7 Reasons Why Cave Point County Park is a Must Visit!
We think this park is an amazing Wisconsin destination and believe you will too!
by
Cave Point County Park History
In 1943, the Door County Board of Supervisors preserved 19 acres as the 5th established county park and named it Cave Point County Park. The park is one of the best spots to visit when you are vacationing in Door County, Wisconsin! Not only is a free county park ( It is geologically gorgeous and photographers can’t get enough of it. No wonder it makes trip advisors top 10 list every year for things to do in Door County.
There are a lot of activities to do in and around the park on land and on water. While it isn’t a state park, it is still a gem! Hint: If the parking lot is full, rent a bike and cruise in with style. Better yet, see Cave Point via kayak as most of the coves and caves are not visible from shore. The limestone cliffs, coves, caves amidst the backdrop of turquoise waters, and beautiful Lake Michigan views makes this park our favorite. Be mindful, each year this park claims lives. So stay safe, be cautious, lookout for one another out there and when in doubt, DON’T GO OUT! See below for some activities to do when you visit.
Hours Open: 6am-11pm Daily
Activities:
Cliff Jumping
- SAFETY FIRST!
- Know the water temperature- Lake Michigan water temperature can change(20 degree difference) in the middle of the summer overnight with specific wind directions. Cold shock is not fun and can be life threatening. Look before you leap- the water levels of Lake Michigan vary year to year and so does the rocks and sand under the water, just because you did it last year, doesn’t mean you can do it this year, just because someone else said it was fine, doesn’t make it so either! Get some goggles and scope it out yourself, we have seen plenty of people hurt themselves. Have a way out planned prior to jumping. Use the buddy system. Make sure it is calm enough, there are plenty of rip currents and getting out can be a struggle with any amount of waves. Limestone rocks are notorious for being soft, slippery and breakable, there are large sections of rock that are newly fallen each year, if you are climbing on the rock and a large enough section falls on you…. Bye, Bye… 🙁
- Get that photo!
Climbing
See above safety precautions. The limestone rock is extremely fragile, but the waves have eroded a lot of the loose rock and made it slightly safer. If you fall off while climbing at here, hopefully it isn’t from a rock breaking free, you are going for a swim, while mostly positive, make sure you know what you are falling on under the water and fall flat.
Ice and splashing waves photography
- <meta itemprop=”articleBody” content=”SAFETY FIRST- Each year, cave point county park claims a life or more. Make sure you stay back from the edge when it is rough out or icey out. I can predict your outcome if you slip during the winter and end up in the water, YOU WON’T GET OUT! Use the buddy system when in doubt, or don’t go out!
- In summer, the waves splash on the rocks and create amazing photos, here too, it can be really hazardous to your health if you end up in the water during a major wave or ice day. You better have been practicing your rough water swimming or turn into a freshwater penguin.
- To see if the waves are crashing up on the rocks if you don’t want to risk a long drive, check the weather to find out if the waves are going off! South wind over 25 knots for 1-2 days will do it.
- Photography recommendations- Use polarizers, choose the right time of day to take the photo, and or use a drone with a pilot license”>
- SAFETY FIRST- Each year, cave point county park claims a life or more. Make sure you stay back from the edge when it is rough out or icey out. I can predict your outcome if you slip during the winter and end up in the water, YOU WON’T GET OUT! Use the buddy system when in doubt, or don’t go out!
- In summer, the waves splash on the rocks and create amazing photos, here too, it can be really hazardous to your health if you end up in the water during a major wave or ice day. You better have been practicing your rough water swimming or turn into a freshwater penguin.
- To see if the waves are crashing up on the rocks if you don’t want to risk a long drive, check the weather to find out if the waves are going off! South wind over 25 knots for 1-2 days will do it.
- Photography recommendations- Use polarizers, choose the right time of day to take the photo, and or use a drone with a pilot license.
Turquoise waters
A great photography opportunity, Pretend you are in the caribbean, the color of the water is unique to this area
Kayaking Tours
We have hosted Cave Point County Park Kayaking Tours here for the past 15 years! While this might not be Apostle Islands grandiose size caves and coves, it is a very beautiful coast to view by kayak. With the varying height of the water each year, there are either more or less caves accessible by kayak. We don’t recommend renting a kayak to explore cave point due to how fast the wind and wave conditions can change and no kayak companies will rent them to you either, but we do offer tours to the area. Reasons to go on a Door County tour with Cave Point Paddle & Pedal
- Proximity to launch location- 5 mins
- No state park fees required on top of kayak tour cost
- On site professional photographer
Hiking trails
This hiking trail leads all the way into Whitefish Bay Dunes State Park, so you can make it nice size hike if you would like to. Just be mindful of the roots, slippery rocks, cliffs and there is plenty of poison ivy off the trail. Pack it in, pack it out! Leave No Trace. Check out our Door County Hiking & Photography Tour to get a few amazing shots of Cave Point.
Wedding & Event Venue
There is a super cute gazebo here that I have seen plenty of weddings hosted at. Make sure you keep your event small, and it might be hard to get photos without someone in the background, as this is a very busy park.
Sadly to say, there is no camping at the park and a local campground that was proposed around the corner was shut down by local neighbors with lawsuits, so if you are looking for camping, we recommend one near Baileys Harbor or over in Egg Harbor. Make sure to check out Whitefish Bay Dunes State Park. It’s right around the corner and one of the 5 state park gems of Door County.
If you like this outdoor recreation blog post, check out these other posts;
7 Reasons Why Potawatomi State Park is the best park in Door County, WI.
Why Schauer park is a better kayaking launch than Whitefish Bay Dunes State Park