This fall season was surprisingly spectacular because the weather was perfect and I could complete a few activities from my FALL BUCKET LIST. So before the season ends, I wanted to spend one more weekend creating fall memories. One of the great things in Wisconsin, you can check the fall report on the website. Before you go anywhere to explore fall foliage, review the report. I immediately checked the fall color report, and door county had 80% fall colors.
Door County is a very famous place in Wisconsin for fall & summer. I found out places to go and also figured out the route. Before I plan my trip, I always prefer to check the weather condition to be prepared for future hazards. Although the temperature was in the 50s until it was sunny, we are ok with it. I had planned to have a Picnic over there, so I took lunch and some snacks from home.
How to get there?
You can land at three airports Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay. You take a rental car from airport rentals and head to Door County.
Tips for exploring the Peninsula State Park
- If you are going to explore fall colors, check the fall color report and plan your trip.
- If you live in a nearby city, you can make a one-day trip easily, but it has lots of things to do, so make your trip itinerary first.
- Check the weather and decide your attire accordingly.
- As Peninsula State Park is on Lake Michigan, you might feel windy, especially in cold weather, so be prepared for it.
- If you are planning to hike, then get your proper hiking gear.
- There is no facility for food inside the state park so carry enough food and water before entering.
Visitor Center
We went to the visitor center first. If you are unsure what to explore in Door County, you can check into the visitor center, which will provide information. You can also get maps and other brochures from there. One of the best things about these visitor centers is it’s open 24/7. Isn’t it great? You will get all types of brochures like shopping and dining, attractions, parks & beaches, etc. I liked the rocking chairs kept on the patio of the visitor center.
So we grab our maps and head to the peninsula state park. In Door County, two main highway goes through 42 & 57, which helps you cover the whole door county area.
Fall colors Peninsula State Park Door county
In the Peninsula State Park, you require buying a vehicle permission sticker. If you have already bought it, then you are good to go. They have yearly, monthly, daily, and hourly passes. You can purchase these stickers at the entrance. You will also get a map in which you will get hiking trail guide details as well.
It has excellent viewpoints and a scenic drive if you don’t want to go hiking. We started from the pier center and Weborg point. Camping and picnicking spots are available at Weborg point. Hemlock trail can access from Weborg point. This trail is 1.8 miles long and contains rolling terrain, cedar, and hardwood forest.
You will also get a lovely view of the lake and the forest from this point. They also build the concrete dock walkway. It was a little bit windy. Otherwise, you can sit there with coffee and enjoy the view. In the parking lot also, there were beautiful trees with pretty fall colors.
Nelson point
This point also has a small picnicking area. You can get a view of Lake Michigan from this point as well. Follow the same road, and next is the Tennis court point. Here they provided steps to get down to the Lakeshore. The view of the lake from this point is stunning.
Shore road drive
When we proceed further road splits into Shore road and Skyline road. We want to cover both drives as both drives are scenic, according to the visitor center representative. So we decided to complete the Shore road drive first. On this road, you drive parallel to the lake. These give the illusion of the lake and sky flowing together as far as you can see.
On Shore road drive, one more split will come: Shore Road and Bluff road. By mistake, my friend took a right instead of a left. And I am so glad he made this mistake. We took immediately right On Bluff road as so many cars were parked there, so I wanted to check out what was in there. It was a nature center and a White cedar nature trail. This trail is a self-guided nature trail that teaches deer ecology. This is a 0.5-mile loop trail with exceptional fall color views.
Eagle bluff lighthouse
After viewing this trail’s beautiful scenery, we return to shore road and head to Eagle bluff lighthouse. You will get a great view of Lake Michigan and the peninsula forest. Unfortunately, when we visited, the lighthouse was closed for the season. It typically opens till early September.
This is a great place. It has pretty good photography spots as well. From the Eagle bluff lighthouse to the Nicolet beach is a gorgeous drive. You can see colorful fall leaves. It’s simply amazing to drive.
Skyline road
As we didn’t want to miss the Skyline road’s scenic drive, we also took the Bluff road and returned to the shore road. We took the skyline road from the starting point and stopped at Sven’s bluff. This point is at a higher elevation, so there is a lovely view of the lake.
You can also take the skyline loop trail from the Tennis court. This trail is 3 miles long. You can also check out hemlock road. If you want to drive by, you can finish viewing this state park within one to two hours. But if you’re planning to hike, there are around 11 trails. You can choose which trails you want to hike on.