mrv 

Howdy -
Doing a bit of trip planning for late spring (late May / early June). The very tentative plan is to hop the AMTRAK in Ann Arbor, MI (7:30AM). Get off in Milwaukee, WI (5PM). Then (a few days later) return home would be on the SS Badger (2PM launch?), back to Luddington, MI (+4 hours). Then ride home over 2 days.

Off the train on day 1, probably use warmshowers.org to camp in someone's yard north of Milwaukee. I could not find a non-RV campground within a few miles.
From there ride 100 miles to Point Beach State Park (day 2). There are rustic sites there that allow a single night stay. Worst case I carry my bike on my back 0.5 miles to the Ice Age campsite (if the DNR doesn't let me roll it down the trail).
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/park...eation/camping

Cycling north (of Manitowoc) for say 3 days of camping and riding, what would locals recommend? The state parks all seem to require 2 nights stay after late May. I am not keen to trespass (or attempt to sleep while trespassing....) - just ain't my bag, man.
Possibly two days at Peninsula State Park would be nice, just looking for where to go cycling recommendations.
https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/park...eation/camping

Northport looks to be 20 miles from Peninsula. So a day trip to Washington Island looks feasible. https://wisferry.com/washington-island/

I've checked this link out: https://wibikeroutes.net/index.html
- kind of helpful, but not specific to where I'll be.

Any suggestions or links to old threads would be appreciated. Or warnings about the weather and timing! (or the tourists being bad....)
cheers.
some old links from google:
Door County, WI - places to ride?
Door County, WI Route Suggestions

debade

I'll be as helpful as I can. I lived in Milwaukee for many years. I grew up in Detroit. You can't guarantee summer until July1 in eastern WI. For example, people can swim in Lake Michigan on the Michigan side in summer but not on the WI side, even in Summer. Consequently, WI can stay cool for a long time. Falls in WI are beautiful. Short answer, you might or might not end up with good weather in WI that time of year. Ann Arbor will likely be nice by then.

Biking to Manitowoc from Milwaukee is an OK ride. I have ridden from Ann Arbor to Muskegon. That worked out well and I expect your ride from Ludington will too. If you had time, you could check out the fast ferry from Milwaukee to Muskegon. You would obviously need to bike back to Milwaukee. If this becomes an option, make sure you check when they start running.

I have ridden in Door County for a 100 kilometer event. I have visited several times. Motorists there are tourists but I think concerned about cyclists. Roads can be narrow with little traffic but if memory serves, there are decent shoulders on the main roads. I think you will be there a little early for the after school crowd but the Door is becoming more of a year around vacation spot.

A day trip to Washington Island should be no problem.

Milwaukee is a good biking town. I expect there are Warm Shower hosts. We were when we lived there. I think there might be a biking Hostel in town that you could check out. That could be another option.

Good luck, It will be a fun ride. My main concern for you is that it might be cold.

richjac

There will be relatively few tourists at a that time of year. I have ridden the Door County Century several times and that is a great route, particularly the first half - starting in Sturgeon Bay, up along the West side of the peninsula, through Peninsula State Park, up to Sister Bay. Other than the two main highways (42 and 57) there are no bad roads for cycling.

ober27

https://www.travelwisconsin.com/order-guides

I would recommend ordering the Travel Wisconsin Bicycle Guide, as well as the Rustic Roads Guide. There is a great road in the Rustic Road guide that travels several miles up the east side of the peninsula, a very pleasant lightly traveled road.

mrv 

Thanks, everyone. ober27 - I will check out the travel guides.

Another question: How's cycling north from Chicago? Any recommendations as far as sticking to the Lake Michigan shoreline? Looking at the mighty-mighty google maps, the cycling network looks pretty comprehensive.

Just working through some options as I consider waiting in Union Station or not. I've got about 4 hours between trains.
I thought about spending the time cycling to Glenview, which google says is 17 miles north. But AMTRAK's system would not allow me to reserve a bike-spot getting onboard in Glenview and getting off in Milwaukee.

Thanks again.

fishboat

I live south of Milwaukee and know the cycling options from Waukegan, IL to Door County fairly well.

