Aug 9, 2026

11 Lighthouses, and the 6 Your Dog Can Walk To

Door County has eleven lighthouses, more than any county in America. With a dog the honest count is six, none of them lets you inside, and one of the most popular bans dogs entirely.

Luis ZamoraCo-founder of PetCompass; Dog Dad to Banzo and Tuck

Door County, Wisconsin10 min readThings to Do

Door County has 11 lighthouses, more than any other county in the United States, and lighthouse-spotting is the thing most visitors put on the itinerary.

With a dog, the honest count drops to six, and even those six come with a caveat that applies to every single one: your dog is not going inside. Lighthouse interiors and tower climbs are people-only across the board. What a dog gets is the grounds, the approach, and the shoreline, which in Door County is usually the better half anyway.

Here are all eleven, and exactly what a dog can do at each.

The 6 your dog can walk to

1. Cana Island Lighthouse

The best one with a dog, by a distance.

Cana Island sits just north of Baileys Harbor on 8.7 acres, connected to the mainland by a rocky causeway that is itself the attraction. Walking across it with a dog, with water on both sides, is the single most memorable lighthouse approach in the county.

Dogs are not allowed inside the lighthouse, but you can walk the grounds and the shoreline with your dog.

Practical details. Open seasonally, May to October, seven days a week, 10am to 5pm. A hay wagon runs from the parking lot, with the last departure at 4:15pm and the last tower climb at 4:30pm. The causeway can be wet or partly submerged depending on water levels, so check conditions and expect wet paws.

2. Eagle Bluff Lighthouse

Built in 1868 and sitting inside Peninsula State Park, which makes it the easiest lighthouse to combine with a proper walk.

Leashed dogs can roam almost the whole of Peninsula State Park, including the trails and the rocky shoreline. The exceptions are Nicolet Beach and the other sandy beach areas, which are closed to pets, and the lighthouse building itself.

Why this one works so well: you are already in the best walking park in Door County, on an eight-foot leash, and the lighthouse is a stop rather than a destination. A Wisconsin state park vehicle admission sticker is required.

3. Pottawatomie Lighthouse

Wisconsin's oldest lighthouse site, established in 1836, rebuilt in 1858, and automated in 1956, at the north end of Rock Island State Park.

This is the hardest to reach and the most rewarding. Rock Island needs two ferries, via Washington Island, and no vehicles are permitted on the island, so reaching the lighthouse means walking from the ferry dock across the island.

Leashed dogs are welcome on an eight-foot leash. Ferry logistics are in taking a dog on the Washington Island ferry.

Treat it as a full day, not a stop.

4. Sturgeon Bay Canal Light

At the Lake Michigan end of the ship canal that cuts across the base of the peninsula, on the Coast Guard station grounds south of Sturgeon Bay.

What a dog gets is the shoreline approach and the walk, on a leash, rather than access to the structure. Public access varies with Coast Guard operations, so read the signage on arrival and do not assume.

5. Sturgeon Bay Canal North Pierhead Light

The red light at the end of the north pier, and the classic Sturgeon Bay photograph. It sits in the same area as the canal light, so the two are a single stop.

With a dog, walk the shore and photograph the pier. Pier decks in exposed lake conditions are not a place for a dog: wet, windy, no railings in places, and cold deep water on both sides. Look, do not walk out.

6. Sherwood Point Lighthouse

The honest sixth, and it comes with the biggest caveat on this list. Sherwood Point stands on the bay side west of Sturgeon Bay, and it is not open to the public, so this is a view rather than a visit.

It opens to the public only on rare occasions, typically during the county's annual lighthouse festival, and those events are not dog occasions. Include it if you are collecting all eleven. Do not plan a special trip around it with a dog.

The 5 your dog cannot walk to

7. Baileys Harbor Range Lights

A genuine disappointment, and the one that catches dog owners out.

The upper and lower range lights guided ships into Baileys Harbor between 1869 and 1969, and their grounds are open to the public. They sit inside The Ridges Sanctuary, and dogs are not permitted within the sanctuary at all.

Where to go instead: Captain Bailey's Dog Park is in Baileys Harbor at 2392 County F, with grassy areas for large and small dogs, so the village is still worth the stop.

8. Baileys Harbor Light, the "Bird Cage"

The original 1852 light on the point, replaced by Cana Island in 1869. Not accessible on foot.

9. Chambers Island Lighthouse

On Chambers Island in Green Bay, reachable only by private boat. Not a day trip with a dog.

10. Pilot Island Lighthouse

On a small island in the Death's Door passage, with no public landing. Visible from the Washington Island ferry, which is genuinely the best way to see it, and your leashed dog is on that boat with you free of charge.

11. Plum Island Range Lights

On Plum Island, also in the Death's Door passage. Access is by organised tour boat only, and pets are not part of that arrangement. Also visible from the ferry crossing.

