The moment the Washington Island Ferry pulls away from Northport Pier and Death’s Door passage opens up around you, something shifts. The peninsula recedes behind. The water deepens to that particular shade of Lake Michigan blue. Plum Island appears off the bow with its lighthouse structures visible across the strait. And by the time the ferry docks at Detroit Harbor 30 minutes later, you are somewhere genuinely different from everywhere you have been on the Door County mainland.
Washington Island is a 22-square-mile island community at the northern tip of the Door County peninsula, separated from the mainland by the Death’s Door passage and home to more than 700 year-round residents whose families have been living and working here for generations. It is one of the oldest Icelandic settlements in the United States. It has a beach made entirely of smooth white limestone rocks that is one of only five beaches of its kind in the world. It has a hand-built Norwegian stave church in the woods, a century-old bitters pub that has been initiating visitors into its Bitters Club since Prohibition, lavender fields that bloom mid-July through early August, and a remote wilderness state park accessible only by a second ferry ride across a second strait.
Washington Island is not a place that overwhelms you with activity. Its pace is unhurried. Its scale is human. The roads are quiet, the people are welcoming, and the decision to make the crossing tends to feel, in retrospect, like one of the better decisions of a Door County trip.
Table of Contents
- Getting There: The Washington Island Ferry
- Getting Around the Island
- Schoolhouse Beach
- Other Beaches and Parks
- The Stavkirke
- Lavender Farms
- Museums and History
- Art Galleries and the Arts Scene
- Restaurants and Dining
- Shopping
- Where to Stay
- Outdoor Activities
- Rock Island State Park
- Festivals and Events
- Planning Tips for 2026
- Related Guides
Getting There: The Washington Island Ferry
The Washington Island Ferry Line operates year-round from Northport Pier at the end of State Highway 42, approximately 75 miles north of Sturgeon Bay and 10 miles north of Sister Bay. The crossing takes approximately 30 minutes and carries passengers, vehicles, motorcycles, and bicycles across Death’s Door passage to Detroit Harbor on Washington Island. The ferry fleet includes five vessels, two of which are built to break ice for year-round service through winter conditions. Open-air seating on deck offers unobstructed views of Plum Island and Pilot Island with their historic lighthouse structures, and a heated cabin provides comfort in colder weather.
Passenger fares for 2026 are $15 per adult and $8 per child ages 6 through 11. Children ages 5 and under ride free. Vehicle fares are additional and based on vehicle length. Leashed pets ride free on both the Washington Island Ferry and the Rock Island Ferry. No reservations are required during most of the year, as the ferry operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Winter ferry service from December 20 through March 31 requires reservations. Check the current ferry schedule at wisferry.com before your visit, as crossings vary by season. During peak summer from late June through Labor Day, ferries run approximately every 45 minutes. The 2026 season schedule is posted on the ferry’s website.
If you plan to leave your vehicle on the mainland, parking is available in lots near Northport Pier. This is a viable option if you plan to rent transportation on the island or take the Cherry Train tour, though the ferry company recommends bringing your vehicle because the island’s attractions are spread across more than 100 miles of paved roads and distances between destinations are not walkable without significantly more time than most day visitors have.
Combination tickets for the Washington Island Ferry and the Rock Island Ferry can be purchased at the Northport Pier ticket booth before boarding. If you plan to camp on Rock Island, reserve your campsite in advance through the Wisconsin DNR reservation system at wisconsin.goingtocamp.com, as summer weekend sites fill quickly.
Getting Around the Island
Washington Island has over 100 miles of paved roads spread across 22 square miles, with attractions, restaurants, beaches, museums, and lodging scattered throughout the entire island rather than concentrated in a single walkable village center. The ferry company and the Washington Island Chamber of Commerce recommend bringing a vehicle for overnight visitors. For day visitors who want a more adventurous experience than driving their own car, several rental options are available near the ferry dock.
