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Door County 2017 Spring Getaway!

Friday-Sunday, May 19-21

Monday-Wednesday, May 22-24 Leaders: Carol “Scout” Ruhter & Julie “Wander Woman” Kanak

Explore. Dream. Discover. TrailboundTrips.com

Hike the Cave Point trail

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This Info Packet Provides Info On: Hotel amenities Page 2

Our schedule Pages 3-5

Meals Page 5

Packing tips Page 6

Weather, rain, daylight Page 6

Fun info about Door County Pages 7-11

Driving directions Pages 12-14

Maps of Door County Page 15-16

Print & bring this info packet with you on the trip.

Hotel Amenities High Point Inn is between the harbor villages of Ephraim and Sister Bay on the Green Bay side of Door County. www.highpointinn.com

Each suite has: • Living and dining room & fully-equipped kitchen • Gas fireplace • Private patio/balcony • Queen-sized sofa sleeper in living room • TV/DVD combo players in bedrooms/living room • HDTV in living room • Free Showtime movie channel • Coffee maker, hair dryers, alarm clocks, • Iron/board and shampoo/conditioner/soap

The Inn has: • Heated indoor/outdoor pools • Indoor whirlpool • Fitness center • Fireside great room

• A large covered porch with comfy seating • High speed internet in suites and lobby • DVD rental at front desk • Coin-operated laundry

1-bedroom suites have 2 queen beds and 1 bathroom. In 2- or 3-bedroom suites, you’ll have 2 bathrooms and your own private bedroom with a king or queen bed.

Room Payment: We have reserved your suite under the Trailbound Trips room block; when you check in,

you can transfer the room to your own credit card. Renee “Northwoods Girl” will send you a courtesy email in mid-April letting you know what your room cost will be at Highpoint Inn.

Green Bay

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Day 1:

Day 1 of our Getaway 1 pm ~ Meet at Cave Point County Park: No wonder this is one of Door County’s most photographed

spots – and one of our favorites! The trail borders limestone ledges towering 50 feet above the water, and overlooks sea caves and blowholes sculpted by the crashing surf. On windy days, Lake Michigan’s spray shoots 30 feet high. We’ll hike from Cave Point to Whitefish Dunes State Park, which boasts the largest sand dunes on Lake Michigan’s western shore. There, we can wade in the aquamarine water and scrunch our toes in the sand. Enjoy time to explore, to sit on the rocky outcrops and beach, and to enjoy the song of the waves. (Eat lunch before you arrive at 1 pm and bring a trail snack. Free park entrance at Cave Point.)

3:15 pm ~ Enjoy free time: Explore Cana Island Lighthouse for its awesome views and story. Nearby Death’s

Door Passage racked up more shipwrecks than any other section of fresh water in the world. So, Cana Island Lighthouse was built in 1869 to warn ships of the danger ahead and to guide them toward safe harbors. The lighthouse towers 82 feet above Lake Michigan … and you can venture onto its railed catwalk. Trailbound will cover your admission fee.

6:30 ~ 7:30 ~ Dine: We’ll enjoy dinner at popular Husby’s in Sister Bay.

8 pm ~ Watch the sunset: Take a short walk from Husby’s to the pretty harbor at Bayside City Park in Sister

Bay. Then, return to the hotel for an indoor swim, whirlpool, games, or other relaxation.

Enjoy fun and friendship… and gorgeous scenery

Explore…

Relax…

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Day 2 of our Getaway 8:30 – 9:15 am ~ Hike at Ellison Bay Bluff County Park. This 170-acre hidden gem

offers one of the county’s most outstanding views from towering 100-foot limestone bluffs. Our 1-mile hike also treats us to a magical array of woodland wildflowers. (Free park admission.)

10:15 am - noon ~ Explore Newport State Park on this 2-mile hike. You’ll love this park, the

state’s only designated wilderness. Its 2,400 acres boast 11 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, evergreen and hardwood forests, upland meadows, and wetlands. Park entrance requires a Wisconsin sticker; prices per car for a daily sticker are $11/out-of-state or $8/Wisconsin plates. Annual stickers are $38/out-of-state and $28/in-state.

