Fixing Leaky RV Waste Water Value

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Fixing forever the Nasty Sewer Valve Leak

We are among the RV motorhome owners who are frequently hassled by a slow leak in either or both the gray and black water holding tank valves.

In our case, it has been the persistent small leak in the gray tank valve. Sometimes it produces a small drip from the cap that covers the outlet to the sewage system. Because I know it is gray water, I’m not too bothered by it. But my wife is; she worries other people at the campground might see it leaking. Other times the cap doesn’t leak but when we are at a RV dump station and open the cap to install the sewage dump line and rush of gray water comes splashing out. That is an additional nuisance we both object to.

In my case I’ve tried various solutions like filling both gray and black tanks with vinegar and soap solutions to better flush out the drain lines. Sometimes bits of material get caught in the tank valve that prevent it from closing properly. When this didn’t provide a lasting solution, I broke down and ordered and installed a replacement gray valve. That solution didn’t last either.

On our unit, and I suspect many other RV layouts, the gray valve is actuated by a long cable. You push or pull on the handle on one end of the cable and the other end is attached to the gate valve. There seems to always be a bit of slop in the cable system; hard to “feel” that the valve is being entirely closed. I guess a final solution would be redirect the entire gray tank plumbing system so we have an separate outlet for the gray valve and can install a directly operated gate valve that doesn’t need a cable. Big job and it means the process of emptying the RV tanks will now be a two piece, two step system, hooking and unhooking the flexible sewer line two times to handle each of the tanks.

The Ultimate Solution to the Leaking RV Holding Tank

Well American innovation has finally come to solve our problem. It is a new product from Valterra RV Products. It is the T58 Twist-On Waste Valve. It is designed to replace your existing RV drain cap and it contains a secondary direct action waste valve. Your existing cap then twists on the open-end of the Twist-On-Waste Valve. The new valve gives you an effective second line of defense against the nagging leaky valve problem. What is nice about it is even if there is gray or black water built up behind the new valve, when you remove the cap to hook up your sewer line no water will come splashing out.

For less than $25 and minimal labor installing it, this nagging leaky valve problem is a thing of the past. You can order that new  Valterra T58 Twist-on Waste Valve from Amazon here

Installation is simple. Just unscrew and remove the outer dust cap from your present valve. Then screw on the Valterra Twist-on Valve in place of the cap you just removed. The valve handle component will rotate around to work at any angle. The place your old dust cap on the Valterra. That’s it. Now you have two lines of defense against that nasty dump valve leak.

RV dump valve replacement
Remove the dust cap from your present valve.
rv dump valve
Twist on the Valterra valve and install your dust cap on the end.

*We earn a modest commission on Amazon sales, that is paid by Amazon and does not increase the price of the product.

Guide to Buying an RV Mattress

Grant River Corps of Engineering RV Campground

mississippi river sunset

RV Campground Review: Grant River Recreation Area – Potosi, Wisconsin

Grant River is one of our favorite Corps Parks. Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, it has nice mature trees offering lots of shade options for the camp sites. Modern full service washrooms with showers kept spotlessly clean. Lots of frontage along the river with benches every 100 feet or so offering a pleasant places to sit and watch the river roll by. There isn’t a lot of activity on the river itself, largely free of the sound of jet skis and power boats charging back and forth disturbing the tranquility. But there is an adjacent boat launch for fisherman and a large parking area for trailers.

grant river campground
Spacious, well-planned camp sites with shade at least part of the day.

The sites are level and concrete and the road throughout park is paved. The heavy, substantial picnic tables are well-maintained and stand on a well-drained gravel pad with a fire-ring and grill. The sites are electric-only with 20, 30, and 50 amp service. No water hydrants at each site, but several hydrants are sprinkled throughout the campground for convenient refilling. There is adequate spacing and green space between the camp sites. A few of the camp sites are dedicated for tent campers and provide very adequate spacing away from other camp sites.

grant river campground
This may be an original Shasta camper. Looks in good shape.

