Peninsula State Park is a 3,776-acre Wisconsin state park with eight miles of Green Bay shoreline in Door County. Peninsula is the third largest state park in Wisconsin.
Upon entering the Peninsula State Park, I realized how just a few hours north created an entirely different landscape. The trees were so tall the I could not often see the tops. The same area that I saw on the map…..was a bit deceiving as this peninsula is surrounded by Lake Michigan on 3 sides. I could not help but wonder…could there be bears? My understanding growing up in Northern Illinois was that bears where “native” to upper Wisconsin. But upon checking in and registering my car (yes…there is a fee to park), I asked. And the seemingly gentle man behind the check in counter went”gggrrowllllll” as if joking. But then he said….well….there have been a few sightings. Ugh…I would be hiking alone and this is different than many of the trails I had enjoyed closer to home where they are quite populated…and yes…no bears. So he told me that IF I did see a bear all I need to do is to just stand up tall and make myself look big. While I might be a bit big around the belly…I am certainly not tall.
And ok.. while this site is all about nature, hiking and adventure…I must say Door County offers many small quaint towns, with a vast array of shops and restaurants…lots of outdoor dining (you hear….”outdoor”…so that counts).
Oh by the way and I never did see a bear.
Best of the Midwest! Hiking - nature - photography 