At Last - Lake Michigan!, Point Beach State Forest State Park, WI [July 31 – August 2, 2016]

All of the ShoreXplorers love the beach

Lovely Lake Michigan

We’ve visited Lake Superior four times over the years, and Lake Huron and Lake Erie twice.  We’ve explored all around the circumference of Lake Ontario.  Somehow, we’ve never spent time on Lake Michigan.  The Michiganers we’ve met who live near the Lake say it is the most beautiful of all the Great Lakes.  However, they caution, don’t try to visit during the summer, it is so popular with families taking vacations that you’ll never find a spot to camp.  They were right.

In some places the dune is right next to the water

In other places there is a lovely beach

As we started to plan our trip Eastward and home, we realized that we REALLY wanted to visit Lake Michigan.  We found that Point Beach State Forest State Park in Two Rivers, Wisconsin had a campsite available for Sunday and Monday nights.  Actually, we had our choice between two adjacent campsites that were available.   We chose one and someone else chose the other (we saw them through the trees).

Rawley Point Lighthouse

The dog beach on Sunday.  It was much less crowded on Monday.

The State Park is a long string bean along the shores of Lake Michigan.  It has a lighthouse and it has a dog beach.  What more could you ask for?

Looks like the ocean...

Ah yes, a beach-y afternoon

Handstands in the shallow water

The campground is a typical North Woods campground.  Pine and hardwood trees, punctuated with the occasional white birch tree.  If you walk east, you cross a large dune and find yourself on a lovely sand beach and an endless expanse of beautiful blue water.  It is just like being at the ocean except that it lacks tides and the salty smell.  The water off the beach was shallow and 70°warm.  Russ and Tiki went swimming on Sunday.  All three of us went swimming on Monday.  After 5 weeks on the road, we enjoyed some time loafing at the beach.

The round turret on the right is what remains of the old lighthouse

Another view

There has been a lighthouse at Rawley Point since 1853.  The original brick lighthouse was replaced by a steel tower in 1894.  The old brick lighthouse was cut down and roofed and made a part of the light keepers house.  The lighthouse is still in service, and is not open to visitors.  However, we had many photo opportunities to take pictures of the interesting steel structure and lovely old house.

A Marshy Swale - the wooded sections on each side are called Ridges

Along a Ridge

The park has special paths for bicycles and it seems like everyone gets around that way.  The paths run along the top of the ”Ridges”.  Back in the Ice Ages, the shoreline of Lake Michigan moved eastward.  The ancient dunes that were once along the shoreline are now inland as ridges or high places parallel to the current shoreline.  Between the ridges are “Marshy Swales” or wetlands where the lake used to be.

The Ice Age Trail - Happy B-day NPS!

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail [Happy 100^th Birthday NPS] takes you along the top of one of the Ridges.  The Ice Age Scenic Trail is a work in progress.  The intent is to create a trail along the outer edge of the last glacier that, during the last Ice Age, covered the area that we now know as the State of Wisconsin.  The trail will follow Ridges, and Moraines.  It will pass by Kettles and Glacial Lakes.  Right now there are sections of the trail waiting to be connected together.  It is a very cool idea. 

We were happy for these trail markers

Cool camp site for kayakers

We hiked several miles down the Ice Age Trail.  The hike along the top of the old dune that was now hardwood forest was lovely.  There were big, old trees, and scenic views of the marshy swales.  We came to two campsites.  One for backpackers along the Ice Age Trail.  The other was for kayakers who were paddling along the lake shoreline.  We decided to leave the bloodthirsty mosquitoes behind in the woods and returned to where we had parked our bicycles by way of the beach.

Tiki retrieving her yellow ball

Isn't this a pretty view?

Point Beach State Forest was the perfect finale for a wonderful trip.  And yes, Lake Michigan is every bit as beautiful as we were told that it would be.

Beautiful Lake Michigan