Just north of the campground is a day use area with a picnic pavilion, a boat ramp and dock, and lots of parking space.


grant river corps park
Watching the sun go down at Grant River Corps park

Things to See and Do at Grant River Corps Park

Besides hanging out at the campsite, we enjoy hiking around the park, enjoying the scenic views of the river, and biking both around the park and to the Potosi Brewery for a brew or food (see our review). The National Brewery Museum is also located at the Brewery and is a fun and interesting look at the history of brewing with stories and pictures from former breweries in Wisconsin and across the nation.

Potosi Brewery
One of our favorite things to do at Grant River Corps park is dine at the Potosi Brewery

For bikers, the rustic rural road that runs from Potosi’s main street to the park isn’t that busy with traffic and is a scenic bike ride over a mostly level terrain. More enthusiastic bikers can take the return trip along Brewery Hollow Road (a Wisconsin scenic rural road) back to the campground. And even more enthusiastic bikers can take the scenic River Road 20 miles north to Cassville and the Stonefield Village Historic Site.

When we have the grand kids or grand nephews/nieces with us they enjoy fishing from the banks of the river and the park playground that has slides, swings, climbing gym, volleyball court, and horse shoe courts.

Provisions like ice, beverages, and basic groceries are available at the Pine Point Store 4 miles away in downtown Potosi.

One Downside to RV Camping at Grant River

While we consider Grant River an A+ campground, some campers would downgrade that vote due to the fact of frequent trains running by. Seeing the trains is a neat experience for kids and train aficionados, but the noise of them passing can disrupt what are otherwise a very peaceful nighttime atmosphere.

All along the upper Mississippi River there are railroad tracks with active freight trains running day and night, so one downside of any campground near the Big River are the periodic trains that run overnight.

grant river campground site map
Grant River Camp Site Map

See our list of Best Great River Road RV Campgrounds from Dubuque, Iowa to Prescott, Wisconsin

Links to Nearby Travel and Visitor Attractions:

Indian Pass RV Campground

Indian Pass Campground Beach

RV Campground Review: Indian Pass Campground, Port St. Joe, Florida

Indian Pass is a hook-shaped peninsula, about 3 miles long, jutting out into the Gulf along Scenic Highway 30A between Port St. Joe and Apalachicola.

Indian Pass Campsite
One of the pull-through RV campsites

The Indian Pass Campground is at the very tip of the peninsula adjacent to a portion of the St. Vincent Wildlife Sanctuary and the Boat Ramp and Ferry Dock. There are 34 RV sites with electric, water, and basic cable, plus a handfull of tent sites. There is a bath and shower building, a laundry area, and a modest store in the campground office. Wi-Fi is available at the office and on the porch. The lagoon formed by the peninsula and the adjacent St. Vincent Sound (bordering St. Vincent Island) make the campground popular with kayakers and canoeists. The convenient boat ramp and the protected waters are also ideal for fishermen. While the campground has its own beach, the isolated sand beach bordering the wildlife refuge is a better alternative for sunbathing and swimming.

Indian Pass Beach
The beach across the street at the wildlife refuge.

The Indian Pass community is mostly homes with a few smaller condos with few commercial establishments so there’s not much traffic and being located at the end of the road, the campground is in a very peaceful setting and the extensive beach looking out towards St. Vincent Island is uncrowded and unspoiled.

The campsites in general are well-shaded and mostly level. The sites are arranged in a somewhat crazy-quilt manner oriented around the trees and terrain. I think this adds to the general attractiveness, although it means large units will have trouble accessing some of the sites. But some will easily accommodate larger RV units and some sites are pull-through.

indian pass campground layout
Indian Pass CG Aerial View. Google Maps

Other Nearby Attractions. The nearest bar or restaurant is 3 miles away on Highway 30a at the entrance to Indian Pass. The closest general shopping is in Port St. Joe, 13 miles from the campground. The St. Joseph’s Bay Golf Course (see our review) is 10 miles away and for us a nice bonus as we enjoyed the course very much. Historic Apalachicola, with many notable seafood restaurants, raw bars, galleries and shopping boutiques is 21 miles from the campground.

