Rock Island State Park

Nice visit. No electricity on island.No bikes or vehicles allowed. Hiking trails range from easy to medium difficulty. Beautiful scenery, oldest lighthouse in WISCONSIN. Friendly and informative staff. Must take a ferry from Washington Island. Camping available. Open early spring to Columbus day.

Took a day trip here in September. Took the Washington island ferry and the rock Island ferry. Was very manageable for a day trip. I took the earliest ferry from Northport. Went on a three hour hike on the loop trail that goes a long the island. It was beautiful, peaceful.and serene. The trek up to the lighthouse is a moderate hike and has a few uphill areas. I brought water and snacks with me. You can also buy water there. There are one flush toilet on the island. There are other compost like toilets.

I’m gonna start this off by this is the best place I’ve ever been, if you want to make memories, then this is the right place to go😀❤️. I made a review last year also so you can go check that out too 😀 Even though it’s a little bit of work getting up to rock Island because you have to take two boats from door county, which is sometimes super fun because you make a lot of memories on the boats. (ferry to Washington Island, and a Karri (pedestrian and pet only boat) but trust me it is worth it! when you get there, There is everything from campsites to taking a day trip up to the lighthouse. But you could also go to the lighthouse if you’re camping too. The beach is amazing. You will make so much memories on the beach. For me and my cousins it’s digging massive holes. But there’s this one area on the beach that makes so much memories, we like to call it the “washing machine” because of the rough waves I like to swim in a area, well once every year, this will be my ninth year going to Rock Island State Park in Wisconsin. Keep in mind I’m only 12 years old😅 our family calls that area the “washing machine” because the rough waves, but we like a nice challenge so we like to swim in there and climb on the dangerous rocks sometimes. this is probably my sixth year going to the washing machine. while camping you can have campfires and roast marshmallows then maybe you can take a trip up to the beach to look at the stars. There is this event happening soon by the boat house, they provide telescopes to see some planets! I will be definitely going to that! We do this thing with our family goes over to different campsites because our family has different campsites (3 different families)(cousins, Aunt, and my household) we switch off nights to do dinner! And my aunt always has a remote campsite so we have to hike a little bit, which is super fun! Some stuff we see on the way there and on the way back is bats and we think they are so cool! 🤤🦇🌮 We are about to go in less than a week!!! (4 days!) we are so excited!😀 I highly recommend coming here!!!😀

Beautiful remote island that offers primitive camping for those who are up for some adventure! My family and I camped for 2 nights, took the ferry across and used the FORI push wagon to haul our stuff to our site. The island itself is gorgeous with lots of natural beauty and structures. Lighthouse, lodge, beaches, hiking trails and more. Two nights was not enough but I would definitely like to come back. Staff was friendly and attentive. Thank you for the awesome experience!

✨ Hard to get to. Hard to leave. 🏖️ This 912 acre island off of Door County has so much to offer! There’s a beautiful beach, great trails, a cool lighthouse, and several historic buildings & structures. 🚙 No cars or bikes are allowed on the island. 💡I think the highlight of the island is Pottawatomie Lighthouse. Built in 1858, it’s the oldest lighthouse in the state. It’s staged for the 1910 period, and live-in volunteers provide free guided tours daily from Memorial Day through early October. It’s a 1.3 mile hike each way from the ferry landing to the lighthouse. 🚤 The iconic boathouse is the other historic structure that can’t be missed! The ferry will pull right up, and the public is welcome to explore the stunning inside. 🥾 Rock island is less than 2 miles long and just over 1 mile wide, but offers about 9 miles of hiking trails. I recommend the 5.25 mile Thordarson Trail Loop that circles the entire island! 🐾 Dogs are allowed on the island and must be leashed the entire time. They’re not allowed in the buildings or on the sand beach. You will come across rocky shoreline on parts of the island where your pup is welcome to dip their paws. 🏕️ There are amazing campsites on the island, and the majority of them are on the waterfront. I highly recommend staying overnight to enjoy the serenity of the island to the fullest. All belongings have to be carried to the sites, and most campers (including myself) brought carts/wagons or borrowed the ones on the island. ⛴️ It takes 2 ferries to get to Rock Island. First, you’ll get on the Washington Island ferry from the tip of Door County to Washington Island. After driving to the other side of the island and leaving your car, you can board Karfi, a passenger ferry, to Rock Island. You can take your own boat to the island, but it’s not recommended, as there is very limited space on the boat dock and the complexity of Lake Michigan’s reefs & storms can make the journey difficult. For 1 car and 1 adult camper, it was $63 total in ferry fees. 📱The majority of the island does not have phone service.