Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Beach
Sturgeon Bay, WI
Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Beach sits where the canal cutting across the Door Peninsula meets Lake Michigan, in the Sturgeon Bay Canal Recreation Area and nature preserve. The sandy shoreline looks out at the canal's red pierhead lighthouse and the long breakwater. Freighters and pleasure boats pass in and out of the canal all summer.
A lighthouse, a breakwater, and boat traffic to watch, though the beach itself is modest.
How we score beachesWalk out the breakwater toward the pierhead light on a calm day, and watch for boats coming through the canal.
Parking at the canal recreation area.
A short walk from parking to the sand; the breakwater is uneven.
The open lake here stays cooler than the bay into midsummer. Stay off the breakwater when waves are washing over it.
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