Gulf Coast Drive Travel Links:

Grayton Beach State Park

grayton beach sunset

RV Campground Review: Grayton Beach State Park With its sugar sand beach being one of the most pristine and uncluttered along the Gulf Coast, Grayton Beach State Park is a very desirable campground along the Scenic Gulf Coast Highway. It is hard to top its beach for swimming, sunbathing and surf fishing. It also borders … Read more

Manatee Springs State Park

manatee springs state park

Campground Review: Manatee Springs State Park, Chiefland, Florida

Manatee Springs is located along the legendary Suwannee River about 6 miles west of Chiefland Florida. It offers swimming, snorkeling, and manatee viewing in its signature warm water spring. Other amenities include hiking/biking trails, canoeing/kayaking, and enjoying its full-service campground (see our review lower down this page)

Manatee Springs
Getting ready to take a swim in the spring

The Spring pool maintains a 72 degree temperature year round which draws in Manatees from the river during the winter months when the temperatures in the river fall, thus the reason the springs are named Manatee Springs. The year round moderate temperature also provides humans swimming, scuba diving and snorkeling recreation year-round.

From the spring pool, about 100 million gallons of cool, sparkling clear, clean water are discharged into the stream that connects to the Suwannee River. The stream and the river provide excellent waters for canoeing and kayaking; both types of water craft are available for rent by the park concessionaire, Anderson’s Outdoor Adventures, who also carries a collection of camping equipment and supplies. Another service is pontoon boat tours of Suwannee River.

manatee springs state park
Boardwalk around the spring pool.
manatee springs boardwalk
Boardwalk to the fishing pier and boat dock on the Suwannee River.
manatee springs fishing
Going fishing from the canoe launch by the spring.

Camp Store & Grill

In the same building as Anderson’s Adventures is a walk-up grill and beverage stand with covered picnic tables and Free Wi-Fi service. So you can sit there have a brew or a burger while surfing the Internet!

manatee springs concession stand
Having a burger and surfing the Internet overlooking the springs

Other types of recreation popular in the park are fishing, hiking, and mountain-biking. There are 8 miles of hiking and nature trails, plus two boardwalk trails. Biking is allowed on most of the hiking trails as well as on the roads running throughout the park. Some ambitious bikers will bike to town on highway 320; we’ve found the road to town relatively less busy so reasonably safe for biking.

manatee springs state park bike trails
Biking on one of the many wooded biking-hiking trails

The Manatee Springs Campground

The campground offers 80 campsites in three camping areas. Most sites are reasonably level and nicely spaced away from adjacent sites. Each of the three camping areas has its own conveniently located washroom and bath house. One of the bath houses we used had heat lamps in the showers, a nice feature if you are showing on a cold morning. There is electricity and water at each campsite and a dump site near the park entrance for emptying your holding tanks. There is no Wi-Fi within the camping area, however there is free Wi-Fi at the concessionaire pavilion near the springs itself.

Cypress Trees line the spring pool and lowland areas near the river, but Oak trees are the major tree species in most of the park. Sweetgum and Ash are also found throughout the woods. The mature trees provide nice shade for the campsites and woodland plants and shrubs provide welcome privacy screening in the campground.

After each campsite is vacated, park service personnel pick up trash, sweep and rake every campsite. Sort of like a good motel has the room swept, sheets changed, bathrooms cleaned, and waste baskets cleaned between stays. We also found good maintenance of the picnic tables and fire rings and the cleaning of the washrooms excellent.

Price-wise, Camping fees at Manatee Springs is middle-level and in our opinion is a very good bargain for the services offered by the park and the high level of good maintenance.

manatee springs state park
Level campsites, electric & water, decent privacy screening.
Manatee Springs Campground Map

Nearby Visitor Attractions

In the village of Chiefland (6 miles away) you can find most every kind of shopping or dining service. Among the attractions of special interest to RVers is a propane fill-up at Wilson Gas and a mobile RV Repair Service. Another Chiefland attraction is only about a mile from the park: a friendly 18 hole golf course – Chiefland Golf & Country Club.