The eleven at a glance

#	Lighthouse	With a dog	Note
1	Cana Island	Grounds and shoreline, on leash	Rocky causeway, May to Oct, 10am to 5pm
2	Eagle Bluff	Grounds and park trails, on leash	Peninsula State Park, beaches off limits
3	Pottawatomie	Rock Island, on leash	Two ferries, no vehicles, Wisconsin's oldest site
4	Sturgeon Bay Canal Light	Shoreline approach	Coast Guard grounds, check signage
5	Sturgeon Bay Canal North Pierhead	Shore view only	Do not walk the pier with a dog
6	Sherwood Point	Roadside view only	Not open to the public
7	Baileys Harbor Range Lights	No, dogs banned	Inside The Ridges Sanctuary
8	Baileys Harbor "Bird Cage"	No	Original 1852 light, not accessible
9	Chambers Island	No	Private boat only
10	Pilot Island	Visible from the ferry	No public landing
11	Plum Island Range Lights	Visible from the ferry	Tour boat only

The best dog-and-lighthouse day in Door County

Morning: Cana Island. Arrive when it opens at 10am, walk the causeway, take the shoreline, and go before the midday crowd. It is around 15 minutes from Baileys Harbor.

Late morning: Captain Bailey's Dog Park, at 2392 County F in Baileys Harbor, since the Range Lights next door are closed to you. Off-leash time is scarce in Door County and this is one of only four places to get it.

Afternoon: Peninsula State Park and Eagle Bluff. Combine the lighthouse with a long walk on the park's trails and rocky shoreline. Loops and quiet options are in 8 Door County trails ranked by how quiet they are.

Evening: Sister Bay or Fish Creek, for a patio. General guidance on reading a patio policy before you sit down is in finding pet-friendly restaurants.

A second day, if you have it: the two ferries out to Rock Island and Pottawatomie, which is the whole day and worth it.

Three practical notes

Nowhere lets a dog inside. Every tower climb, interpretive room, and keeper's quarters in Door County is people-only. Since pets should not be left in a hot car, a lighthouse interior is something one person does while the other walks the dog, or something you skip.

Water access near lighthouses is usually not dog access. Cana Island's causeway is fine, but many of the shore points near these structures are dolomite ledge dropping into deep, cold water with real wave action. Keep the leash short. Legal swimming is ranked separately in 9 Door County dog beaches, ranked.

Everything is seasonal. Cana Island runs May to October. The Rock Island ferry runs late May to early October. A November lighthouse tour with a dog is mostly a drive with views from the car.

Before you go

Eight-foot physical leash in the state parks, and leashed at all times in Door County parks.

A Wisconsin state park vehicle admission sticker for Peninsula and Rock Island. An annual sticker is usually worth it on a Door County trip.

Ticks. Wisconsin has a substantial tick population and Door County's grassy edges and woods are prime habitat. Check after every walk.

A vet number, since Door County is rural with limited after-hours coverage. See emergency and after-hours vets in Door County and emergency vet, what to know.

A booking that takes your dog. Search verified pet-friendly hotels or check Door County with a big dog. Full seasonal timing is in Door County with a dog, month by month.

Conclusion

Eleven lighthouses, six a dog can reach in some form, and none it can go inside.

Cana Island is the one to do, for the causeway walk more than the tower. Eagle Bluff is the one to combine with a real hike, because Peninsula State Park is the best walking in the county. Pottawatomie on Rock Island is the one to build a day around, if you have the day and the appetite for two ferries.

And the one to know about in advance is the Baileys Harbor Range Lights, because dogs are not permitted anywhere within The Ridges Sanctuary. Turning up there with a dog is the classic wasted stop on a Door County lighthouse tour.

Opening seasons, hours, access arrangements, ferry schedules, and pet rules change. Confirm current details with each site before you go. Then find the shore your pet will wag "yes" to.

Frequently asked questions

How many lighthouses are in Door County? Eleven, which is more than any other county in the United States: Baileys Harbor Light, the Baileys Harbor Range Lights, Cana Island, Chambers Island, Eagle Bluff, Pilot Island, the Plum Island Range Lights, Pottawatomie, Sherwood Point, Sturgeon Bay Canal Light, and the Sturgeon Bay Canal North Pierhead Light.

Can dogs go to Cana Island Lighthouse? Yes, on the grounds and the shoreline, on a leash. Dogs are not allowed inside the lighthouse. The site is open seasonally from May to October, seven days a week, 10am to 5pm, and is reached by a rocky causeway from the mainland.

Are dogs allowed at the Baileys Harbor Range Lights? No. The range lights sit within The Ridges Sanctuary, where dogs are not permitted at all. Captain Bailey's Dog Park in Baileys Harbor, at 2392 County F, is the alternative stop in the village.

Can my dog go inside a Door County lighthouse? No. Tower climbs, keeper's quarters, and interpretive rooms are people-only at every Door County lighthouse. Since a dog should not be left in a parked car, plan for one person to go in while the other walks the dog.

Which Door County lighthouse is easiest to combine with a hike? Eagle Bluff, inside Peninsula State Park, where leashed dogs can use almost the whole park including the trails and rocky shoreline. The sandy beaches, including Nicolet Beach, are closed to pets.

How do I get to Pottawatomie Lighthouse with a dog? Two ferries, via Washington Island then the Karfi to Rock Island State Park, then a walk across the island, since no vehicles are permitted there. Leashed pets ride both ferries free of charge. Plan it as a full day.

Sources

Opening seasons, hours, public access arrangements, ferry schedules, and pet rules change. Confirm current details with each site before you travel.