Looking for end-of-summer travel ideas? Wisconsin's Washington Island is a heavenly oasis

DOOR COUNTY, Wisconsin — Washington Island is not quite heaven, but you still have to cross Death’s Door to get there.

The lovely island in Lake Michigan, off the northern point of the Door Peninsula, is the largest in Wisconsin — five times larger, in fact, than Ohio’s Kelleys Island.

But like Kelleys and Ohio’s other Lake Erie islands, Washington Island is a big tourist magnet for many good reasons.

To get to the island, visitors must cross by ferry over the small strait that early French explorers named Porte des Morts — the door of death, because of its treacherous waters. Door County gets its name from the old moniker.

Fortunately, Charon, the ferryman of Hades, does not captain this particular crossing, and the view is anything but infernal as the boat passes several smaller scenic islands during the short trip to the Washington Island dock.

The island was first settled in 1850, with a group of Icelandic immigrants arriving in 1870, making it the second oldest Icelandic community in the U.S. after Spanish Fork, Utah — go figure.

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Many reminders of the island’s history remain, including a wooden “stave church,” or stavkirker, built in traditional Norse style with multiple gables that make the building reminiscent of a Viking ship.

At more than 30 square miles, Washington Island is dotted with many orchards and farms, many of which cater to visitors.

Fragrant Isle

One favorite and aromatic destination is Fragrant Isle (fragrantisle.com) lavender farm and shop, where 14 different varieties of the herb are grown and processed into aromatic oils, soaps and scrubs, sachets and comestibles. The delicately flavored ice cream, macarons and, in warmer weather, lavender-rosé wine slushies are not to be missed.

Most of the lavender had already been harvested during my visit late last month, but the delicious scent lingered in a processing barn where long ropes of the plants were drying like a much-better smelling version of tobacco. Also pleasantly odiferous was the cute gift shop where all the farm’s products can be found. (The farm also sells products online, but not the slushies, unfortunately!)

Natural beauty is everywhere on the island, but I especially loved the lakefront vistas at places like Schoolhouse Beach, which, instead of sand, features small white limestone rocks that have been polished smooth by eons of waves and winds — nature’s own rock tumbler. The palm-sized stones are surprisingly satisfying — one might say soothing — to hold. But don’t take one: There’s a $250 fine for stone-stealing.

(Officials say the beach once extended much farther inland before folks began carting away stony treasures. Given the volume of the rocks and the size of the beach, I questioned the math behind that contention. But I wasn’t there to do homework. Just don’t take a rock.)

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Several lodging options are available on the island, including the Hotel Washington, opened by Icelandic immigrants in 1904. Now featuring eight rooms and two cottages, the hotel also is home to a popular restaurant presided over by talented young chef Ian Milosek, who fashions a highly seasonal menu with much of the food sourced from small island farms practicing sustainable agriculture.

Rock Island

Other island eateries include Jackson Harbor Soup (jacksonharborsoup.com), serving a satisfying variety of soups, salads and sandwiches. The restaurant is conveniently located next door to the Karfi Ferry (wisferry.com/rock-island), which takes foot passengers another step out into Lake Michigan to diminutive Rock Island, a 906-acre Wisconsin state park (dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/rockisland).

Taking a ferry to an isolated island is an inherently romantic venture. Taking a ferry from the first island to an even more isolated island offers an almost ridiculous — and truly delightful — level of travel charm.

Motorized vehicles are prohibited on Rock Island, but getting around is easy on the island’s 10 miles of hiking trails.

Day-trippers can tour Pottawatoie Lighthouse, the oldest in Wisconsin; or marvel at the great hall and boathouse built by Chicago inventor Chester Thordarson. Thordarson’s beautiful limestone structure, built in 1929, is an architectural marvel that he called his Jewel House of Art and Nature, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

And for a real lesson in magnificent isolation, visitors can bring their camping gear to Rock Island and camp at one of the park’s 35 primitive sites. Don’t forget to wave goodbye to the last ferry, leaving the island at 4 p.m. daily.

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So, heaven? No.

But heavenly? No doubt.

Door County is about an hour’s drive from Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, and about 150 miles north of Milwaukee. For more information about Washington Island and Door County, visit Destination Door County at doorcounty.com.

Steve Stephens is a freelance travel writer and photographer. Email him at sjstephensjr@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Wisconsin's Washington Island attracts tourists with natural beauty