Gulf Coast Beach Town. An easy drive (about 30 miles) is the fun Beach Town of Cedar Key (see our post). The friendly village is built on a collection of gulf islands and offers the expected beach resort attractions such as restaurants, pubs, gift shops, T-shirts shops and the like. Yet is also offers a more homey, laid-back atmosphere than you find in most other gulf beach communities. Beach sunbathing, swimming, deep sea fishing, boat and dolphin-watching tours, shopping boutiques, and excellent sea food restaurants and pubs abound in Cedar Key.

Other Campground Options

strawberry fields rv campground
our rv site at strawberry fields
Our rialta at shell mound campground
our campsite at shell mound county park

There are five other campgrounds or RV parks in the Chiefland area (see our review); our favorite is Strawberry Fields. Another campground in the area we like is the Shell Mound County Park Campground near Cedar Key.

Visitor Attraction Links:

Sunset Ceder Keys Wildlife Refuge
Sunset Cedar Keys Wildlife Refuge – Shell Mound Natural Area Observation Deck

Fall Festival Great River Road

McGregor Fall Arts and Crafts Festival

Attractions in this post: McGregor, Iowa, Pikes Peak State Park, Prairie Du Chien Golf Course

Fall colors were starting to break out along the Mississippi River and a perfect weather forecast for the weekend encouraged Jo and I to head to McGregor, Iowa for their Arts & Crafts fall event.

McGregor Iowa’s Art and Craft Festival, second weekend in October

McGregor Fall Color. Since we were last in McGregor-Marquette area in the fall a few more of McGregor’s historic old buildings have gotten remodeled and some new enterprises now occupying them. The town is full of antique shops, artisan studios, pubs, and gift shops . . . most of them stretched along the main street that runs from the river front up the hill to out of town. Originally settled in 1837 as a ferry boat landing to cross the river to Prairie Du Chien, the community grew fast and was incorporated as a town in 1847. It retains its original river town roots in its grain elevator and dock, which was active with the fall harvest the weekend we were there. But its restored downtown buildings and interesting shops make it a fun place to visit.

McGregor Iowa Antique Shops
One of the many antique shops in “antique” buildings in McGregor
McGregor Iowa mainstreet
Main street McGregor has retained and restored many of its old commercial buildings

Our favorite dining spot, the Beer & Bratz Garden, was closed for a few days due to a death in the family. We missed having a sandwich and Leinie’s on their deck that overlooks the river.  As an alternative, we tried dinner at the Old Man River Brew Pub but we found it disappointing in many respects. So unfortunately no restaurant review here on that establishment. 🙂 The Cafe McGregor looks like a nice place; has an attractive outdoor patio. Have to try them next time we are in town.

McGregor Log Cabiin
A few structures like this log cabin date back to the 1840s and the founding of the town

There were spots of nice color on the hillside behind McGregor but we didn’t find the fall color along the river as we expected. Some trees had lost their leaves while others hadn’t changed much. If the leaves hold on, there still should be some halfway decent color towards the last half of October. Even though we missed peak color, it was still a very nice weekend to be out of doors along the Mississippi doing things whether it be hiking, leaf peeping, or touring the shops and pubs in McGregor and its nearby neighboring towns of Marquette and Prairie Du Chien.

McGregor Iowa
Not quite Peak Color on the hillside behind downtown McGregor

When we are in the area we usually do some hiking at nearby Effigy Mounds National Park as its mature forest offers some great color and it also has some very good scenic overlooks of the river. But the park was closed due to the government financial and political wrangling. This winter we hope to return to do some snowshoeing at the park when it reopens.

Pikes Peak Camping & Hiking

We lucked out and found an vacant campsite at Pikes Peak State Park located on one of the high bluffs above McGregor. Most of the 77 sites offer electrical hookups for Rvs with about a dozen suitable only for tent camping. There is a RV dump station and a clean, modern washroom and bath facility. Once we checked in we found out one reason the park was so full on an October Thursday: very reasonable campsite fees. Amenities include a day use picnic shelter, a well outfitted camp store and concession, some interesting hiking trails, and among the best scenic overlooks of the Upper Mississippi River. It is located only about two miles from town.