12:30 - 4 pm ~ Enjoy free time for a guided

10-mile bike ride on a crushed-gravel trail through gorgeous Peninsula State Park. (Bring your own bike or rent one -- see page 5.) You can also use this free time to check out Door County’s great shops or relax at our hotel. Weekend hikers: Consider hiking with our guide at The Clearing, open to the public on Saturdays only.

5:30 - 7:30 pm ~ Savor great food and casual

outdoor dining at the Gibraltar Grill. (We’ll eat indoors in inclement weather.)

7:30 pm ~ Watch the sun set over Green Bay from

our park shelter overlooking the bay. Enjoy the warmth of a campfire, toast s’mores, and friends.

Hike past ancient sea caves

Two-wheel it

Savor amazing beauty Dip your toes

The wa rmth of campfires and friendship

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Day 3 of our Getaway 8:15 – 9:15 am ~ Savor breakfast: Enjoy a yummy Swedish tradition at popular Al Johnson’s – or opt to eat on your own.

9:45 - 11:30 am ~ Hike Eagle Cliffs at Peninsula State Park: This gorgeous 2-mile loop

features some of Door County’s most dramatic scenery: towering bluffs, cobblestone beaches, and sea caves. Enjoy time to sit along the bay’s peaceful waters, watch water birds, and unwind. (Park sticker required.)

11:30 am–Noon ~ Lunch: Enjoy a trail lunch together

at this lovely park or feel free to get an early start home.

Noon ~ Head home, refreshed and relaxed.

Meals Each of our suites has a full kitchen. Breakfasts. On day 2, breakfast is on your own. Make your own or dine at one of Door County’s yummy cafes. On

Day 3, eat breakfast on your own or join us at Door County favorite, Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant.

Trail lunch. Bring a sack lunch for Day 2’s lunch at Newport Beach. You’ll also want a sack lunch for Day 3, unless

you plan to get an early start home.

Trail snacks. Bring favorite snacks for an energy lift as you’re hiking: energy bars, trail mix, cheese sticks, fruit, etc.

Day 1’s dinner TBD

Day 2’s dinner outdoors at the Gibraltar Grill. (We’ll eat indoors in inclement weather.) This eatery is

popular for its outdoor patio and bar, and its great food, including steak, seafood, burgers, and pasta. After dinner, we’ll watch the sun set and then enjoy camaraderie, s’mores, and a crackling fire at a nearby park shelter.

Biking We’d love to have you join us to bike through Peninsular State Park with us. This lovely 10-mile trail is gravel and has some mild hills. Feel free to bring your own bike or rent a hybrid bike/ helmet from Nor Door Sport & Cyclery, at 4007 Hwy 42 in Fish Creek (across from Peninsula State Park’s entrance). Rental is $6/hour. If you would like to rent a bike, please email Carol Ruhter at TrailboundTrips@gmail.com and provide your height so they can have your bike ready. You will pay Nor Door for the rental that day.

Walk through majestic woodlands

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Packing List We dress for comfort, not fashion. In addition to normal overnight items, we recommend you bring:

___Hiking sticks ___Hiking boots or athletic shoes with good tread ___Rain pants & hooded rain jacket (or poncho) ___Jacket, lightweight gloves, and cap/hat ___Tissue & plastic bag * ___Swimsuit for the indoor pool ___Needed medication

___This packet of info ___Your orange nametag** ___Camera & extra memory card/batteries ___Bike and bike rack (optional) ___Trail lunch and snacks ___Any food and alcohol you’d like

* There are bathroom facilities – but not everywhere you might need one. The plastic bag is for carrying out tissue from any necessary “private moments” in the woods. ** We’ll have nametags for those new to our group.

Clothing tips: Instead of one heavy item of clothing,

wear 2-3 lighter layers. That way, you can add/remove layers as needed, and lighter clothing easily stashes in daypacks.

We find it’s good to be a bit chilly when you start hiking; you’ll warm up when you get moving.

If it’s damp, avoid wearing cotton, jeans, and sweat suits, which hold moisture and lose insulation value when wet.

Hiking pants that unzip into shorts are great. If you’re going to buy a pair, look for ankle zippers so you can remove pant legs without removing boots. (That same tip applies to rain pants.)

