commit to the full seven miles simply because with seven miles of hiking, you could cover a lot more variety across several, shorter trails. But the choice is fundamentally yours.
I didn’t have enough time during my visit to hike the full seven miles, so my time was focused on the very northern section of the trail where it intersects with the Hotz Trail (covered later). For most of the trail, you’ll be hiking through the woods, but in the norther section of trail, you’ll get a few chances to peak out at the water and I recommend taking full advantage.
Fern Trail
Trail Stats: 1.2 mies
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.
This trail is great and one of my favorites at Newport State Park. The boardwalk makes it easy and it just felt peaceful in this area. Yes I was walking through the woods, but I found it to have a different feel. The boardwalk is elevated so that “different feeling” could be because there was water (at some points) and therefore different scenery.
Hotz Trail Loop
Trail Stats: 2-3 miles
In the very north of Newport state park, there’s an isthmus running between Lake Michigan and Europe Lake. Throughout 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. There’s plenty of intersecting trails so you have a lot more freedom here. 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 really enjoyed it. The views along both Europe Lake and Lake Michigan were great and the trail was lovely and the Hotz Trail became one of my favorites in Door County.
Lynd Point Trail Loop
Trail Stats: 2.5 miles
I feel like the 2.5 miles listed for the Lynd Point Trail Loop is a bit misleading. Yes, if you do the whole loop it is 2.5 miles, but the first 1.2 miles are the same as the Fern Trail. So if you find yourself debating about whether or not you should do the Fern Trail or the Lynd Point Trail, know that you’ll cover the Fern Trail with the Lynd Point Trail.
At the end of the Fern Trail, don’t turn around and instead continue walking onto 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 and one of my favorites in Door County.
Monarch Trail Loop
Trail Stats: 1.75 miles
While many of the trails on this list will focus on hikes through the woods, the Monarch Trail is a hike through an open meadow. This trail, with its aspen, birch, juniper, and conifers, can help to give a little bit of variety into your day.
I hiked a short portion of this trail because it intersected with the Poetry Trail that I needed to use to connect to the Rowleys Bay Trail. It is not my favorite trail at Newport State Park, but I can’t deny that it offered some different views and that was greatly appreciated after the seemingly endless forests throughout most of Door County.
Newport Trail Loop
Trail Stats: 3.5 miles
There’s two ways to do this trail. The first is to do the proper Newport Loop Trail. This takes you from Parking Lot #2 through the woods with a few glimpses of Lake Michigan in a 3.5 mile loop.
While you could hike the official Newport Trail Loop, there are several ways you can modify it and make it your own. The Newport Loop intersects a handful of trails allowing you to shorten or extend the loop as you wish. Personally, I did a modified version of this loop and used the Ridge Trail, Newport Trail, and Sand Cove Duck Bay Trail to make my own loop. I enjoyed it and it offered enough variety to keep me engaged. It’s up to you, but I think only using the Newport Trail may get a little dull, so I recommend looking into ways to change things up.
Poetry Trail
Trail Stats: 0.6 miles
If you’re looking for something different for your hiking experience, you can walk a short section of this trail. Near the very start of the trail is the Poetry Loop. This 0.6 mile loop goes through the forest and then skirts back along the meadow. Instead of informational signs telling you about the flora and fauna along the trail, you’ll find poems on these stands. The stands are here all year round, but the poetry changes quarterly.
Ridge Trail
Trail Stats: 1 mile
The Ridge Trail is one mile and is a point to point trail. You’ll either need to hike this trail as an out and back (and hike two miles) or join up to another trail. Personally, I used this trail to shortcut part of the Newport Loop. That’s not that the Newport Trail was bad, but rather, I feel like the Ridge Trail helped to give a bit of variety.
This trail follows an old shoreline and despite walking through a forest, this trail feels more interesting. Because of the old shoreline, you’ll see plenty of large rocks that dot the shores of Lake Michigan today. It’s a great reminder of how much larger Lake Michigan used to be. This was not my favorite trail at Newport State Park, but I enjoyed the variety it added to my Newport Loop.
Rowleys Bay Trail Loop
Trail Stats: 4 miles
My least favorite trail at Newport State Park is the Rowleys Bay Trail. If you’ve done a lot of hiking in Door County, it’s just not that exciting of a trail. That’s not to say that it’s not worth it—I’m sure that in fall with the autumn colors, the trail would be beautiful, but on an average day, I think there are better trails to spend your time on.
