Chitown_Mike

So long of the short I have a vacation right after Labor Day to Door county Wisconsin. I plan on bringing both my road bike and my MTB to see the sights, and because I figure my BIL will probably want to ride too. And my wife may have a bike then, or we might rent one, we will see.

But where are some places to ride? I have heard/read some great things about the area and definitely plan on some early morning rides on the roadie to enjoy the area. Any place specific that people recommend? Anything to be aware of?

Thanks in advance!

canam73

Don't know if it would interest you, but there is a century up there 9/8/13: https://www.doorcountycentury.com/default.aspx

Where are you staying and are you looking for flat or hilly?

Chitown_Mike

We are staying in Ephraim at the Yeomans Cottage, and I am open to either. Hills would be a new "feature" since most of Chicago is as flat as a pancake.

And I am working out details for the century. I have one 2 weeks later, and then another 2 weeks after that potentially, so I may not do the full 100. Plus that was our travel home day. No one will want to ride with me then if I can't shower before the trek home.

dannwilliams

In the past I have printed out a Door County map and went from town to town. I stayed in the state park on Fish Creek. Each little town is down at water level and has a nice little climb out. Once I just followed the markings on the road for the century, as it was the weekend before I arrived. After Labor Day before leaf peeping season is a great time to ride, warm but not hot, less cars on the road, most places still open. Have a great time.

canam73

Hwy 42 will still be pretty busy so unless you are on it very early I would tend to avoid it. For flat, try the shore roads running south out of Egg Harbor. They use those for the bike leg of DC triathlon and they don't get much traffic. There are a couple of parks on the way, and an out at back to Sturgeon bay will be ~30 miles.

A nice loop that is a little hillier would be to take Church out of Ephraim across the penisula. It turns into Cty Q and goes past North Bay, Moonlight Bay and Baily's Harbor.Take Cty F and then Cty A back for another 30 miler or continue down the lake side for a longer route.

lenA

You could take the ferry and pedal around Washington Island.....kinda nice

skijor

Door County is pretty flat too. But biking around Potowatami State Park has a few hills and is pretty, especially in Fall.

Also, if you are into geocaching, there are some in that area. I found one on Washington Island several years ago.
Here are some past winners.

Here's a link to four of Wisconsin's Rustic Roads in Door County. If you've never ridden any of the Rustic Roads, some are paved and some not. Either way, they are lightly traveled and generally quite scenic. Some are not thru roads but are still well worth exploring.

marq96

I grew up in Sturgeon Bay, and live a little further south now in Kewaunee. Regarding the Door Century ride: there are shorter route options available. I plan on riding one of them, probably either the 50 or 70 depending on what condition and miles I've accumulated. If you're interested, maybe we could meet up for the ride? Shoot me a PM.

Door County is pretty bike friendly. Sturgeon Bay has been adding bike lanes all through town and was just recognized by some biking group as a "bike-friendly" town. As mentioned, the towns are on shore and there are climbs out of most of them. All through the center of the county it's pretty flat. A lot of locals ride in the center because they aren't interested in seeing the sights and the traffic is a lot less. Next month is the "Ride for Nature" tour, they also do anything from 15-100 mile rides. If you look them up you can see some of the routes as a base for some ideas www.ridefornature.com Also you might want to check with the Door County Silent Sports Alliance for some ideas. www.doorcountysilentsports.org

Chitown_Mike

I am actually excited about some hills early morning, we don't have many around Chicago that are worth much. And thanks for the links I will have to check them out.

As for the ride, my wife wants to get an early start on the day to stop at a few places on the way back to Chicago, so no ride for me this time. Possibly next year, we will see.

marq96

No problem. I actually came back to say I'm probably not doing the ride either haha. I keep forgetting about an out of state trip I'm getting roped into, and it's that weekend.

dedhed

I've found the "interior" of Door county has very little traffic. Most of the cars stick to the roads along both "coasts".

no motor?

This. And don't forget to watch out for road apples.

Chitown_Mike

I am guessing there is a lot of apple trees up that way?

dannwilliams

I chuckle when a city slicker doesn't know what a "road apple" is,

Chitown_Mike

Well that's a crappy thing to call me...

lenA

I didn't know what a cow pie was until I stepped in one.

no motor?

Cherry actually.....

Chitown_Mike

I didn't know what a road apple was until I Googled it.....

CenturionIM

The entire place is very cycling friendly. you will have a blast there.

no motor?

Don't forget to dress warmly too, it's colder up there than down here.

Chitown_Mike

Oh I plan on having my fancy-shmancy underarmor stuff as well as my neon yellow hoodie (that I ironically bought in a Walmart in Arkansas). But the tip is appreciated!

JohnDThompson 

I just finished the "Ride for Nature" century yesterday on my 3-speed fixed gear and had a good time despite 2 hours of rain. The route maps for the Door County Century and Ride for Nature are available on-line and should give you some ideas for bike-friendly roads.

My rider packet included an advert card for a new Door County ride: the "Peninsula Century," on Sept. 14, 2013. Looks like it leaves from Sister Bay, but route maps aren't up yet.

Chitown_Mike

John, thanks for the post.

Wanted to 'bump' the thread and see if anyone else has any info. I am bringing my roadie, MTB, and a hybrid (for my FIL) to ride around while up there.

Madtown Bob

If your wife is hesitant to join you on a Door County road ride, then I suggest biking/driving to Peninsula State Park. It is a 3,776-acre park with plenty of bike paths within the park. Shore Drive along the park has a great view overlooking the bay. Nor Door Sports and Cyclery is nearby—you could probably rent a bike for her if need be. It would also be worthwhile to hop off the saddle for a while and climb Eagle Tower. This is a pretty good map of the place:

https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/name/p...nsummermap.pdf