Weather…Rain…Daylight Temps: Ephraim’s normal high temp for mid/late May is 65 degrees; the normal low is 43 degrees. (The

record high was 84 degrees set in 1998; the record low of 30 degrees was hit in 1915.)

Rain: We won’t set out to hike in heavy rain or thunderstorms; we’ll enjoy “Plan B” rainy-day activities. But if

it’s lightly misting and not cold, we’ll don rain gear and enjoy the peace and vibrancy of rain-quenched woods.

Daylight: Sunrise times range from 5:13 am on May 19 to 5:08 am on May 24. Sunset times range from

8:16 pm on May 19 to 8:22 pm on May 24.

Dip your toes

The wa rmth of campfires and friendship

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Fun Info About Door County

The peninsula was named “Door” after Native Americans used the term “Death’s Door” to describe the treacherous stretch of water from the Door Peninsula’s tip to the islands offshore. (The French translation is Port des Morts.)

Door County has over 250 miles of shoreline along Lake Michigan and its Green Bay. Lake Michigan is the third largest freshwater lake in the U.S. (by surface area) and the sixth largest in the world. Its depth reaches 925 feet. It measures about 300 miles long and averages 75 miles across, covering 22,300 square miles – equal to the combined areas of Maryland, Massachusetts, and Delaware.

The area is known as the Cape Cod of the Midwest and is a popular vacation spot.

Door County has prided itself on its cherry orchards since the 1800s. Soil and weather conditions—warm days and cool nights influenced by the lakes – create an ideal growing environment. Around 2,200 acres of cherry orchards and another 1,000 acres of apple orchards fill Door County with spring blossoms. Cherries are picked mid-July to mid-August; apples are harvested from late-August to mid-October. Wineries also dot the peninsula.

The shaping of Door County At Cave Point Park and along the Eagle Cliff Trail, we’ll view sea caves formed by waves that gradually carved shallow holes into cliffs along open joints and fractures, back when glaciers covered the land. Along beaches, we’ll see how the lake’s power and ceaseless waves have molded and smoothed sharply edged stones into beaches of rounded cobblestones. We’ll also stand atop 150-foot bluffs that form the western edge of the 650-mile- long Niagara Escarpment (ridge), which was created by deposits from a former inland sea. This ridgeline then tilted and protruded from the water when the earth’s crust shifted. Because this ridge of Silurian dolomite limestone is harder and more resistant to erosion, it stands taller than the softer, eroded shale foundations surrounding it.

Cave Point Park

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Door County’s people About 28,000 residents currently live in Door County year-round. In summer, the county’s population can spike to 250,000, including summer residents and tourists. Most visitors and summer residents come from the metro areas of Milwaukee, Chicago, Madison, and the Twin Cities. Native Americans long ago established small seasonal villages at Nicolet Bay Beach in the area and were hunters and gatherers. Potawatomi and other native groups lived in Door County and its islands until the mid-1800s, when they were removed from Door County by the US Government through the Indian Removal Act. About 2% of Door County’s population is now identified as Native Americans. The earliest European settlers in Northern Door County fished, hunted, and traded with local Indians. Lumbering and early tourism helped coastal villages and surrounding farms flourish. Who are the Moravians? They belong to one of the few non-Catholic Christian churches established before the Protestant Reformation. The sect began in Moravia and Bohemia, now parts of the Czech Republic.

Animals, birds, and plants

Mammals: Deer, raccoons, porcupines, red and grey foxes, and coyote call the peninsula home ... as well as an

occasional black bear. Reptiles: Frogs, toads, salamanders, snapping and painted turtles. Harmless fox snakes, garter

snakes, and ring-necked snakes live here too – but poisonous snakes do not. Birds: More than 125 species of birds live in or migrate over Peninsula State Park. Look and listen for wild turkeys, sandhill cranes, gulls, terns, cormorants, waterfowl, shorebirds, pileated woodpeckers, and grouse. Upland forests contain sugar maple, basswood, beech, white birch, hemlock, red oak, and other trees. The forested areas along the shorelines often have pure stands of white cedar. Cliffs hold ferns, and spring welcomes lady’s slippers, trillium, and dwarf lake iris. Low sandy areas support dwarf junipers, blueberries, harebells, and other unique plants.

