Quick Details
Discover Baileys Harbor with Shoreline Boat Tours
On this tour we will visit multiple shipwrecks and multiple lighthouses. Venturing out onto Lake Michigan is a timeless boating experience that will stir your soul!
We start our journey by visiting a shipwreck in front of the Ridges Sanctuary swimming beach. From there, we cruise the sandy shoreline towards our next shipwreck, an abandoned tugboat, the Jimmy L. After that, we head over to the original Baileys Harbor Lighthouse nicknamed the “Birdcage” for reasons you will understand once you lay eyes on it! There are two more wooden shipwrecks in this vicinity as well. As we depart this area, we circle out a little further into Lake Michigan around a shallow rocky shoal to avoid becoming the next shipwreck! From there, we pass by Toft Point, Moonlight Bay and 4000 acres of protected lands. Then onward to the celebrated Cana Island Lighthouse, spending plenty of time to position for that perfect lighthouse photo!
On our way back to port, we will explore a number of other interesting and intriguing subjects. This is a great time to mingle, chat and for kids to earn their First Mate Status! Finally the Baileys Harbor Range Lights will guide us to safety back to the marina so we avoid landing on the beach and getting stuck in the sand!.
Upgrade for Best Value
For an additional $10 adult or $5 youth, consider upgrading to our Baileys Harbor Day Package, which includes a two-hour narrated boat tour and admission to both Cana Island Lighthouse and The Ridges Sanctuary trail system. One admission per ticket purchased, not transferable, valid this season only.
Cana Island Lighthouse is Door County’s most iconic lighthouse, built in1869 and celebrating more than 150 years of standing watch on the shore of Lake Michigan! Walk the causeway to the island if the water is low enough, or if the water is high, ride the hay wagon! There is much to explore on the island. Check out the interpretive center and museum, the 89-foot-tall lighthouse with light keepers home, and climb the 97 steps of the tower’s spiral staircase to reach the lighthouse gallery deck for sweeping views of Lake Michigan and the Door County peninsula. Then, be sure to find your way to the shoreline where you will see, hear and feel the sheer power and vastness of Lake Michigan!
The Ridges Sanctuary is named for its distinctive topography – a series of 30 ridges and swales formed by Lake Michigan retreating over the past 1100 years. The Ridges has a robust interpretive center explaining the unique topography, flora, and fauna that live within the dune ridges and swales. From there, explore the Range Light buildings and walk the trails to experience first hand what you saw in the Nature Center. The Ridges campus boasts 1,600 acres in and around Baileys Harbor. In recognition of its rich diversity, The Ridges Sanctuary has been designated as a Wisconsin State Natural Area, a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service, a National Audubon Important Bird Area and a Wisconsin Wetland Gem. Go ahead, take a “forest bath”. It will soothe your soul!