Annie’s Island Moped Rentals at 288 Lobdell Point Road, approximately 1,000 feet from the ferry dock, is the most popular rental option for day visitors. Annie’s rents adult and children’s Trek bicycles at $10 per hour, e-bikes at $40 for two hours or $95 all day, and single-rider mopeds from $80 for two hours to $120 all day. Burley trailers for towing young children are available at $10 per hour. Annie’s operates on a first-come, first-served basis without reservations, so arriving on an early ferry on summer weekends is advisable. Safety training and a personalized island map are provided with every rental.
Island Adventure Company rents four- and six-person UTVs with roof racks that can also carry kayaks and paddleboards. Renters must be 25 or older, and Wisconsin requires all UTV operators born on or after January 1, 1988 to possess a state-issued ATV/UTV safety certificate. The Cherry Train Tours, operated by the Washington Island Ferry Line, offer a two-hour open-air narrated tram tour of the island’s major attractions along a 15-mile route, running from mid-May through late October. This is an excellent option for first-time visitors who want an overview of the island’s geography and character before deciding where to spend more time. The Cherry Train makes up to three stops along its route.
Schoolhouse Beach
Schoolhouse Beach on the north shore of Washington Island is one of the most remarkable natural features in the entire Great Lakes region and a destination that justifies the ferry crossing on its own. This is one of only five beaches in the world composed entirely of smooth white limestone rocks, polished by centuries of wave action into rounded, palm-sized stones that blanket the shoreline like a geological art installation. The water beyond the rocks is Caribbean blue and startlingly clear, and the contrast between the white limestone beach, the blue water, and the green tree line behind the beach is visually extraordinary.
Walking on the smooth rocks, skipping stones into the clear water, and watching the light change across the beach through the afternoon are the primary activities here, and they are more than enough. Swimming is possible and the water is refreshing, though it is colder than the Green Bay beaches on the mainland peninsula. The designated swimming area has a floating red dock that is a popular jumping platform for younger visitors. Dogs are welcome on the beach on leash. A Parks Pass is required for access.
Schoolhouse Beach is located at 1902 Jackson Harbor Road and has limited parking that fills quickly on summer weekends. Arriving early in the morning before the midday ferry crowds arrive is the best strategy for finding both parking and a quieter beach experience. State law prohibits removing rocks from Schoolhouse Beach, and the rule is enforced seriously by the island community. The rocks stay where they are. Take your memories home with photographs instead.
Other Beaches and Parks
Washington Island has several other outstanding beach and park options beyond Schoolhouse Beach, each with its own distinct character and appeal.
Sand Dunes Park on the southwest side of the island has a sand beach that is good for swimming, in addition to a large dune worth climbing for views across the water. This is the better swimming beach for families with young children who want traditional sandy conditions, with calmer and somewhat warmer water than the north shore.
Percy Johnson Park has a sand beach and is another popular swimming destination, with picnic facilities and access to the water from a quieter and less trafficked location than Sand Dunes Park. Both parks are owned and operated by the Town of Washington. The conservancy area adjacent to the Jackson Harbor dock has interpretive trails through a natural area that gives visitors a sense of the island’s undeveloped character and the ecology of the northern Lake Michigan shoreline.
Mountain Park Lookout Tower is one of the island’s finest scenic viewpoints, rising above the tree line for panoramic views across the entire island and its surrounding waters. The climb requires some effort but the reward is a perspective that makes the island’s geography comprehensible in a way that ground-level exploring cannot provide. Located on Mountain Road in the interior of the island, it is a natural stop on the Cherry Train tour route.
The Stavkirke
The Washington Island Stavkirke is one of the most distinctive and beautiful structures in all of Door County, a hand-built replica of a traditional Norwegian stave church constructed from vertical cedar logs by island resident Jens Jacobsen in the early 1990s. The church is modeled after the Borgund Stave Church in Norway, one of the oldest surviving stave churches in Scandinavia, and the attention to traditional construction methods makes it a genuinely impressive feat of craftsmanship.