Cave Point Cave Point is a 19-acre county park that connects with Whitefish Dunes State Park. It may be small in size, but it is packed with rugged beauty. We’ll enjoy the underwater caves that were formed over thousands of years from the surf pounding against the limestone bluffs. When the winds blow hard off Lake Michigan, you'll hear a thunder-like sound as waves crash against the cliffs. You'll feel the power under your feet and experience the water spray, which can shoot up to 30 feet in the air. Smell the pine trees, and watch the sun glitter on the aqua-blue water.

Hiking at Cave Point

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The Clearing The Clearing is a year-round folk school that offers classes in natural sciences, fine arts, skilled crafts, and humanities. You will enjoy its wooded setting with gorgeous wildflowers, outstanding views of Green Bay, and the tiny bluff-side hideaway of its founder, Jens Jensen. Jens was a Danish-born landscape architect who designed many of Chicago’s parks and the private estates of Armour, Florsheim, Ford and other business leaders. He was also a driving force in the Illinois state park system and Cook County forest preserves. Jen began acquiring this property in 1919 for use as a summer vacation home; then in 1935, at age 75 after retiring from his Chicago business, he achieved his longtime dream of establishing the clearing … a place where city people could renew their contact with the soil as a basis for life values. The Clearing is an independent non-profit corporation.

Gills Rock At the very tip of Door County peninsula lies Gills Rock, where a strong tradition of commercial fishing continues today. This area is also very popular with scuba divers who explore the many shipwrecks in and around Death's Door. The Door County Maritime Museum houses many artifacts from these wrecks and chronicles the fishing industry. Gills Rock was originally known as "Hedgehog Harbor," the name given it by Washington Island fisherman and boat-builder Amos Lovejoy. In 1855, Lovejoy decided to winter his sloop on the shores of a cove he liked to fish. Over that winter, a family of hedgehogs (aka porcupines) moved on board. When Lovejoy launched his sloop again in spring, he didn't notice the numerous holes the hedgehogs had chewed in the hull. The boat began taking on water through those holes and Lovejoy was forced to abandon the sloop and come ashore. The cove was renamed Gills Rock in 1870 in honor of Elias Gill, a prominent lumber man. Gills Rock remains a popular photo opportunity for visitors who can’t resist the fish houses and commercial fishing tugs that line the waterfront.

Newport State Park This is the state’s only designated wilderness park. Rough, isolated Newport State Park constitutes half of the tip of the

county, stretching for 11 miles along the Lake Michigan coast. The 2,400-acre wilderness area offers 38.3 miles of hiking trails, swimming, fishing, backpack camping, ski touring and snowshoeing. There are evergreen and hardwood forests, wetlands, and upland meadows. The park has an interpretive center and naturalist program. Of these trails, 17 miles also are open to off-road bicycles. In the winter, 26 miles of trails are available for cross-country skiing, including 12 miles groomed and tracked for classical skiing, 2 miles groomed for skate skiing, and 4 miles open for snowshoeing. Newport has 16 backpack campsites, 13 of which can be reserved. The park also offers winter backpack camping.

