Washington Island - Wisconsin

Anyone ever visit Washington Island (off of Door County)?

We are thinking of renting a house there for a few days. I've never been to Door County, but have always wanted to go. What concens me about Washington Island is that, well it's like Door County +. That is, it's a ferry ride from Door County and then you are rather on the island. The ferry's about $50 each trip, so I do not expect to be communting much between the mainland and the Island.

So, the question is, is it worthwhile/fun to be on Washington Island for 3 days?

Rob

I took the family to Door County about a dozen years ago. We went to Washington Island, but only briefly as a waystation on our way to Rock Island. Rock Island is a small island all of which is a park. You can only take a passenger boat there. We took a picnic lunch with us. Upon reaching the Island, we hiked across it (not a long hike, the kids were all under 10), found a stretch of rocky beach with no one else in sight, and hung out. I loved it, but we're an outdoorsy family.

As for Washington Island, my memory is that it is quite a bit more peaceful than the Bay side of Door County, which can be quite crowded in the Summer. It seemed quite nice, but I didn't see enough of it to judge.

If you decide on Door County, my favorite park was Newport, a large and not very crowded park on the more peaceful ocean side.

Jonah

Tried to on a Saturday afternoon about 5 years ago. Pulled out of Egg Harbor onto the main road and sat in traffic for a while before realizing it was a 38 mile line for the Washington Island ferry. This was during the fall color season when all of us flatlanders go up there. It's probably OK the rest of the year.

We rented a house in Bailey's Harbor on the water last summer and have spent quite a bit of time renting other properties up there. Since we are not fans of crowds, we usually avoid the Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Sister Bay mayhem on Rt. 42 and find other places to visit/hang out. We even take 57 out of/into Sturgeon Bay to avoid crowds. In checking out the local newspapers over the summer, there still was not a lot to do on Washington Island and with ferry trips that pricey, I'd be afraid that I'd start to feel a little marooned. The other issue is that it's not only a ferry ride, it's a ferry ride and then a bit of a drive to any of the towns you might want to visit. On the other hand, if you're into having a quiet few days and doing more cooking than dining out, then that could be your spot.

Here's a few links...

http://www.doorcounty-wi.com/

http://www.doorcountycompass.com/guideto/index.htm

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... oor+county

We got back from Washington Island yesterday. I was pretty worried from the responses to this thread (really worried from the non-responses to this thread). It turns out the worries were totally un-founded, and Washington Island was a great place to be marooned for several days. I will report in detail of the trip as time permits.

Rob