Lake Michigan Shore.
point beach > manitowoc
sheboygan > kohler-andrae > harrington beach > port washington > lions den gorge > virmond park > atwater park
My dog, Kazu, and I decided to take a quick road trip over to Two Rivers to visit one of our favorite spots. Point Beach is a great low key State Park on Lake Michigan. They have camping, hiking, and of course beaches. The lighthouse serves as a great marker for where to take the pups. The beach south of the lighthouse is dog friendly. It’s sandy shores and shallow calm water makes it a great spot to let the dogs have some fun on warm summer days.
POINT BEACH
explore
harbor towns
Just a short 15 minute drive from Point Beach is the town of Manitowoc. The town is actually pretty expansive, but the area along the water is quaint and nice to wander to view the boats, lakeshore path/parks, and of course make the hike out to view the lighthouse up close.
Leaving Manitowoc that evening, one last look back at the lighthouse offered a whole new perspective.
next stop, sheboygan, wisconsin
An early morning walk along the Sheboygan shore. Some beautiful rock features along with another unique lighthouse.
go outside
kohler -andrae state park
The walking trails at Kohler-Andrae are beautiful. My favorite time to visit is early in the morning when the light is soft and glowy and you can hear lake Michigan just beyond the dune edges. You’ll probably even be sharing the trail with some friendly deer before the park gets busy.
harrington beach state park
Quarry Lake in Harrington beach State park was a new stop for me. A large park with many features. Quarry lake itself is a deep calm blue lake with sheer edges and has a great trail that wraps around the entire perimeter. It seemed to have the makings for some pretty awesome lake fun, but “no swimming and no jumping” signs were posted at many access points. Just a short walk down the road you could find lake Michigan beach access though. Aside from the small designated dog area at the very south end of the park it generally didn’t seem very dog friendly as many of the picnic areas and beach points were posted “no dogs” right at the edge of the road. It was a neat park, but it was obvious they took regulating it pretty seriously - I suppose the Warden vehicle at the front office should have been my first clue.
Just another short 20 minute drive south we stopped in Port Washington to checkout one more lighthouse. It has it’s own small parking lot and was one of the shorter walks. It’s unique platform made this lighthouse feel very welcoming on a sunny day.
lions den gorge
We departed from Port Washington quickly and made our way over to Lions Den Gorge Nature Preserve. I highly recommend visiting on a sunny warm summer day. The park begins high atop the cliffs and overlooks some of the bluer waters of Lake Michigan below.
VIRMOND PARK
My Virmond Park stop was courtesy of google earth. I use google earth when planning a lot of trips to find those small patches of green space that might not get a lot of attention otherwise. This was a very welcome stop on the drive down the water’s edge. Kazu and I had a morning full of hiking and time around the water. This park was small and had some trails and seemed great for families, but I was able to find one of my most favorite hammock spots of all time. Two pine trees stood near the edge of a large washout that opened up the view of Lake Michigan. It was the perfect spot for Kazu and I to take a break and just enjoy the day. I highly recommend a stop here, even if it’s just to take in the view.
Atwater Park just north of Milwaukee was my last stop of the day. It’s a beautiful place and it was full of beach-goers, but not so friendly to dogs. Kazu and I sat up around the gardens for a bit before heading home. It you’re looking for a quick summer weekend getaway, don’t forget about our beautiful great lakes! We are pretty spoiled having this gem so close by. From the Madison area, the top of my route (Point Beach) was about a 2.5 hour drive, each stop from them on was no more than 20 minutes apart. Atwater Beach is only about 20 mins north of Milwaukee so it was easy to just hop on the interstate and make the 1.5 hour drive back. Super easy and super rewarding, a beach vacation without ever leaving Wisconsin, oh and bring the dogs!