Birch-bark scrolled message in Jen Jensen’s bluff-side hideaway

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Peninsula State Park Peninsula State Park is a 3,776-acre state treasure, and the state’s third largest park. The land was purchased in 1909 for less than $20 an acre, and the park was officially established in 1910. Nearly seven miles of Lake Michigan’s Green Bay shoreline wrap around a landscape of forests, meadows, and wetlands. Rocky bluffs ascend over 150 feet, and deer graze in abandoned farm fields. The park has a rich history: Between 1916 and 1948, two young widows from St. Louis ran Camp Meenahga for girls near today’s Tennis Court Road. The girls lived in tents and spent the summer learning horseback riding, swimming, dancing, drama, and “personality.” In 1931, Chief Simon Kahquados, the last hereditary chief of the Potawatomi nation, died and was buried near the 40-foot Memorial Pole at the Peninsula Golf Course. (The totem pole had been built and dedicated to the Potawatomi nation in 1927 by the Door County Historical Society.) In the 1930s during the depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps had a camp of 208 men at the park; they rebuilt Eagle Tower, constructed stone fences, cleared hiking trails and roads, and planted trees. In the summer of 1945, Fish Creek had a German POW camp. The prisoners did construction projects, cut wood, and picked cherries in Peninsula State Park and the surrounding area – and are remembered for their industriousness and for singing while they worked. Eagle Tower is 75 feet high, from which you can see the privately owned Strawberry Islands: Adventure, Jack, Pirate, and Little Strawberry. Since dangerous reefs surround the islands, they remain a haven for birds, rather than developers. Eagle Bluff Lighthouse was constructed in 1868 on orders from President Andrew Johnson at a cost of $12,000 and was restored by the Door County Historical Society in 1964. Weborg Point was named after Peter Weborg, who settled there in the 1850s with Evan Nelson and about 35 Scandinavian families. Welcker’s Point is named after Dr. Hermann and Henrietta Welcker of Milwaukee, who owned that tract of land and ran a health resort in Fish Creek.

On the bluffs at Peninsula State Park

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Lake Michigan

LENGTH: 307 miles WIDTH: 118 miles AVERAGE DEPTH: 279 ft. MAXIMUM DEPTH: 925 ft. BORDERS: Lake Michigan touches Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake located entirely in the United States. VOLUME: 1,180 cubic miles. In terms of volume, Lake Michigan is the 2nd largest of the Great Lakes (behind Lake Superior), and the 5th largest lake in the world. WATER SURFACE AREA: 22,300 sq. miles. By surface area, it is the largest lake in the world that is entirely within one country.

SHORELINE LENGTH (including islands): 1,638 miles

NAME: Derived from the Ojibwa Indian word mishigami, meaning large lake.

WATER TEMPS: 60s in July- August and into the 70s during hot summers.

FISHING: Lake Michigan boasts excellent salmon and trout fishing. Species include Chinook, Coho, and Atlantic Salmon, and Rainbow, Brown, and Lake Trout.

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Driving Directions: Day 1 We will carpool and caravan in Door County. We’ll also supply car window flags to make it easier to follow one another.

To Cave Point County Park from the Milwaukee area

Cave Point Address: 5360 Schauer Rd, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 Phone: (800) 527-3529 If coming north on I-94 into Milwaukee, I-43 merges with I-94. When I-94 heads west, follow I-43 North to Green Bay. In Green Bay, take exit 185 to WI-57 North toward Sturgeon Bay. Follow WI-57 for about 50 miles to Clarks Lake Road/County Road Wd. Head right on Clarks Lake Road for 4 miles and then take a slight left onto Schauer Road for 0.3 miles.

Distance: About 240 miles one way from Barrington; 170 miles one way from Milwaukee Drive time: 4.5 hours from Barrington; 3 hours from Milwaukee Tolls: Tolls each way

To Cana Island Lighthouse from Cave Point County Park Cana Island Lighthouse Address: 8800 E Cana Island Rd, Baileys Harbor, WI 54202; Phone: (920) 743-5958

Head southwest on Schauer Road toward N. Cave Point Drive for 0.6 miles.

Take the 1st right onto North Cave Point Drive for 3.1 miles.

Turn right onto WI-57N for 8.3 miles.

Turn right onto County Road Q for 3.4 miles.

Turn right onto Moonlight Bay Drive for 0.1 mile.

Turn right onto W. Cana Island Road for 0.9 miles.

Turn left onto East Cana Island Road for 1.4 miles. Distance: 18 miles; Drive time: 30 minutes

To High Point Inn from Cana Island Lighthouse High Point Inn Address: 10386 Water St, Ephraim, WI 54211 Phone: (920) 854-9773

Head northwest on East Cana Island Road for 1.4 miles.

Turn right onto West Cana Island Road for 1.1 miles.

Turn right onto County Q for 6.0 miles.

Turn right onto WI-57 North for 2.3 miles.

Turn left onto WI-42 South/South Bay Shore Road for 1.9 miles.