Weather that time of year..shouldn't be an issue as long as you have clothing for cooler weather...overall though, temps would be great for cycling. The biggest issue is a N, NE, or E wind as that'll pull air off the lake, which will be quite cool. Swimming.. swimming in Lake Michigan is very popular all summer. Again, the wind is the key factor. If you have westerly winds then the warmer surface water is pushed east to the Michigan shoreline & the cooler water (50's-60ish) replaces the warm water on the WI shoreline. If the wind is easterly, then the opposite happens. Warm water (70ish+ in the summer) is pushed to the WI shore and people dive in. Shallow bays of Lake Michigan also warm much faster than open water shorelines.

As for your suggested route... I'd do some searching on RWGPS as you find all kinds of routes in the areas you'll be visiting or passing through. There are decent routes from Union Station up to the WI state line. You'd have to keep a close eye on navigation, but it's a well established origin-destination. Once you get to Illinois Beach State Park, it's a great ride to Door County with 85%+ of it on dedicated multi-use trails..nearly all paved with some rail-trail surfaces here and there. I have (RWGPS) routes for the entire way. Not sure if you're interested in roads or MUPs..

If you're not interested in riding up from Chicago, you might consider jumping off the Hiawatha in Sturtevant. There's two campgrounds in Racine county..Cliffside will be the best and just a few miles from the Oak Leaf Trailhead on County Line Road..that trail takes you up to Sheboygan Falls. Touring cyclists are common at Cliffside. I'm not sure about taking a bike off at the Sturevant stop..you'd have to check. Navigating through Milwaukee is easy..if you know the route. Depending on when you're passing through, I may be able to ride you through the Oak Leaf Trailhead to the north side of downtown Milw..from there it's clear sailing to Port Washington and beyond.

As for "2 night stay in WI State Parks.."..that's news to me. I've camped in WI for 40+ years..not heard of the two night thing. WI is one of the states that has a hiker-biker no-turn-away policy. If a state park is full, and you come in under your own power, they'll find a place for you to camp. Only one night is allowed though under this rule.

Once in Door County..stay away from hwys 57 & 42. After that, about anywhere is good riding. RWGPS has lots of routes up there. You can take the Ahnapee State Trail from Kewaunee to Sturgeon Bay. Potowatomi State Park is in Sturgeon Bay and is much nicer than Peninsula, for camping at least. However, Peninsula is a fair bit north and possibly closer to areas you want to be in. Peninsula is a big park, but gets very busy in season. Peninsula State Park hosts a theater group in the summer and has an outdoor theater..very good..not sure how early the performances start.

Lots of options for the trip (routes, day rides, lodging..) depending on what you're interested in.

ober27

Our experience during the summer of 2019 was that single night stays were allowed in Wisconsin State Parks.
Potawatomi State Park is a very nice park. It may not show up on maps, but there is a shortcut in and out of the park if you're biking or walking. Their park trails meet up with a dead end street. It saves riding the long narrow entrance road with the RVs.

fishboat

The red route is the better one. The main road (going past the airport) that leads to the park entrance is a bit narrow, but sees very little traffic..although the speed limit is 45mph, at least. Best to avoid. The campsite registration process has changed with the covid thing. In a couple parks last summer all we had to do was arrive at the campsite..no check in at the main office, no card to mount on the post with exit date. The Parkies know when people are going to arrive and leave..if a campsite is reserved and someone is occupying it..they assume that all is good and don't question things.

fishboat

Actually, it appears this is news. A change has gone into place this year that reservations at State Parks made before May 15, for the period of May 15 to Oct 31, must be a two night minimum. After May 15, in the same period, one night stays can be booked.

It also looks like all the non-reservable sites have gone away..everything is reservable. They enabled same-day reservations last year.

Not sure what prompted the changes..I'm guessing they learned from this last year's issues that they can get away with less in-person staffing..and this is the fall-out.

mrv 

- right! That's what I saw on the state park websites.
Since I am not presently planning to stay in the same spot two night, I'm thinking I'll just show up. If I'm late enough, I'll self-pay and set up wherever I can find an open space not near an RV.