Here’s a few pictures of Pikes Peak.

Mississippi River Overlook, Pikes Peak
Looking upstream on the Mississippi River from Pikes Peak. Marquette-Prairie du Chien bridge in the background
Pikes Peak State Park River Overlook
The main scenic overlook of the Mississippi River Valley from Pikes Peak State Park

Prairie Du Chien Country Club Golf Course Review.

While we in the area I took an opportunity to squeeze in nine holes of golf at the Prairie Du Chien Country Club. It’s a nice little course and not too expensive. I will return to do 18 holes next time. Most of the fairways are tree-lined, with some thicker woods bordering some. About 2/3 rds of the holes are rolling hills, some with dramatic terrain changes. A few relatively level holes as well. I walked the course with little trouble. There were some challenging holes but no gimmicks. The fairways were lush and well maintained, the greens in good shape and relatively fast. The clubhouse is old and shows its age, but everything was clean. Has a small pro shop, a dining room and a bar, with an expansive deck overlooking the course. From the blue tees the course runs 6222 yards, with a slope and rating of 69.9/119.

A few pictures of the golf course.

Golfiing at Prairie du Chien
Well manicured fairways were typical of Prairie du Chien Country Club’s golf course
There are some dramatic terrain changes on some holes of the Prairie du Chien golf course

Our Rialta motor home will be soon put to bed for the winter so the next time we are at the Mississippi it will be winter for some snowshoeing.

Happy Trails,

Roscoe

St Croix Falls Interstate Park

St Croix Falls Interstate Park – Fall Color

Scenic view of Interstate Park Gorge of the St. Croix National Scenic River
View of the St. Croix River Gorge from the Summit Rock Hiking Trail. Click image for a larger view

Interstate Park, a cooperative effort of Wisconsin, Minnesota and the National Park Service, is located on the St. Croix Wild and National Scenic River which forms part of the state line dividing the northern part of Wisconsin and Minnesota south of Duluth. It is actually two parks. There is the Wisconsin Interstate Park (St. Croix, Wisconsin) on the east side of the river and the Minnesota Interstate Park (Taylor Falls, Minnesota) located on the west bank. It is located about 60 miles north, along the Great River Road extension from Prescott, Wisconsin. The best route is to cross the river at Prescott and drive along the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River to Taylor Falls.

At Prescott the St. Croix River joins the Mississippi doubling the size of the Great River. At this point the Mississippi River Road leaves the Wisconsin-Minnesota border and heads towards the St. Paul, Minnesota. If you are driving the Great River Road, we recommend continuing along the shores of the St. Croix as it is a more scenic drive and you’ll not see anything as spectacular as the St. Croix River Gorge if you stayed on the Mississippi Road and continued on to St. Paul.

Our favorite season for Interstate Park is fall. The dramatic cliffs and formations of the Dalles of the St. Croix make it an outstanding scenic area. In fall its beauty is supplemented by terrific fall color displays. The St. Croix River Valley with its mixture of oaks, maples, birch, hickory, ash and many other species typical of a northern hardwoods forest provide an abundance of hues of reds, golds, and oranges.

Some Pictures – Click on image for a larger view

Fall color drive in Wisconsin's St. Croix Interstate Park
A scenic fall drive through Wisconsin’s Interstate Park
hiking trail in St. Croix Interstate Park
Walking along a wooded hiking trail in St. Croix Interstate Park
Dalles of the St. Croix River, National Interstate Park
Looking down the Dalles of the St. Croix & the Angle Rock from the Pothole Trail
Angle Rock Bridge St. Croix National Park
A close-up of the The Angle Rock bridge on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix

Interstate Park Recreational and Camping Facilities and Attractions

The parks are open all year. In the winter on the Wisconsin side there are 12 miles of cross-country skiing/snowshoeing trails; on the Minnesota side no x-c trails but they do offer some snowshoeing trails. Other times of the year Wisconsin offers 12 hiking trails totaling about 8 miles, whereas the Minnesota side has 6 trails, some of which include very unique geological formations. The parks are most popular in the summer offering rock climbing, hiking, canoeing and kayaking, fishing, swimming, and camping.

