5057. Go to the Ridges Sanctuary in Bailey’s Harbor

Any type of nature preserve is always on my list to check out. Ridges Sanctuary was especially high on the list because I wanted to see the range lights which were lighthouses designed to help ships navigate the treacherous waters of Bailey Harbors. Captains would align the upper and lower range lights and have an easier time getting into the harbor. They are an unique piece of Door County history that is still in use today and one of the only range lights still in operation.

Ridges Sanctuary has been around since 1937 and is name for the ridges and swales created by the movement of Lake Michigan. The trails are boardwalks and natural trails. There is a trail for everyone.

Since we missed the turn off for the parking lot in August, I decided this was one of the must dos on the continuation of girls' weekend when Stacy and I took her kids up to Door County for the day. Again we missed the parking lot but continued driving and found a smaller parking lot near a beach where we could walk back to Ridges Sanctuary.

The beach area was deserted and their was still some fog which made for some great pictures. 

After dipping my toes in the water and nearly freezing them off, we headed up the road to the path we found. The road isn't too busy but you still need to pay attention to traffic. There is a $5 trail use fee which you can pay at the pay station where we entered.

We entered Ridges Sanctuary and the first thing we came to was a range light. Range lights were not large buildings. It was mainly used as a navigational guide. For $5, we could have taken a guided tour at 11 but had other things to do.

We continued down the path and found the lightkeeper's house and a few outbuildings.

Then it was time to explore a few trails. We wandered down random boardwalks and just enjoyed nature. It was a nice morning for a walk.

Luckily there were signs for us to figure out how to get back to the car since we had no map. 

I definitely need to go back and explore more of the ridges. We only explored a small piece of the property and I know there is a lot more to see. Besides want to see all these orchids they say they have.