 Of
all the islands visible from Peninsula's scenic overlooks only
one, Horseshoe Island, is actually part of the park. It lies
about one mile north of Nicolet Bay.
Norwegian immigrant Ole Larsen reportedly traded a few pounds of
tobacco for the island in the 1850s. In 1888, the Folda family
purchased Horseshoe Island for $500. They built an impressive
summer lodge, Engelmar. When the State of Wisconsin established
Peninsula State Park in 1909, E.F. Folda negotiated a selling price
of $5,000 and a life estate for himself as well as his wife and
sister, but they never received payment.
Horseshoe Island is accessible by boat or by walking in winter.
Visitors can also canoe or kayak, with rentals available locally.
The Engelmar Trail, a one-mile rustic path, meanders the
circumference of the island. The astute visitor may detect the
foundation of the Folda's lodge, a root cellar, and openings where
gardens once thrived.
A pit toilet is available. Visitors must carry out their own
garbage. Camping and fires are prohibited.
|
| Too many caches
in Door County are located on busy roads, or places where there's
lots of people. I wanted to place a cache off of the beaten
path.
Horseshoe
Island is part of Peninsula State Park. There is no public
transportation, so you will have to get to the island somehow,
either with a boat in summer, or skiing/snowmobiling in winter.
There is a boat dock available, but if full, you may have to moor
it and swim/wade ashore. Horseshoe Island harbor is pretty deep, so
most boats are OK. Closest boat launch is in Nicolet Bay, but a
park sticker is required to park/launch inside the park. Beware of
treacherous ice in wintertime, though, especially on a
snowmobile.
Other than pit
toilets and a fire ring, there are no amenities on the island.
Didn't see any water faucets or pumps. There is no overnight
camping on the island itself, but you can moor offshore
overnight.
There is a
hiking trail that follows the perimeter of the island, and the
cache is located off of this trail a few dozen
yards. |
The cache is an
ammo can. Once you're on the island, it's not too traumatic to
reach, so little ones should be OK, but strollers will not
work.
As you may
guess, this isn't a cache I can keep a close eye on, so if
something is amiss, let me know.
Mini-Spoiler:
The cache is located in a fairly typical fashion, such as under a
fallen log, or in a tree's base, or any of the normal cache hiding
spots. Nothing too sinister about the actual
placement. |