Hiking

Newport State Park is located along a rugged shoreline near the northeast end of Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula. Designated a Wilderness Area by the Wisconsin DNR, it offers over 30 miles of trails, all of them open for hiking. Through boreal forests, wooded uplands, meadows and 11 miles of shoreline, there is something for everyone.

Hiking is allowed on all bike trails. Designated hiking trails are easy to moderate, with some rocks, tree roots and narrower tread in places. Please follow marked signs. 

Hiking trails

Monarch loop (1.75 miles)

Hiking and bike trail. Open meadows; aspen, birch, juniper and conifers reclaiming 100-year-old plus farmland. Easy, relatively level, grassy terrain; follows along and into the woods.

Poetry Trail (1.0 mile)

Poems are on 10 permanent stanchions along parts of the Rowleys Bay and Monarch Trails. Available year-round, exhibits change quarterly. The works of local writers, Wisconsin poets, and others are displayed. Mostly level, but the Rowleys Bay Trail from Lot 1 is rocky in spots. Some benches along the way.

Rowley's Bay trail loop (4.0 miles)

Sections of boreal forest & old pine plantations. Areas of forest succession where old meadows have given way to aspen, birch then hardwoods like maple, beech and ash. Along Rowleys Bay, the trail skirts rock ledges and cool cedar woods. Mostly level with some rocky areas.

Newport trail loop (5.0 miles)

Hiking and bike trail. Transition forest following old logging roads. Takes you through remnants of boreal forest more typical of Canada than Wisconsin. Cool, low-lying areas are thick with white cedar, balsam fir, hemlock, white pine and spruce.

Ridge trail (1.0 mile)

A rocky, hike-only trail, intersects Newport Trail, and follows an old shoreline. Mostly level.

Sand Cove and Duck Bay trails (1.0 mile)

Branching off from the Newport Trail and weaving along sandy bays near the lakeshore, in the past this area was known as Bohemia Town, aptly names for the Bohemians from Rowleys Bay who built cabins and logged here during the winter months. Look for a section of the old pier in Duck Bay. Watch your footing in rocky areas.

Upland loop trail (2.0 miles)

A self-guided nature trail (booklets available at trailheads), Upland loop brings you through an open meadow, beech/maple hardwood forest, and areas of thick cedar. Once the site of an old homestead, look for the root cellar. The stations along the trail will help you identify trees, flowers and wildlife. Varied terrain; easy, rolling hills, wide, level areas and rocky sections.

Fern/Europe Bay trail loop (1.2 miles)

Loops through a woodland environment and a wetland fern grotto. Accessible to people with disabilities, the wide, flat trail is geared to those with mobility, hearing and visual impairments. Along the trail you’ll find benches and interpretive signs. Check out a Discovery Pen at the park office to use on the interpretive signs, which are filled with auditory and tactile messages about history, landscape, plants and wildlife.

Lynd Point loop (2.5 miles)

Branches from Europe Bay Trail and follows the rugged, rocky shoreline and has beautiful lake views and vistas. On the northern shore, the trail leaves the beach heading inland to an ancient shoreline. This dolostone ledge invites you to explore little caves and outcroppings covered in mosses and rare ferns. Moderate terrain with rocks and tree roots.

Europe Bay trail loop (7.0 miles)

Hiking and bike trail. Follows the path of old logging roads. Long ridges of ancient sand dunes parallel the beaches; many areas now covered with hemlock. Mostly level, the trail crosses Europe Bay Road (2 miles from Lot 3) and continues on to the north end of the park (1.5 miles from Europe Bay Road). Here you’ll find rocky outcroppings, sand beaches and a panoramic view of Lake Michigan, Death’s Door passage, Plum Island, Detroit Island and the Pilot Island lighthouse.

Hotz loop (2.3 miles)

From Europe Bay Road, following along a sand ridge on the east side of Europe Lake, the trees and terrain are different than other parts of the park. Rolling sand dunes offer several vantage points to see Europe Lake and Lake Michigan, passing through a forest of red pine, oak and beech. Traveling north, the terrain becomes hilly with a few steep inclines.

Sugarbush trail (1.0 to 1.5 miles)

Used for logging in the 1800s, and maple sugaring from the1900s to 1980s, this trail illustrates the oldest inland post-glacial shoreline within the park. Inland mesic forest with mixed conifers and hardwoods skirt a meadow. A great example of a substantial rock wall from old farming days.