High Point Inn will be on your left Distance: 12.7 miles; Drive time: 24 minutes

To Husby’s from High Point Inn Husby’s Food & Spirits: 10641 N Bay Shore Dr, Sister Bay, WI 54234; Phone: (920) 854-2624

Turn right (northeast) onto WI-42 N for 2 miles. Husby’s will be on the left.

Distance: 2 miles; Drive time: 4 minutes

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Driving Directions: Day 2

To Ellison Bay Bluff County Park from High Point Inn

Ellison Bay Bluff address: Ellison Bluff Road, Ellison Bay, WI

Turn right out of the hotel and head northeast on WI-42 for 6.4 miles. Turn left onto Porcupine Bay Road for 8/10 mile. Turn right onto Ellison Bluff Road and follow it to the parking lot.

Distance: 7.5 miles; Drive time: 14 minutes

To Newport State Park from Ellison Bay Bluff County Park Newport State Park address: 475 County Highway NP, Ellison Bay, WI; Phone: 920-854-2500

Head east on Ellison Bluff Road toward Porcupine Bay Road for 1.1 miles.

Turn left onto Porcupine Bay Road for 0.8 miles.

Turn left onto WI-42 North for 3.2 miles.

Turn right onto County Road NP for 2.5 miles.

Turn right onto Newport Lane for 0.5 miles.

Continue onto Newport Park Road for 0.4 miles. Distance: About 8.4 miles; Drive time: About 16 minutes

To the High Point Inn from Newport State Park Head west on Newport Park Road toward Wilderness Lane for 0.7 miles. Continue onto County Road NP/Newport Lane for 0.5 miles. Turn left onto County Road NP for 2.5 miles. Turn left onto WI-42 for 9.6 miles. Distance: 13.3 miles; Drive time: 26 minutes

To The Clearing from Newport State Park The Clearing address: 12171 Garrett Bay Road, Ellison Bay, WI; Phone: (920) 854-4088

Head west on Newport Park Road toward Wilderness Lane for 0.4 miles.

Continue onto Newport Lane for 0.5 miles.

Turn left onto County Road NP for 2.5 miles.

Turn left onto WI-42 South for 1.8 miles.

Turn right onto School Road for 0.2 miles.

Turn right onto Garrett Bay Road for 0.2 miles. Distance: 5.6 miles; Drive time: 9 minutes

To the High Point Inn from the Clearing

Head south on Garrett Bay Road toward Rustic Lane for 3/10 mile. Take a slight right onto WI-42 for 7.4 miles. High Point Inn will on the left.

Distance: 7.8 miles; Drive time: 14 minutes

To the Gibraltar Grill from the High Point Inn

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Gibraltar address: 3993 Main St, Fish Creek, WI 54212; Phone: (920) 868-4745

Turn left out of the hotel parking lot and head southwest on WI-42 for 5.9 miles.

Gibraltar Grill will be on the left. Distance: 5.9 miles; Drive time: 9 minutes

To Welcker’s Shelter from the Gibraltar Grill

Turn left out of Gibraltar Grill onto WI-42 for 1/10 of a mile.

Follow Shore Road into the park and stay to the left until you reach Welcker’s Shelter on your left. (You will pass Weborg Shelter and Eagle Bluff Lighthouse on the way.)

Driving Directions: Day 3

To Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant from High Point Inn Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant address: 702 N. Bay Shore Drive, Sister Bay; Phone: 920-854-2626

Turn right onto Highway 42 out of the Inn and head northeast 2.4 miles.

Al Johnson’s will be on the right. Distance: 2.4 miles; Drive time: About 3 minutes

To Peninsula State Park from High Point Inn Peninsula State Park Address: 9462 Shore Road, Fish Creek, WI 54212; Phone: 920-868-3258

Turn left out of the Inn.

Head southwest on Highway 42 (Water Street) for about 3 miles.

Turn right into the park’s north entrance on Shore Road and follow it 1.4 miles to Eagle Panorama parking, just 0.2 miles past Eagle Tower.

Distance: About 4 miles; Drive time: About 10 minutes

To Eagle Cliff at Peninsula State Park from High Point Inn

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Door County Map