Wisconsin’s Door County

Meals: Dinner

A pick up in Milwaukee is offered before our assembly in Port Washington, Wisconsin. There is time for a bike fitting and an orientation dinner to get us ready for riding the next day.

Meals: Breakfast, snacks, Dinner

Distance: 57 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,000 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 70 feet

We’ll cycle north along the Lake Michigan shoreline today, and sample some of the designated bike trails in the area. We’ll stop in Sheboygan’s harbor area for lunch — the first of many opportunities for a famous Wisconsin brat — and continue on to Manitowoc, where we’ll spend the evening at the Maritime Inn.

Meals: Breakfast, snacks, Dinner

Distance: 63 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,500 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 90 feet

On Day 3, we’re headed to Sturgeon Bay, considered the gateway to Door County. Along the way we pass through the National Natural Landmark of Point Beach Ridges, located inside Point Beach State Forest. Here we see bit of the ancient history of the Great Lakes basins. Our tour of lighthouses starts today with Rawley Point, Kewaunee and Algoma Lighthouses.

Meals: Breakfast, snacks, Dinner

Distance: 52 miles

Elevation Gain: 925 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 85 feet

Our bike tour traces the peninsula’s eastern shore through Whitefish Dunes State Park and on to Bailey’s Harbor. We pass through a myriad of state and county parks, sanctuaries, and state natural area, in addition to more lighthouses, before our arrival in Ellison Bay for the night.

Meals: Breakfast, snacks, Dinner

Distance: 55 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,880 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 150 feet

After a short ride to the tip of Door County, we’ll board a ferry across the swift currents of Porte des Mortes (Door of Death), for which the peninsula and county was named. We will explore Washington Island up to School House Beach and back, past lavender farms and quirky residences, before our return to the mainland. We then trace the peninsula’s western shoreline along Green Bay through the continuum of charming lakeside villages and over shoreline bluffs. We’ll visit Ellison Bay, Sister Bay, Ephraim and Fish Creek on our way to Egg Harbor, where we’ll spend the night.

Meals: Breakfast, snacks, Dinner

Distance: 70 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,350 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 150 feet

We’ll continue along the bay the following morning through Sturgeon Bay before touring the rural countryside of Kewaunee County. More state natural areas, wildlife sanctuaries and county parks are on our route, along with a couple designated bike paths. We ride a piece of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail that stretches 1200 miles across Wisconsin, and a good section of the Fox River Trail In the Green Bay area.

Meals: Breakfast, snacks, Dinner

Distance: 53 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,370 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 170 feet

Today we’ll begin on the Fox River Trail, then continue along the region’s quiet county roads to the resort village of Elkhart Lake, the northern gateway to the Kettle Moraine. This is a resort area with opportunities for boating and swimming.

Accommodation: Breakfast, snacks

Distance: 57 miles

Elevation Gain: 2,055 feet

Largest Single Elevation Gain: 170 feet

Following an overnight on Elkhart Lake, we’re headed for the Kettle Moraine State Forest. We’ll cycle the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive on our final day to the fascinating Henry Reuss Ice Age Visitor Center and explore the unique landforms carved by the Wisconsin Glacier some 10,000 years ago. We’ll return to Port Washington late-afternoon.