The Wisconsin side has the largest campground sites (2 areas) and has recently added a number of RV electric hookup sitets. The Minnesota park side also offers RV hookups. RV users on the Wisconsin side who “dry camp” will have water and a dump station near the ice age center. See our links at the bottom of the page for maps and other information on recreational and educational attractions offered by the Interstate Parks.



History of St. Croix River

The unique dalles, potholes, and cliffs are the result of several earthquakes and lava flows occuring over eons combined with the thawing, about 10, 000 years ago, of Glacial Lake Duluth. When its massive ice dam (located south of the current city of Superior, Wisconsin near Solon Springs) broke the meltwaters carved out the current St. Croix River valley. Only very resistant basalts from the lava flows were able to partially withstand the torrent and the unique geological formations were the result.

The original waterfalls and rapids which were the original St. Croix Falls are now buried underneath the “lake” created by the St. Croix Hydroelectric Dam located about one half mile north of the bridge. Above the dam the river is wider, more quiet, and lake-like. Below the dam the river runs faster with some rapids.

The outstanding scenery and geological formations led to a joint effort by Wisconsin and Minnesota to preserve the area for the use of the public. Established between 1895 and 1900 it was the nations first cooperative park established by two states. Because the St. Croix River, which divides the two state parks, is part of the National Wild and Scenic River system and the park is also part of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve recreation passes of the National Park Service are honored at Interstate Park. Also each state honors the annual and day pass stickers of the other state. Staying at the northside Wisconsin campground it is only a short hike to the bride to walk across to the nature and hiking trails on the Minnesota side or to downtown Taylor Falls for that matter. If you stay at the Minnesota campground, you may need to drive your car to visit the Wisconsin side as it is a 1.5 mile hike just to get to the bridge.


Another National Parks along the Upper Mississippi River you might enjoy visiting:

Hiking Trails, Scenic Views, Native History Effigy Mounds National Park

Firepoint Overlook, Effigy Mounds National Park
Many great views of the Mississippi River from the bluff top Effigy Mounds hiking and nature trails
visitor center exhibits Effigy Mounds National Park
Kids and Mom enjoying some hands-on exhibits in the Effigy Mounds Visitor Center

See our National Parks Resource page for more ScenicPathways National Parks profiles.

Roscoe

Fall Colors and Scenic Travel in Door County

Sturgeon Bay sunset

Fall Scenic Drives and Interesting Places to visit in Door County Wisconsin

Traveling in Door County catching some great fall colors, visiting Door County’s quaint villages, playing a little golf, and finding who has best hamburgers and sandwiches on the peninsula.

Ephraim, Wisconsin
Along the lakeshore in Ephraim in Door  County Wisconsin

Sunday, October 7th.

While the temps were cool (50 degrees) the sun came out to show off the colors and offer a beautiful day to drive around the peninsula. Our first stop was at Door County Coffee’s Café and Coffee Roasting headquarters, a place we first heard about on Wisconsinmade.com. A great place for breakfast or lunch if fresh roasted gourmet coffee with your meal is an important ingredient. Over 100 coffee blends are available in their company store. In addition they have a pretty decent selection of unique gift items that are fun to browse through even if you are not in the market for gift ideas.

Door County Coffee Company
Door County Coffee Company – Outdoor Patio
Door County Coffee Company
Picking our coffee


Next stop was Egg Harbor’s PumpkinPatch Festival. We found the town in full swing with arts and crafts &tents all about town and all the artisan shops open with specials available. Down by the lakefront music by Big Mouth & the Power Tools playing classic rock and blues and lots of food for the hungry festival goer. Even though I just had breakfast, couldn’t pass up the BBQ roasted corn-on-the-cob.

Egg Harbor
Egg Harbor Pumpkin Patch Festial
Egg Harbor
Pumpkin PATCH Festival, Egg Harbor

Ephraim, Wisconsin

Wilsons Root Beer
Yummy Whitefish sandwich and fries with homemade
Root Beer

We drove through Fish Creek but didn’t stop as our destination was Ephraim, Wisconsin and Wilson’s Old Fashioned Café and Soda Shop. We ate on their screened in porch as the sun was keeping it warm enough.

