by Jonathon Ringdahl*
Rock Island is located off of the thumb of Wisconsin in Lake Michigan.
Since it is reached via two ferries, the visit to Rock Island State Park proved to be a challenge on my quest to visit all of Wisconsin State Parks in a year.
The ferry to the island runs Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day. My parents and I planned on taking the ferry on the last weekend that the ferry would be operating to Rock Island.
On day one, the ferry did not go because the Lake Michigan waves were too big. The next morning at, 6am, we arrived to catch the first ferry to Washington Island and then hopefully the first ferry to Rock Island.
Rock Island has hiking trails, the oldest lighthouse in Wisconsin and 2000 feet of beach. Vehicles are not allowed on the 912-acre island, making for an experience unlike any other Wisconsin state park. Stone buildings, built by a wealthy inventor and his family, house interesting exhibits.
There are fees for both the Washington Island Ferry and the Rock Island Ferry. There is also a nightly fee of $1 per foot of boat length for all boats mooring overnight at Rock Island State Park. Dock space is limited and cannot be reserved.
** Jonathon Ringdahl visited all of Wisconsin’s 64 State Parks, State Forests, and recreational areas in 2012. This is another in a series of articles he is writing for the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks. Opinions expressed in this blog are the author’s.
Rock Island is located off of the thumb of Wisconsin in Lake Michigan. Since it is reached via two ferries, the visit to Rock Island State Park proved to be a challenge on my quest to visit all of Wisconsin State Parks in a year.
The ferry to the island runs Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day. My parents and I planned on taking the ferry on the last weekend that the ferry would be operating to Rock Island.
On day one, the ferry did not go because the Lake Michigan waves were too big. The next morning at, 6am, we arrived to catch the first ferry to Washington Island and then hopefully the first ferry to Rock Island.
Rock Island has hiking trails, the oldest lighthouse in Wisconsin and 2000 feet of beach. Vehicles are not allowed on the 912-acre island, making for an experience unlike any other Wisconsin state park. Stone buildings, built by a wealthy inventor and his family, house interesting exhibits.
There are fees for both the Washington Island Ferry and the Rock Island Ferry. There is also a nightly fee of $1 per foot of boat length for all boats mooring overnight at Rock Island State Park. Dock space is limited and cannot be reserved.
** Jonathon Ringdahl visited all of Wisconsin’s 64 State Parks, State Forests, and recreational areas in 2012. This is another in a series of articles he is writing for the Friends of Wisconsin State Parks. Opinions expressed in this blog are the author’s.
Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine arrives six times each year in February, April, June, August, October and December. The magazine is published by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Watch for these feature articles in the 2013 Magazine issues:
Fourth annual photography contest coming soon.. Winners will be featured in the 2013 Friends of Wisconsin State Parks calendar, released in October 2013. We ask that your entries fit into a season- spring – summer-fall or winter and that they represent a feature of one of Wisconsin’s beautiful state parks, forests, trails or recreation areas. The 13 winners will be invited to the FWSP Annual Awards Banquet.