The Stavkirke is nestled in a wooded setting on Washington Island, and the approach through the trees gives the building an atmosphere of peaceful isolation that makes it feel like a genuine discovery even for visitors who know it is there. The interior features intricate symbolic woodwork, carved details, and the hushed quality that traditional church architecture achieves so effectively. The church holds worship services during the summer season and welcomes visitors to explore the interior and the surrounding woodland path at any time.
The Stavkirke reflects the island’s deep Scandinavian heritage. Washington Island was settled largely by Icelandic immigrants in the 1870s and is recognized as one of the oldest Icelandic settlements in the United States. That heritage is visible throughout the island’s culture, architecture, and community identity, and the Stavkirke is its most evocative physical expression.
Lavender Farms
Washington Island has become recognized as one of the finest lavender destinations in the Midwest, with lavender farms that bloom magnificently from mid-July through early August and draw visitors who come specifically to walk the fields, take photographs, and stock up on lavender products. The island’s climate and soil conditions turn out to be well-suited to lavender cultivation, and the combination of the floral abundance and the island setting makes a lavender visit one of the most visually memorable experiences available on the entire Door County peninsula.
Island Lavender Farm and Market is the most established lavender operation on the island, with fields open for public viewing and a market stocked with lavender essential oils, sachets, soaps, culinary lavender, teas, and gift products. Walking through the rows of blooming lavender on a clear July morning, with the lake visible in the distance, is an experience that consistently surprises visitors who come expecting a simple farm stand and find instead a genuinely beautiful landscape. The farm cafe serves lavender-infused food and drinks in season.
The lavender fields are at their most spectacular in peak bloom, typically mid-July through early August. The blooms hold for about three weeks before the harvest begins. Visiting during peak bloom means both the visual display and the fragrance are at their most intense, and the combination is one of those sensory experiences that Door County does particularly well.
Museums and History
Washington Island has a cluster of small museums that tell the story of the island’s history, its maritime heritage, and its natural character with genuine care and depth.
The Washington Island Farm Museum on the island celebrates the agricultural heritage of the island community with a collection of restored barns and outbuildings filled with antique farm equipment, household tools, and handmade crafts from the early settlers. Volunteers often dress in period clothing and demonstrate traditional skills, from butter churning to rope making, giving the museum a living quality. Children are especially engaged by the animals and the hands-on activities. The surrounding fields and historic buildings create an atmospheric setting that makes this one of the most charming museum visits on the entire peninsula.
The Jacobsen Museum at Little Lake Road is believed to be Door County’s oldest museum, hand-built from vertical cedar logs in 1931 by Jens Jacobsen, who was also the builder of the Stavkirke. The museum originally housed Jacobsen’s collections of locally found rocks, fossils, arrowheads, and other natural artifacts. Adjacent to the museum stands the summer cabin of economist Thorstein Veblen, who coined the phrase “conspicuous consumption” during his summers on Washington Island. The Jacobsen Museum closed for the 2025 season for restoration and is expected to reopen in 2026. Admission is free when open. Check the Washington Island Chamber website at washingtonisland.com for current 2026 status before visiting.
The Jackson Harbor Maritime Museum occupies two original 1920s fishing sheds near the Rock Island ferry departure point and tells the story of island commercial fishing, Coast Guard operations, ferry history, and the numerous shipwrecks that have occurred in the Death’s Door passage. Like the Jacobsen Museum, it was closed during the 2025 season for restoration and is expected to reopen in 2026. Located near the Town Dock at Jackson Harbor, it is a natural stop when visiting the Rock Island ferry area. Admission is free when open.
The Historic Island Dairy on Range Line Road is a beautifully restored 1916 dairy building housing a permanent Washington Island history exhibit alongside the Type and Ink Art Gallery. The property reflects the island’s early 20th-century agricultural character and provides historical context for the landscape visitors see today.
Art Galleries and the Arts Scene
Washington Island has a remarkably active arts community for an island of 700 year-round residents, supported by the Trueblood Performing Arts Center, the Washington Island Art Association, the Sievers School of Fiber Arts, and a collection of individual studios and galleries that reflect the creative people who have been drawn to island life for generations.
