Region
Door County itineraries
Three-day and five-day Door County itineraries linking the parks, lighthouses and communities by shore.
Build the trip by shore, not by list
The common mistake is to treat Door County as a single destination and drive back and forth across the peninsula. The county is long and narrow; grouping stops by shore saves hours. These itineraries are editorial suggestions, not fixed tours — check seasonal access before you commit.
Three days
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Day one — Sturgeon Bay and the canal
Start on the working waterfront, then follow the ship canal to the pierhead lights. Give the afternoon to Potawatomi State Park's Green Bay shoreline.
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Day two — the quiet side
Drive north through Egg Harbor to Baileys Harbor. Walk the Ridges, cross the causeway to Cana Island, and finish with the range lights at the harbour.
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Day three — Fish Creek and Peninsula
Spend the day inside Peninsula State Park: Nicolet Beach, Eagle Bluff, the bluff trails. Stay for an evening performance if the season is right.
Five days, including the island
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Days one to three
Follow the three-day outline above, but slow it down: add a beach afternoon and a fish boil.
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Day four — the tip and the ferry
Drive to Northport and take the thirty-minute Washington Island ferry across Death's Door. Explore Schoolhouse Beach and the island's back roads.
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Day five — Rock Island
Drive to Jackson Harbor and take the Karfi passenger ferry to Rock Island State Park. Walk to Pottawatomie Lighthouse and back before the last boat.
Verification
Sources & editorial record
Factual details on these pages were checked against the sources below on 2026-10-29 . Interpretive prose, itineraries and recommendations are editorial judgement, not sourced fact.
Park acreages, lighthouse dates, ferry crossing times and community descriptions are taken from Destination Door County, the Coastal Byway and the relevant land manager. Opening hours, prices and individual business details are deliberately not published here because they change seasonally.
- Destination Door County Official destination marketing organisation: communities, parks and lighthouses.
- Destination Door County — Parks State and county park acreages, shoreline and facilities.
- Destination Door County — Lighthouses Construction dates, automation dates and public access.
- Door County Coastal Byway 66-mile byway route, three state parks and ten county parks.
- Wisconsin DNR — State parks Land-manager information for Wisconsin state parks.
- Door County government County visitor information and official links.