Plum Island Lighthouse Door County

Plum Island Lighthouse Door County – Plum Island Lighthouse is located in Lake Michigan waters off the shores of the Door County Peninsula in Wisconsin.

Plum Island can only be photographed by boat or kayak, which makes it an adventure in my book. Currently, there is only one place to enter the island and that is by the boathouse.

If you would want to explore Plum Island read my Washington Island post.  The post will tell you how to get to Washington Island using the ferry from the Door County mainland. Once you get to Washington Island then you can kayak over to Plum Island.

Or, if you own a boat, like we do; you can access the island this way too. We drove our boat from Green Bay to Rock Island and did some exploring of the islands on the way to Rock Island. Then decided to head up to the historic town of Fayette, Michigan from Rock Island, Wisconsin.

The island has a 20th century Coast Guard station, keeper’s house, and boathouse on the property. The island is only 2–miles around the entire perimeter.  On the opposite side of the boathouse and Coast Guard station is the lighthouse.

You can walk the trails to see all sorts of wildlife from deer and snakes to cormorants and bald eagles.

Double-crested Cormorants Drying Wings and Resting

Double-crested Cormorant is a prehistoric-looking bird. It has aqua eyes and an orange beak. The double crest is only seen during the breeding months.

The front and center cormorant has its wings spread out wide to dry them off. Unlike many waterbirds, the cormorant’s wings do not repel the water. You will see them drying their wings up in trees along the water.

White-Tailed Deer

I also read in a published article by the Wisconsin DNR that the island has blue-spotted salamanders – might have to head back that way and explore some more.  Rather exciting to hear.

Besides the blue-spotted salamander, Plum Island is one of two places in Door County where I can confirm the endangered dwarf lake iris wildflower grows.

There are 11 lighthouses on the Door County Peninsula

Visit them all.  Although some are rather difficult to get to.

Baileys Harbor Range Lights, Cana Island, Sherwood Point, Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal North Pierhead Light, Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Light, Chamber’s Island, Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, Old Baileys Harbor (Bird Cage) Lighthouse Plum Island Lighthouse (Rear Range Light), Plum Island Front Range Light, Pilot Island Lighthouse and Pottawatomie Lighthouse.