Peninsula's Specialties

Unique features create both adventurous and leisurely activities at Peninsula. The beach, Eagle Tower, and American Folklore Theatre draw families. Experience the park at a slower pace, tour Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, play a round of golf, enjoy a Door County sunset and more!

• American Folklore Theatre
• Cemeteries
• Golf Course
• Horseshoe Island
• Lighthouse
• Memorial Pole
• Niagara Escarpment
• Observation Tower
• Sunset

Door County Sunsets

Door County is known for its spectacular sunsets. Peninsula offers more than seven miles of unobstructed sunset views. People of all ages gather silently to experience the last breathtaking moments as Door County slips into twilight each evening.

Watch the great glowing orb of sunlight sink into the shimmering waters of Green Bay.
DNR Photo

Horseshoe Island

Of all the islands visible from Peninsula's scenic overlooks only one, Horseshoe Island, is actually part of the park. It lies about one mile north of Nicolet Bay.

Horseshoe Island as seen from the park's mainland.
DNR Photo

Norwegian immigrant Ole Larsen reportedly traded a few pounds of tobacco for the island in the 1850s. In 1888, the Folda family purchased Horseshoe Island for $500. They built an impressive summer lodge, Engelmar. When the State of Wisconsin established Peninsula State Park in 1909, E.F. Folda negotiated a selling price of $5,000 and a life estate for himself as well as his wife and sister, but they never received payment.

Horseshoe Island is accessible only by boat. Visitors can also canoe or kayak, with rentals available locally. The Engelmar Trail, a one-mile rustic path, meanders the circumference of the island. The astute visitor may detect the foundation of the Folda's lodge, a root cellar, and openings where gardens once thrived.

A pit toilet is available. Visitors must carry out their own garbage. Camping and fires are prohibited.

Peninsula Golf Course

Peninsula boasts an 18-hole course [exit DNR], run by a nonprofit organization, the Peninsula Golf Association.

The Peninsula Golf Course offers stunning views of Eagle Harbor.
DNR Photo

The course has some challenging holes, including a 69-yard one straight down a 50-foot cliff. The course is open daily early May through mid-October. Pull carts, power carts, and club rentals are available. The clubhouse has a restaurant, serving breakfast and lunch at a reasonable prices in Door county. All proceeds from the restaurant and gift shop are used to enhance the golf course. Information and tee time reservations are available at the clubhouse, (920) 854-5791.

Eagle Tower

Located atop a 180-foot limestone bluff, Eagle Tower offers extraordinary views of the park, Green Bay islands, and Michigan shoreline. This 75-foot tower was originally built as a forest fire observation platform but soon became a primary tourist attraction. In 1914, the park's first manager ordered observation towers to be constructed at Eagle Bluff and Sven's Bluff. The original Eagle Tower was replaced in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Sven's Tower was removed in 1947 and never replaced. However, a scenic overlook is now located at Sven's Bluff.

Nicolet Beach

Nicolet Bay's natural sand beach provides scenic swimming and sunbathing.

The natural sand beach is a good place to build a sand castle.
DNR Photo

Lifeguards are not provided. Beach hours are 6 a.m. - 11 p.m. daily. The area roped off for swimming has relatively shallow water and a sandy floor. A bathhouse provides modern showers. The water tends to be the warmest in early July through late August. Pets are not allowed on the beach or in adjacent picnic areas.

American Folklore Theatre

The American Folklore Theatre (AFT) [exit DNR]is a professional group of actors and musicians that perform from mid-June to late August.

AFT performances are held "under the stars," within a cathedral of stately red pines.
DNR Photo

These whimsical musical comedies are geared toward families. The box office opens an hour before the show starts. Performances fill quickly, so come early!

Memorial Pole

Between the number 1 and number 9 fairways of Peninsula's golf course stands a 40-foot memorial pole. Under the direction of the Door County Historical society, Belgian artist C. M. Lesaar carved the original pole in 1927. The pole honors Door County's early residents, the Potawatomi. Park staff replaced the original pole in 1970 with a laminated pine replica carved by Adlai Hardin. The pole was painted and restored again in the fall of 1994. View the bear carving that topped the original pole at the White Cedar Nature Center.

Beside the pole and marked by a large boulder lies the grave of Chief Simon Khaquados. Chief Khaquados was the last descendant of a line of chiefs who ruled over the Door Peninsula for many centuries. The Memorial Pole and Chief Khaquados' grave may be visited only during non-play hours at the golf course.

Niagara Escarpment

The bluffs at Peninsula are composed of Niagara dolomite, formed through sediment deposited under inland seas more than 425 million years ago.

The bluffs harbor ancient cedar trees, cool springs
DNR Photo

This ridge of bedrock stretches across the state of Wisconsin, forming the Door Peninsula, the cliffs at High Cliff State Park, areas of the Bruce Peninsula in Upper Michigan, and eventually ending up under Niagara Falls. Peninsula's cliffs have microhabitats alive with rare crustaceans, snails, and delicate ferns and flowers.

More about the Niagara Escarpment

Cemeteries

Both a private and a public cemetery can be found nestled within Peninsula's boundaries.

The Town of Gibraltar owns and maintains Blossomburg Cemetery.
DNR Photo

Blossomburg Cemetery is open to the public for visits during regular park day-use hours, 6 a.m. - 11 p.m.

The Thorp-Claflin Cemetery, near Weborg Point, is privately owned and maintained. The Thorp and Claflin families were the first to settle near Fish Creek in the mid 1800s.

For more information, ask Park Naturalist Kathleen Harris.