The Trueblood Performing Arts Center is a 250-seat performing arts venue open year-round and offering music, drama, and author presentations from May through October. The center is the cultural anchor of the island’s arts scene and hosts a calendar of performances and events that gives Washington Island a cultural life genuinely unusual for a community of its size. In winter, the Trueblood screens movies when most of the island’s other attractions are closed.
The Washington Island Art Association presents vibrant group and solo shows throughout the season at its gallery space, with works by island and regional artists in painting, photography, ceramics, and mixed media. The association reflects the strength of the creative community that has made the island home, and the shows rotate regularly enough to reward multiple visits through a single season.
Sievers School of Fiber Arts is one of the most respected craft education institutions in the Midwest, offering workshops in weaving, spinning, basketry, natural dyeing, and related fiber arts in a beautiful island setting. Visitors can shop for locally made crafts and fiber art in the school’s shop even without enrolling in a workshop, and the quality of the handmade textiles and fiber work available here is exceptional. The school’s summer workshop schedule runs from late May through October.
Fair Isle seeks to inspire curiosity, connection, and compassion through story, offering a hand-picked selection of books and fair trade gifts with a focus on island and Door County authors. It is one of the finest small bookshops in northeastern Wisconsin and consistently receives enthusiastic reviews from visitors who discover it during the island’s browsing hours.
Restaurants and Dining
Washington Island’s dining scene reflects the character of the island itself: honest, local, unpretentious, and with a strong emphasis on fresh fish and community tradition. The island is not a destination for fine dining in the traditional sense, but what it offers instead is genuinely satisfying: meals served by people who have been feeding the island community and its visitors for decades, in settings that feel completely unlike anything on the mainland.
K.K. Fiske Restaurant at 1177 Main Road is the most celebrated restaurant on Washington Island and one of the most distinctive dining experiences in all of Door County. The specialty is lawyer fish, also known as burbot, a freshwater species rarely seen on menus anywhere in the country. Served pan-fried, this firm, mild-flavored fish has a devoted following among repeat visitors who come to Washington Island specifically to eat at K.K. Fiske. The perch and whitefish are equally worth ordering. The atmosphere is casual and the setting is genuinely local. It is the kind of restaurant you tell people about when you get home. Call ahead to confirm hours: (920) 847-2121.
Nelsen’s Hall Bitters Pub and Restaurant at 1201 Main Road is Washington Island’s most famous social institution, a bar that has been operating continuously since 1898 and is believed to be Wisconsin’s oldest continuously operating tavern. During Prohibition, owner Tom Nelsen obtained a pharmacy license and exploited a loophole that allowed him to dispense alcoholic bitters medicinally, keeping the bar open through the entire Prohibition era. Today the tradition continues in the form of the Bitters Club: take a shot of Angostura bitters at the bar and you become a lifetime member, earning a signed membership card that has been issued to hundreds of thousands of visitors over the decades. The food menu covers pub classics, the beer selection is solid, and the atmosphere is one of a kind. Hours are available on the Nelsen’s Hall Facebook page.
Findlay’s Holiday Inn at Detroit Harbor near the ferry dock is the most convenient option for early arrivals and late departures, with a breakfast menu that greets visitors stepping off the ferry and a lunch service that catches people on the way back. The setting overlooking Detroit Harbor makes it one of the most scenic casual dining options on the island.
Jackson Harbor Soup at the north end of the island near the Rock Island ferry dock serves hearty soups and sandwiches that make an excellent pre-Rock Island lunch stop.
Shopping
Washington Island’s retail landscape is modest but distinctive, with a collection of small shops and markets that reflect the island’s character better than any mall ever could. Mann’s Mercantile near the ferry dock is the island’s general store, stocking everything from groceries and hardware to clothing and gifts, and is one of the few businesses on the island that stays open through the winter months. Red Cup Coffeehouse is the island’s coffee institution, a gathering place for residents and visitors alike that is also open year-round.
