For many, the gray winter months are nesting season, a time to stay indoors by the fire or under a heated blanket to binge-watch streaming TV. For others, snow and ice are the perfect conditions to launch outdoor adventures. For either, Door County is a particularly good place to get away to in the winter. There are plenty of resorts, cabins, and condos open year-round in Door County that offer indoor pools, saunas, and cozy fireplaces. Meanwhile, if there's snow on the ground then Door County offers an almost limitless network of cross country ski trails, snowmobiling, sleigh rides, ice skating, sledding, and snowshoeing. There are also convenient places to rent snowmobiles, skis, skates, and snowshoes near the trails. And, off-season rates make a winter trip to Door County all the more enticing.
Peninsula State Park in Door County offers three winter hiking or snowshoeing trails. These are modified winter versions of summer trails. The 1-mile long Minnehaha Trail skirts the lakeshore between Nicolet Beach and the trailhead for the Eagle Trail. A winter variation of the Sentinel Trail is the most popular winter hike. This 2-mile loop launches from the site of the old Eagle Tower and courses through dense pine and hardwood forest. Another 1.5-mile woodland loop trail begins at the Nature Center. Rentals for snowshoes are available at a bike and ski shop just outside the park.
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The greatest sports event in America is the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament that begins in late March. What can I say, I'm mad about March Madness. Each year I take off a few days from work and cloister myself in a hotel that has cable TV and strong wifi and I spend four days watching as many basketball games as possible.
In 2019, I selected Door County as my secret basketball weekend getaway. And it happened, there was still a decent amount of snow on the ground even as winter officially ended and the air temperature rose to the balmy 50's. With a set of headphones and a smartphone streaming the game of the hour, I broke out of my hotel room and hit the trails at Peninsula State Park.
I didn't bother with the snowshoes. I was just out for a brisk early spring hike. But, as I progressed further into the woods I realized that snowshoes would have been helpful. At times I broke through drifts and had to trudge through knee-deep snow. But, for the most part, I was able to hike above packed snow on the popular Sentinel Trail, or at least hop between previously laid footprints.
I made quick work of the Sentinel Trail and drove down to Nicolet Beach and started off on the Minnehaha Trail. This trail had significantly different trail conditions. The cedar trees along the shoreline create a dense cover. There was bare ground to the left and right of the ice-packed trail. This hike was much more difficult on account of the ice. I wore ice cleats over my boots, which helped, but it was still slow going on the Minnehaha.
After completing the Minnehaha out-and-back I drove up to the main lot and trailhead for the cross country ski trails. I walked in a few paces and the ski trails looked ideal. It wasn't deep snow, but the grooves were still groomed, and the melting packed snow would have made for a fast and slick track. I decided to try skiing and drove over to the bike and ski shop across the street. When I asked to rent skis they just looked at me quizzically and told me that the ski trails were no good. Harrumph. I had just seen that they were well covered with fast snow, but I didn't argue. If they didn't want to make a few bucks then I would just return to the fireplace and big screen TV for more basketball. Note to self: bring my own skis next time. I suppose that up north of Green Bay the locals are used to having feet of deep snow, but us southerners from Madison make-do with whatever fractions of inches we typically have on the ground, which is usually chronically icy, thin, and patchy.
I always seem to forget that Door County is such a charming winter wonderland. But, since I've reminded myself, I'll make sure to plan a January or February trip to try out snowshoes, skis, and snowmobiling in the deep snow.
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| Sentinel Trail Winter Hiking / Snowshoeing Trail at Peninsula State Park |
Sentinel Trail Snowshoeing / Winter Hiking
COUNTY
DOOR
COMMUNITIES
FISH CREEK
TOTAL MILES
2.6-MILE LOLLIPOP
DIFFICULTY
EASY
Minnehaha Trail Snowshoeing / Winter Hiking
COUNTY
DOOR
COMMUNITIES
FISH CREEK
TOTAL MILES
1.1-MILE POINT-TO-POINT (2.2-MILE OUT-AND-BACK)
DIFFICULTY
VERY EASY
Nature Center Trail Snowshoeing / Winter Hiking
COUNTY
DOOR
COMMUNITIES
FISH CREEK
TOTAL MILES
1.5-MILE LOOP
DIFFICULTY
EASY
FEES
STATE PARK STICKER FOR AUTOS TO ENTER STATE PARK
CAMPING
WINTER CAMPING IN PENINSULA STATE PARK
Directions and Trail Map
DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE PENINSULA STATE PARK WINTER MAP (2020)
Click Map Image to load the full interactive map.
If viewing on a mobile device, open the trail map above to load into Google Maps App by touching the expand rectangle in the upper right corner.
Address for your GPS: 4498 Shore Rd Fish Creek, WI 54212
| coordinates: 45.162669, -87.197989 |
| From Milwaukee | 3 Hours |
| From Madison | 4 Hour |
| From Green Bay | 1.5 Hours |
| From Wausau | 3 Hours |
| From Minneapolis | 5.5 Hours |
| From Chicago | 4.5 Hours |
Photos
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| View from the Minnehaha Trail Winter Hiking at Peninsula State Park |
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| Sentinel Trail Winter Hiking / Snowshoeing Trail at Peninsula State Park |
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| Sentinel Trail Winter Hiking / Snowshoeing Trail at Peninsula State Park |
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| Sentinel Trail Winter Hiking / Snowshoeing Trail at Peninsula State Park |
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| Sentinel Trail Winter Hiking / Snowshoeing Trail at Peninsula State Park |
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| Sentinel Trail Winter Hiking / Snowshoeing Trail at Peninsula State Park |
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| Sentinel Trail Winter Hiking / Snowshoeing Trail at Peninsula State Park |
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| Minnehaha Trail Winter Hiking at Peninsula State Park |
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| Minnehaha Trail Winter Hiking at Peninsula State Park |
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| Minnehaha Trail Winter Hiking at Peninsula State Park |
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| Minnehaha Trail Winter Hiking at Peninsula State Park |
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| Minnehaha Trail Winter Hiking at Peninsula State Park |
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| Minnehaha Trail Winter Hiking at Peninsula State Park |
Links
Peninsula State ParkNorDoor Sports and Cyclery - Rentals for snowshoes, xx-skis, snow tubes, fat-tire bikes
Bay Shore Outfitters - Snowshoes and xx-skis (Located in Sturgeon Bay and Sister Bay)
Mayberry Sleigh Rides - Horse Drawn Sleigh Ride by appointment