This 90-mile route samples the best of this compact area's attractions, including a ferry trip to Rock Island.

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Water defines the Door Peninsula, a finger of land that juts northward between Green Bay and Lake Michigan. In fact, you're never more than 10 minutes from a view of the lake or the bay when you visit this northeasternmost section of the Badger State.

Door County takes its name from Porte de Morts Passag (Death's Door), the treacherous strait at the peninsula's tip that links Green Bay's protected waters with the rough, open waters of Lake Michigan. Locals talk about "lakeside" and "bayside" when they give directions or describe the peninsula.

On the bayside or northwest shore, you'll discover Door County's most popular towns, bustling on summer weekends. Visitors browse through art galleries, sample fudge and explore shops and restaurants. The lakeside or southeast shore strikes visitors as far more rugged, showcasing the peninsula's natural beauty, with long stretches of white sand beach and rocky, surf-pounded cliffs. Inland, you'll discover rolling rural countryside and the county's celebrated cherry orchards.

Inland lakes such as Kangaroo draw canoeists, swimmers and fishermen.

This 90-mile route samples the best of this compact area's attractions, including a ferry trip to Rock Island off the peninsula's tip. The route begins and ends in Sturgeon Bay, the unofficial gateway to the peninsula.

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