Wisconsin
Door County Cruise
About this paddle route
Door County is a long limestone peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan with harbor towns spaced conveniently along the bay side. The run north from Sturgeon Bay through Ephraim is protected and easy. The crossing at the top is not. Porte des Morts, Death’s Door, is the strait between the peninsula and Washington Island, and the name comes from the shipwreck record. It deserves a settled forecast.
Sturgeon Bay north to Ephraim and across Death’s Door to Washington Island.
Highlights
What earns the trip
- Ephraim and Sister Bay are classic Great Lakes harbor towns
- Washington Island has a working harbor and a distinct Icelandic heritage
- The Cana Island and Eagle Bluff lighthouses are both on the route
- Peninsula State Park has anchorages and shore access
Stops
- 1
Sturgeon Bay
The southern harbor and ship canal town.
- 2
Ephraim
Sheltered bay-side harbor in Peninsula State Park country.
- 3
Washington Island
Across Death’s Door at the top of the peninsula.
When to go
Best time to go
July through September. Lake Michigan is coldest and roughest outside that window.
Planner estimate for the mapped line: 2h 58m
Before you go
Know before you go
- Porte des Morts can build fast with wind against current. Cross it on a good forecast.
- The Sturgeon Bay ship canal carries commercial traffic. Monitor the working channel.
- Harbor moorage in Ephraim and Sister Bay fills on summer weekends.
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