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Harrington Beach State Park

Adventure places you routinely drive by

Have you ever driven past a park or place time and time again on the way to other adventures? This happens to me all the time, and I have on numerous occasions finally stopped at some of these places. I have never been disappointed.

Big South Fork, Rock Cut State Park, and Volo Bog are three examples of places I have finally stopped at after passing them by on the highway for 20 or more years. These three places are now staples for local and faraway adventure.

Gorgeous colors at Harrington Beach State Park

On the way to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, I once again stopped at a place I have passed many times. This time the place was Harrington Beach State Park. I have countless times driven north from Milwaukee towards Green Bay in Wisconsin and have never stopped at the many places available along Lake Michigan.

Quick stop for a hike and Harrington Beach State Park

I wanted to stop and stretch my legs in order to break up my 7 hour drive to the Upper Peninsula. I had hit some bad traffic in Milwaukee. I felt a little frayed, and I decided a quick walk along a Lake Michigan beach a great way to unwind.  The sun was setting, so I hoped the lighting would be interesting. The sun would not be setting over the lake obviously since I was on the west side of Lake Michigan, but I was thinking that the colors might be pleasant due to the reflection of the sun on the lake.

A Lake Michigan beach is a great place to stretch the legs

Harrington Beach State Park

The best part of the plan was the proximity of the park to the Interstate. It was only a mile or two east of I-43 at the 107 Belgium, Wisconsin exit. In less than 10 minutes my car was parked along a short trail to the lake. I made a beeline to the beach and the sight was quite stunning. I walked for about a half hour up and down the beach admiring the view, and I was the only person enjoying the sunset.

It almost looks like the sun is setting in the east

I definitely would love to camp here and spend a day or two some weekend, which is quite feasible since it is only a little more than two hours from Chicago. Besides the beach, there seemed to be a larger network of trails inland and a campground. I will be back.

Next time you find yourself driving down I-43 between Milwaukee and Green Bay, be sure to check out Harrington Beach State Park for even just an hour. It was well worth it. Also, next time you are in your neck of the woods heading towards your own adventure, try stopping at a place you have never visited before.

One last look at Harrington Beach State Park – I will return

There are fees for any Wisconsin State Park.  See this post for detailed information on camping, entrance, and trail fees.

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The goal of Traveling Ted is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips on where and how to go. If you liked this post then enter your email in the box to get email notifications for each new entry. Daily travel photos are excluded from your email in order to not flood you with posts. There is no spam and email information will not be shared. Other e-follow options include Facebook (click on the like box to the right) or twitter (click on the pretty bird on the rainbow above).

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