Enjoy 4 Seasons of Outdoor Fun in Northeast Wisconsin
Northeast Wisconsin is an outdoor lover’s playground throughout the year, providing plenty of places to go and things to do during every season.
In This Article
Springtime Fun
As the snow begins to melt, spring offers a wonderful opportunity to go chasing waterfalls throughout Northeast Wisconsin. Marinette County alone has 15 waterfalls, many of which can be seen from the side of the road or after a short hike. Eight more can be found in neighboring Florence County, including the 60-foot, three-tiered Breakwater Falls, the sixth-largest waterfall in Wisconsin.
Spring is also the time when migratory birds flock to and through Northeast Wisconsin. Horicon Marsh in Fond du Lac County is a popular site for whooping cranes. Killsnake State Wildlife Area in Calumet and Manitowoc counties is often filled with owls and hawks, and Calumet County Park provides a nesting location for a variety of shorebirds.
April marks the unofficial start of the warmer weather fishing season in Northeast Wisconsin. Anglers cast for walleye along the Fox River near De Pere in Brown County, bass on Lake Winnebago in Calumet, Winnebago and Fond du Lac counties and trout and salmon on Lake Michigan.
Summer Magic
This is the time to hit the water, and there are plenty of options throughout Northeast Wisconsin. In addition to the obvious choices of Lake Michigan and Lake Winnebago, which is the largest inland lake in the state, water activities can be found at Poygan Lake in Waushara and Winnebago counties, Big Lake Butte des Morts in Winnebago County, Moon Lake in Marquette County, Green Lake (the deepest natural inland lake in Wisconsin) in Green Lake County, Shawano Lake in Shawano County and Menominee River State Recreation Area in Marinette County and parts of Michigan.
Summer is the most popular time to see the beauty of Door County, a 70-mile peninsula stretching from Kewaunee County to the communities of Northport, Washington Island and Rock Island. Door County is home to five state parks, 11 lighthouses, dozens of beaches and thousands of acres of beautiful wilderness.
For something slightly different, head to the Ledge View Nature Center in Calumet County for public cave tours. As far as scheduling, they are available most weekends from May through October.
Autumnal Activities
While water recreation dominates the summer months, autumn is a great time to stay inland and enjoy the changing leaves. The landscape is transformed through a collection of colors that can be best experienced along one of the numerous trails throughout the region.
“Northeast Wisconsin is a great place to be in the fall,” says Sabrena Werner, program assistant for the Calumet County Parks Department. “The weather is still a little bit warmer, and you have all the beautiful colors that look especially stunning when you have the lakes and rivers right next to it.”
Options for hiking, biking and even horseback riding through the fall foliage include the northern portion of Kettle Moraine in Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties, High Cliff State Park in Calumet County, Outagamie Wildlife Area in Outagamie County, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, which spans multiple counties, including Florence, Oconto and Oneida, Navarino State Wildlife Area in Shawano and Waupaca counties, and the Ice Age Trail in multiple counties.
Winter Wonderland
Winter is the season best known for outdoor recreation in Northeast Wisconsin. You can take part in things like snowmobiling, skiing, ice skating and ice fishing.
The Ariens Nordic Center in Calumet County provides an array of winter offerings, highlighted by a network of lighted trails for cross-country skiing and a state-of-the-art 20-point biathlon target system for national competitions. Meanwhile, Nordic Mountain in Waushara County transforms its 1,137 feet of elevation into a downhill destination for skiing, tubing and more.
Finally, Northeast Wisconsin excels in one of the most treasured winter activities of all, ice fishing. Thousands of anglers head onto the ice each winter in pursuit of panfish, pike, walleye and sturgeon. In fact, Stockbridge in Calumet County is referred to as the “Sturgeon Capital of the World,” thanks to its location on the shores of sturgeon-rich Lake Winnebago.
Get to Know Northeast Wisconsin
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