Others stayed inside in the 1950’s Soda Shop mileau. You’d expect LaVerne and Shirley or Fonzi to walk in any minute. Playing on the authentic juke box were some a selection of Chuck Berry, Elvis, and Beach Boys tunes.

Jo and Donna had the burgers and pronounced them tasty. They came with a generous helping of fries, more than either could handle. Dan had the Reuben Sandwich which came with an extra generous helping of sauerkraut and chips + home made cole slaw. I had the Whitefish Sandwich and it passed the test – hot, not fishy tasting, and not overly breaded. I also had the fries and homemade cole slaw. I couldn’t finish all my meal either. Both Dan and I also had Wilson’s signature old-fashioned draft root beer served in a frosty mug. Beats A&W for sure.

Wilsons Ephraim
Wilson’s Soda Fountain & Cafe, Emphraim, WI
Wilsons Ephraim, WI
Old fashioned booths and juke box at Wilsons

Peninsula State Park

While Dan and I golfed the course at Peninsula State Park, the girls went hiking on some of the trails in the park. (See our golf course review here). The park offers over 10 hiking and nature trails with a variety of terrain, fauna, scenic lookouts and degree of difficulty. The 2 mile Eagle Trail is perhaps the most scenic with 150 feet high cliffs, lookouts over the lake and dense forest but it is also rated as a “difficult hike.” Jo and Donna were looking for a less strenuous outing so they chose to hike the 3 mile Skyline Trail. Beforehand they warmed up on a part of the Vita Course, a 1 mile loop with numerous exercise stations. The park’s camping capacity is huge, offering 468 camp sites, including 101 with electric service for RV camping.

Hiking Trails Peninsula State Park
Along the Skyline Trail at Peninsula State Park
Peninsula Park Hiking
A view of Horseshoe Island from the Skyline Trail, Peninsula Park

After hiking and golfing we returned to our lodging on the waterfront on Sturgeon Bay. That evening a beautiful sunset looking across the bay.

Sunset Sturgeon Bay, WI
Sturgeon Bay Sunset

More Door County Things to See and Do.

Hiking at Whitefish Dunes State Park on the Lake Michigan side of the Peninsula.

More Door County Fall Color Pictures

Here’s a Google Map showing some of the locations we visited during our fall scenic travel tour of Door County and some links to other articles on our Door County visit.

View the complete Door County Travel map in a larger view, with links to various destinations and attractions

Links to more Door County Travel articles

Discover more information on Door County at HelloDoorCounty.com

Traveling the Mississippi River Road

See more articles on the Great River Road In mid-June Jo and I took our niece’s kids on a scenic drive on the Illinois and Iowa section of the Mississippi Great River Road from Galena, Illinois down to the Illinois/Iowa Quad Cities area. Upper Mississippi River Visitor Center We’ve wanted to go to the Mississippi … Read more

La Crosse Boat and Outdoor Show

February 12, 2011 LaCrosse, Wisconsin Great River Road Scenic Byway To break up the winter Jo and I took a drive up to La Crosse, Wisconsin to catch their Boat and Outdoor Show. We also wanted to visit with our friends Burt and Brenda Zwicker of Wabakimi Wilderness Adventures, who had a booth at the … Read more

UP Fall Color Tour – 2

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 Brimley, Michigan – Wild Bluff Golf Course color tour – days 1 & 2 color tour – days 3 & 4 color tour – days 5 & 6 color tour – days 7,8 & 9 During the drive from Grand Marais to Brimley the color change was modest. As we got away … Read more

UP Fall Color Trip -Tahquamenon Falls

lower falls tahquamenon river

Friday, September 24thSault Sainte Marie, Ontario Thursday afternoon after touring the Corps of Engineer’s Soo Locks facility we crossed the International Bridge to the Canadian side. We camped at a nice KOA facility just North of town; Donna and Dan had a nice spacious suite at a hotel in town. It rained all afternoon and … Read more