The Rowely Bog Trail is nearly four miles of walking through a forest. There’s a few peaks at Lake Michigan, but not enough to make it worth hiking all the way out here. You may feel different but I think there are just so many other trails to use your effort on.
Sand Cove and Duck Bay Trail
Trail Stats: 1 mile
The Sand Cove Duck Bay trail is another one mile, point to point trail. So once again, you’ll either need to hike this as an out and back trail (for two miles total) or join up with another trail. I’ve already talked about how I used this on the Newport Loop, so let’s jump into the trail.
About half of this trail is more focused on the woods while the second half of this trail skirts along Lake Michigan. It’s no surprise that I preferred the Lake Michigan portion and therefore the northern half of the trail is what made this trail enjoyable for me.
While you should always pack layers while hiking along Lake Michigan, this trail was where I noticed it the most. Yes, I hiked this trail early in the day but it felt like two completely different temperatures. On the southern half of the trail, I was warm and contemplating taking off layers, but by the time I reached the northern half of the trail along the lake, I wanted my gloves. Pack accordingly.
Sugarbush Trail
Trail Stats: 1.3 miles
This shorter trail was used for maple sugaring, which is how it gets its name. What is maple sugaring? That’s the process of collecting and processing sap from maple trees to make syrup. The trees here were used for their sap from the 1900s to the 1980s, but now it’s just another place for hikers to get out and enjoy nature.
This is another trail that I didn’t quite make it to. I had plans on hiking here, but they got scrapped late in the day to visit the nearby Mink River Preserve instead.
Upland Trail Loop
Trail Stats: 2 miles
For those interested in learning more about nature, the Upland Trail may be for you. This two mile loop is a self-guided walk through nature with informational signs along the way to help you identify the plants and animals that you may spot along the way.
Parking for the trail an be tricky. If you can’t find a spot near the entrance station, park at lot tree and take a connecting hiking trail to reach the proper trail. This will add one mile to your hiking distance.
Entrance Fees at Newport State Park
A one day entrance ticket costs $13 for vehicles with Wisconsin license plates. For out-of-state plates, a one day pass costs $16.
If you plan to visit multiple state parks in Wisconsin, an annual pass can be a great value. For residents of Wisconsin, an annual pass is $28, while out of state visitors will pay $38. If you plan to visit at least three state parks in a twelve month period, the annual pass is worth it.
Just a note that the annual passes are incredibly sticky. Do not peal the sticker until you are ready to place it. You will not be able to move it once it sticks to your windshield. I don’t know what the Wisconsin DNR puts on their stickers, but wow are they strong.
When to Visit Newport State Park
If you plan to hike, you’ll want to plan your visit from late spring into fall. I visited in spring, but I’ll be the first to admit that I got lucky with four sunny Saturdays in a row (though it was still chilly in the morning). Summer is the best weather in Wisconsin, but be prepared for humidity and mosquitoes.
Fall is a wonderful time to visit not just Door County, but all of Wisconsin. Temperatures drop (but so does humidity) and the fall colors make everything that much more beautiful.
No matter when you visit, I recommend bringing layers. Temperatures can and will change throughout the day. And don’t underestimate just how much Lake Michigan can affect the temperature. It might be warm inland, but right on Lake Michigan you might be reaching for your jacket. There’s a reason we say that “it’s cooler on the lake”.
Nearby Newport State Park
There are no shortage of parks and places to hike in Door County. The closest is the Mink River Preserve which has a nice trail out to the Mink River, but don’t limit yourself to just this park.
Beyond hiking, Door County is a tourist haven. With wines, good food, and plenty of activities to keep tourists entertained, there’s no shortage of things to do in Door County.
It’s also worth noting that if you’ve ever seen a photo of a curvy highway that looks like it can’t possibly exist, you’re only a short drive from it. Follow Highway 42 all the way to the top of the peninsula (and to the Washington Island ferry terminal) and you’ll pass that iconic road.
Final Thoughts
Newport State Park had a nice variety of hikes and that made it my favorite state park in Door County. There’s plenty of other areas to hike and explore, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with spending a full day of your vacation exploring the trails of Newport State Park.
Continue Your Adventure
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.