At the moment I'm debating how many days I want to make the trek. If I go somewhat directly from Milwaukee to Manitowac, then Luddington back home, it's a 5 days, with the last two days a double century (or a bit more....).
So to go north of Manitowac, I'm going to be on an 8 day trip probably.

My past solo experiences, about day 4 I'm ready to be back home, so..... not sure if how I'll work that out yet.

cheers!

fishboat

They say there's a no-turnaway policy when you show up on a bike or on foot. I'd take then at their word..you should be fine.

I'd still have the reservation number handy as same-day reservations work..and by that time you will be able to do a one-day stay.

Skip Harrington Beach if you can..great new shower bldg, but the campground is....uninspiring. Kohler Andrae is 20 miles north..it's nicer.

preyj

You simply will not have enough time to get from Two Rivers to Washington Island and back to catch the ferry in 2 /1 2 to 3 days and still enjoy what Door County has to offer.

The best camping spots will be Point Beach State Forest, Potawatomi and Newport State Parks. Also use the Ahnapee State Trail to connect to Sturgeon Bay from Algoma..

mrv 

Howdy!
Thanks for everyone's comments and help. It's much appreciated.
Day 1: about 60 miles of cycling
I kicked off from home, getting out of Ann Arbor on 5/21 at 7:30ish AM. Was fortunate enough to avoid a 4 hour layover in Chicago. The fine folks at AMTRAK got us in to Chicago only 15 minutes behind schedule, giving me 15 minutes to swap tickets for a train that was leaving in 15 minutes. They made the whole deal EASY-PEASY.
I had set up a WarmShowers stay, as I was anticipating rain and a late train, where I would get into Milwaukee after 5PM. I contacted him to let him know I was going to press on (40 miles) to Harrington Beach State Rec Area, since arriving so early in Milwaukee. And it wasn't raining....... well, barely raining..... at the moment....
Here's a terrible idea - put a Bier Garten RIGHT ON THE BIKE PATH. That's right - if you're cycling north out of Milwaukee, there is the Hubbard Park deal that RIGHT ON THE BIKE PATH. You practically have to cycle around the picnic tables and right up to the window. It's completely unavoidable. There was just no way around it. It's like some kind of toll booth where you have to buy a liter of bier to keep going down the bike path. I am not making this up (editor's note - the writer is slightly exaggerating) (writer's note - no, the Bier Garten is totally ON THE BIKE PATH!).
Right, moving on. The rain kicks in after I'm well past the WarmShowers contact. I almost stopped at a Raddison that was near the bike path because of the cold. Man... so cold. But the sky had this optical delusion where the clouds looked like the rain was about to stop.
And the rain did stop - as I pulled into Harrington Beach. I think was on the edge of hypothermia. Dunno - sure felt like it.
Two thumbs up for Harrington Beach. Nice campsites. Showers. And if the weather is crap, there's almost no one at the campground on a Sunday night.
Day 2: about 65 miles of cycling
Pedaled up to Point Beach north of Manitowoc. The weather turned really nice for Day 2. I probably got a bit of sun burn. Most of the route is bike path, but not the whole deal.
Another 5 star campsite. I'm thinking I'll be back to Wisconsin for a longer tour.
Day 3: maybe 45 miles of pedaling
Back to Manitowoc to catch the ferry, SS Badger (did you know SS means Steam Ship? I had no idea. Maybe I could have guessed. Probably not.). It's about 4 hours to go from Manitowoc to Luddington, and with the time change, you leave Manitowoc at 2PM, get to Luddington at 7PM.
- OK - so this is all true: My plan was to camp "in" Whelan Lake campground. I could see where Whelan Lake was on my Google map and my back up paper map from my Michigan Atlas. I was coming into Whelan Lake from the west. Google was saying it was about a 17 mile ride. So I'm thinking - 2 hours of daylight, 17 miles, should be no problem. Should be no problem. Really, should..... be .... no..... problem.....
I stop for a gallon of water at the "Last Chance Gallon of Water" Store (actually, the WESTCO gas station in Scottsville). So I gotta haul that with me on unknown dirt roads for 5 or 7 miles. I dunno the roads. I make a couple of wrong turns. I think someone might have been following me in a crappy minivan.... still not sure...
