Snowshoe the Nicolet Beach Trail at Peninsula State Park

During the winter months, Peninsula State Park offers a number of winter activity trails, including three designated snowshoeing trails. One of those trails within the park is the Nicolet Beach Trail. Starting at Nicolet Beach, hikers can see the trailhead from the eastern side of the rentals shack. The first portion of the hike goes through the Nicolet Bay campground, and continues closer to the shoreline. As weather and cold conditions permit, hikers can check out the ice shoves along the trail. However, most of the bay's ice cover is relatively thin, so please take caution and avoid walking onto the ice itself. 

Continuing along the path, the trail winds along the northern portion of the park, and shortly connects with the summer route Minnehaha Trail. At the end of the route, hikers are able to continue their hike on another summer route, the Eagle Trail Loop. For a great view of the bay, continue on the southwestern portion of this loop to reach the Eagle Panorama. This is actually located right next to old Eagle Tower (see Climb Eagle Tower in Peninsula State Park) however, due to decay and unsafe conditions, the tower was torn down in Sept. 2016. 

To warm up after the hike, make sure to stop by Wild Tomato for the best pizza in Door County (right across the street from the park entrance).