The Sievers School shop carries the finest selection of handmade fiber arts and crafts on the island. Fair Isle books and gifts is an excellent browse. The Island Lavender Farm market stocks a wide range of lavender products that make genuinely distinctive gifts. WIS-CO, the island cooperative, carries local and specialty food products and is another year-round operation that reflects the community’s investment in sustaining a viable year-round retail environment.
Where to Stay
Washington Island has lodging options ranging from campsites and rustic cabins to comfortable motel rooms and vacation rentals, all of which reflect the island’s character more accurately than any franchise property could. There are no chain hotels on Washington Island. Everything is independently owned and operated, and the experience of staying on the island overnight is significantly richer than visiting for a single day.
Hotel Washington, located near the ferry dock area, is one of the most historically rooted lodging experiences on the island, with rooms in a setting that has been welcoming travelers for well over a century. The on-site restaurant makes it a full-service option for visitors who want to minimize driving after dinner. Jackson Harbor Inn at the north end of the island near the Rock Island ferry dock provides a quieter, more remote overnight experience on the island’s less-visited northern shore.
Vacation rental cabins and cottages are available through Airbnb and VRBO across the island, and the best of these tend to be waterfront properties that give guests the kind of private lake access that makes overnight island stays genuinely special.
Camping is available at private campgrounds on Washington Island and at the primitive campsites on Rock Island State Park. Rock Island camping requires a permit booked through the Wisconsin DNR at wisconsin.goingtocamp.com and is one of the most remote and memorable camping experiences in Wisconsin. Pack everything you need in advance, as there are no stores or services on Rock Island. Browse all Washington Island lodging options at the Chamber website at washingtonisland.com.
Door County fills up faster than most people expect, especially from Memorial Day through Labor Day and during fall color weekends in October. If you have dates in mind, it’s worth checking availablity now.
Browse open rooms across Door County on Expedia or search current availablity on Booking.com.
Some links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you book through them, this site earns a small commission at no cost to you. It helps keep the lights on. Every property listed here is one we would actually recommend to a friend heading to Door County.
Outdoor Activities
Washington Island’s 22 square miles and more than 100 miles of paved roads provide an extraordinary range of cycling, hiking, kayaking, and exploration opportunities that reward extended stays. The island’s landscape is gently rolling farmland and forest with water visible from numerous elevated points, and the quietness of the roads makes cycling here a completely different experience from cycling on the Door County mainland.
Biking the island’s back roads is one of the finest cycling experiences in Door County, with routes that pass lavender farms, historic farmsteads, the Stavkirke in the woods, and multiple water views in the course of a single afternoon. E-bikes from Annie’s make the full island circuit accessible to riders of varying fitness levels. Kayaking around the island’s shoreline is excellent from the protected harbors at Detroit Harbor and Jackson Harbor, with calm water conditions in the early morning and wildlife including nesting eagles along the wooded shoreline. The kayaking experience here is unlike anything available on the mainland, with the island’s complete water encirclement giving paddlers a genuinely maritime feeling.
Fishing on Washington Island is excellent from both shore and boat, with smallmouth bass, walleye, and perch available in the surrounding waters. Ice fishing through the winter is a community tradition that draws dedicated anglers from across Door County and beyond. The island also offers some of the finest birding in Door County during spring and fall migration, with its position in the Lake Michigan flyway making it a natural concentration point for migrant songbirds, raptors, and shorebirds.
Rock Island State Park
Rock Island State Park is the most remote and most rewarding wilderness experience in the Wisconsin state park system, and reaching it from the Door County mainland requires two ferry rides. Take the Washington Island Ferry from Northport to Washington Island (30 minutes), drive or ride 8.4 miles across Washington Island from the Detroit Harbor dock to Jackson Harbor on County Road W (approximately 20 minutes), then board the Karfi passenger-only ferry to Rock Island (10 minutes).