Anyway - I know I have to turn on to a "seasonal road" to get to Whelan. For those no familiar with Michigan "seasonal roads", that means: 1. no road signs. None. Nada, Nein, Nyet. 2. Sand. 3. More sand. 4. And MORE sand.
I find my "seasonal road" that goes to Whelan Lake campground, but it's already 8:50 or 9PM. Still got daylight. Keep rolling along, a couple of get off and pushes. Start seeing a tent now and then of the sand-road. See an RV. Now it's dark. I think I've found a campsite. No signs. None. Nada. Nein. Nyet. The site I've decided is a site, and have declared to be a site, is really close to this seasonal sand pit road. I can kind of see a tent in one direction and the RV the other - so two pieces of beef jerky, brush my teeth, get in and try to sleep. I battened down the hatches for rain, which my smart phone had been warning about - man! did it RAIN! Thankfully my Scouty Senses picked a decent spot so water didn't pool under my tent.
Day 4: 107 miles
Sunrise and I am out of the side of the road sand pit seasonal road campsite. It ended up not being horrible, and I had the gallon of water for filling bottles, coffee, and oatmeal. No cars drove by all night, so I was happy about that. And the rain packed the sand road down for easier riding. Good deal.
Most of Day 4 was on a rail trail out of Baldwin to Sanford, MI. Pretty uneventful. Good temps. Sunshine. Lots of opportunities for food along the bike trail. Ended up and Black Creek State Forest to camp. Pretty nice campground. Couldn't get the pay box to take my envelop, so I ended up going bandit there. Dunno. Feel bad. I've overpaid at other State Rec Area sites. I feel better now. This was weird - I think the Sanford-locals used the campground as a make out spot. Seemed like a car was in the next-door campsite for a long time. They weren't camping. Not sure when they left.
Day 5: 145 miles with a Wife Rescue 10 miles from home.
Weather was looking bad for day 6, so I'm thinking - "last August I rode 135 miles in one day with gear, surly I can go another 15 ~ 20 miles if I want to avoid bad weather!" .... no... no... I really could not.....
This was a not good day of cycling. Had a head wind getting out of camp. Chilly, like maybe 45F.
Into Midland, then into Bay City before heading south. Went through Frankenmuth and got a brat and a beer. Decided to go right through Flint. Note; don't go through Flint. Just, don't.
Then through Grand Blanc. As I told my wife - if you are on a bike in Grand Blanc, you are a cockroach. Grand Blanc incorporates every road feature possible to discourage cycling and walking. It's horrible. Where Flint was horrible in the direction of poverty and lost opportunities, Grand Blanc is horrible in the direction that no poor people can get out of Flint. That's just my opinion from trying to navigate a loaded touring bike through those two area.
- Right, out of Grand Blanc, on dirt roads. Cold. Tired. Hoping for a mechanical that I can't fix so my wife will have to come and rescue me. But just a noisy rear hub. Nothing broke. nada. nein. nyet.
Dirt roads are nice in this area - near Fenton, near Seven Lake State Rec Area. Working my way into Milford. Tempting to just camp at Seven Lakes - woulda-coulda-shoulda.
Finally I gave up near Milford and had my wife pick me up at another state rec area - Maybury if you know the area.
Anyways - it sure did rain on Friday, so I was glad I packed it in early. I guess.
Happy Trails.
(i'll edit this later and make korrections as needed....)



Day 1





Day 2

mrv 

mrv 

A dam broke west of Midland. The Pere Marquet trail got flooded. This is some of the debris still being cleaned up from last year. Lot’s of folks lost their homes.

fishboat

Sounds like a nice trip..BIG miles days..yikes. Glad you made it.

The trail barrier ("trail at risk of collapse") north of Milwaukee..not sure what's going on there???? This is year two of that being there. Totally un-necessary to completely block the trail where a simple couple of cones or a construction fence thingy would suffice. Bikers are pretty capable of avoiding simple hazards. Very odd. And why they haven't fixed it..no clue. Milwaukee County is typically good about fixing such things. Maybe I'll look into why it hasn't been fixed..rattle a cage someplace. (I don't live in Milw County, but it worth a try)

If you're interested in touring more in Wisconsin..definitely try to get up into Door County..well worth the trip.