Rock Island is roughly 1.6 miles long and 1.1 miles wide, encompassing approximately 975 acres of wooded land. No vehicles are permitted on the island. No bicycles are permitted on the Rock Island ferry. Visitors walk from the dock to the campsites and attractions, which is part of what makes it feel so genuinely remote despite being geographically close to the mainland. The boathouse at Rock Island’s dock is an architectural marvel, a massive Viking hall-style stone structure built by inventor Chester Thordarson, who owned the entire island from 1910 until the state acquired it in 1965. It is one of the most photographed structures in Door County and worth the entire journey on its own.
The Pottawatomie Lighthouse, established in 1836 as the first lighthouse in Wisconsin, stands on the island’s north bluff. Volunteer docents live in the lighthouse for week-long stints from Memorial Day through Columbus Day, offering free guided tours including a climb to the lantern room for panoramic views of Lake Michigan. The lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Rock Island’s primitive campsites have fire rings and grills, with pit toilets near the camping area. No electricity, no running water, no cell service. Bring everything you need. Camping gear is limited to 60 pounds total per camper on the Karfi ferry. Reserve sites at wisconsin.goingtocamp.com. The Rock Island Ferry (Karfi) begins its 2026 season on May 26, running four times daily from Jackson Harbor. Credit cards are not accepted on board the Karfi. Purchase tickets at the Northport Pier ticket booth.
Festivals and Events
Washington Island’s community events calendar reflects an island that takes its festivals seriously and that draws visitors from across the Door County peninsula for its most beloved annual celebrations.
The Washington Island Art Association presents regular exhibitions and special events throughout the season at the island’s gallery spaces, with opening receptions that draw visitors who make the ferry crossing specifically for the arts programming. The Sievers School of Fiber Arts runs workshops from late May through October that attract fiber arts students from across the Midwest and bring creative energy to the island through the entire season.
The Trueblood Performing Arts Center runs its music, drama, and author presentation season from May through October, with special events and performances throughout. Check the Trueblood calendar before your visit. Community events including island-specific celebrations, music nights at Nelsen’s Hall, and seasonal gatherings are announced through the Washington Island Chamber of Commerce at washingtonisland.com and on the island’s community boards.
The annual Bitters Club initiation at Nelsen’s Hall is technically an event that takes place every day the bar is open, but the atmosphere on busy summer weekends, with visitors from across the country comparing their freshly signed membership cards and the bar filled with the particular energy of a century-old tradition continuing, gives it the feeling of an occasion rather than just a drink. For the complete Door County festivals calendar, including events on the mainland that are easily accessible for island-based visitors, see our Door County festivals guide.
Planning Tips for Washington Island in 2026
Bring your vehicle if you are staying overnight. The island is 22 square miles with attractions spread across its entire geography. Without a vehicle or rental, you are limited to the Cherry Train route and the area immediately around Detroit Harbor, which represents only a small fraction of what the island has to offer.
Plan your Rock Island day carefully. The round trip requires allowing sufficient time for two ferry crossings each way and a full exploration of the island. An early start from the mainland, catching one of the first Washington Island ferries of the morning, getting across the island to Jackson Harbor, and taking the Karfi over to Rock Island by mid-morning gives you four to five hours on Rock Island before the last ferry back. Check the Karfi schedule at wisferry.com before your visit. Note that the Karfi does not accept credit cards on board. Purchase Rock Island ferry tickets at the Northport Pier ticket booth on the mainland.
Come for the lavender in mid-July if that is a priority. The bloom window typically runs from mid-July through early August, and peak bloom is a roughly three-week window within that range. Calling the lavender farm ahead of arrival to confirm peak conditions is worth the two-minute call.
The island is quieter and considerably more affordable in May, early June, and September. Most businesses are open by late May, ferry wait times are significantly shorter than in July and August, and the experience of exploring the island without summer crowds is qualitatively different and often more enjoyable. Fall foliage in early to mid-October is spectacular on the island and increasingly popular as a seasonal attraction.
For a complete overview of everything Door County has to offer beyond Washington Island, our complete Door County activities guide is the best starting point for planning the rest of your peninsula trip.
