The Ridges Sanctuary

Beautiful boardwalk that meanders through. I enjoyed hearing a variety of birds and a great egret even landed in one of the marsh areas while I was visiting. Unfortunately, the visitor center was closed for a staff training when I arrived. I’ll be back!

A very very memorable and amazing visit. The 2hr drive north in pretty decent snow was well worth the visit today! Such a very friendly and knowledgeable guide for our tour today! I forgot her name. The snow falling and snow already on the ground made for a magical visit. Learning about the formations, wildlife, and history sure makes you appreciate this gem in our amazing state. Looking forward to visiting when the seasons change to see all the blooming flowers and different wildlife we heard so much about. Although the winter hike was pretty dang cool too!! The main building is also beautiful and has a TON of information in it. I'm honestly still in awe from our visit. Loved everything about it, and we will be back!! Plan and visit and support the heck out of this amazing place!!!

Parking is really strange. There’s multiple parking lots in different areas but google can’t find any of them and there’s no signs posted on the roads. Apparently you have to use Waze or Apple Maps to find them. I dropped one star for the parking headache. Other than the parking it was a nice relaxing hike through the ridges. We didn’t do a guided hike or anything, we just enjoyed the trails ourselves. The boardwalks really helped because it can get pretty swampy in some areas. The Range Lights were interesting and there were a couple of tour guides giving a brief overview of everything. We saw some wildflowers and heard lots of birds on our hike. There weren’t any bugs out yet thankfully.

We took a guided tour yesterday and it was very informative. We learned a great deal about the sanctuary and its history. We love winter hikes anyway. Lasted almost two hours and it was well worth the time and very reasonable expense. We plan on coming back when it's warmer for a self-guided tour.

This is a nice place to take my parents. My mom is in a wheelchair chair and the boardwalk is so easy to navigate. The main parking lot is easy to find on the highway at the edge of town.

$5 entry. No dogs. Beautiful beach. 2 lighthouses. Lots of boardwalks— a great little trail system!!

I come from hot weather country down south and it was such a pleasure to be able to have a beautiful hike in the middle of August and not die from the Heat. There are so many interesting features about this place. You must read all of the signs and literature and you will find it quite unique. I just loved the experience. It only costs $5 to enter. What a wonderful half-day experience.

One of my favorite places to walk on a drizzly day. The cedar trees help protect from the rain.

There is a $5 entrance fee. They have beautiful gardens around the office. We hiked the ridges & swales and out to the range lights. It was well worth the $5 per person entrance fee. They have a very nice trail system! Bring bug spray though!

Just a quick 2021 update! Please also see my previous review. On our most recent visit in September of 2021, all of Door County was more crowded than usual for mid-September and so we weren't surprised to find the parking lot by the new visitor center completely full. We went around the corner to the old, now unmarked, parking area and found the signs to the trails were still there! Yay! We assumed it was still OK to park here, and the signs provided some reassurance. The park is as peaceful as ever, and they have now finished the restoration of one of the lighthouses and are letting visitors in. The late fall wildflowers were lovely. Don't miss this peaceful place for a woodsy walk in Door County.

This is a wonderful boreal forest. It's beautiful & has so many different & some rare species of plants, flowers, insects. All because of glacial movement a very long time ago. I took a guided hike. My guide, Bill, is freaking awesome!! He's a retired school teacher & gave us so much information, had so much enthusiasm over all of it. My kids tell me I've apparently been inspired by Bill with the animation I was talking about my hike. Lol. I would recommend anyone go do your own hike or take a guided one with Bill if you want the history. It's worth it!

This is a truly wonderful place! Every season is special in some way. I'm worried about the low water levels...

Such a beautiful place for a walk! The history and sights are well worth the $5 to use the trails!

5++ for me! This place is exquisite! I've been here twice now and it is great. The new visitor center is STUNNING! Great interpretive displays, visually appealing building, gift shop has lots of cool things, and sustainable initiatives (LEED certification, permeable pavement for parking lot, etc.) The real draw to the place of course is the nature trails and wildlife. It is home to a huge array of wild and endangered native orchids which, when in bloom, are stunning! It's also home to lots of other wildflowers (carnivorous Pitcher Plants!), songbirds, frogs, deer, etc and is a very unique ecosystem in the state. The trail map is easy to follow and the well-kept boardwalk areas are easy for anyone to walk (including wheelchairs for a nice stretch) while the more rustic trails are also easily walkable. The lighthouse is small but very picturesque. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. As a person with a degree in Environmental Education/Interpretation, I have of course visited many nature centers, state parks, wildlife preserves, sanctuaries, etc and I would rank this in my Top 10 best natural places...and I've done eco-tourism all over Wisconsin, throughout the US and in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Costa Rica, so that is saying something!

What a pleasant surprise! I am so glad my husband and I came out to the Ridges Sanctuary for this peaceful, romantic luminaria-lit walk. We weren't 100% sure what to expect - but this holiday event is definitely worth a visit. Because of the current landscape, the socially-distanced outdoor stroll with snow lazily falling and owls softly hooting was a magical way to get out in nature. My favorite part was the light house - we would definitely love to come back and check out some of their other events too!

This is a beautiful and relaxing place to visit. The trail options are very flexible so you're never locked into one that's too long/difficult. The trails are very easy to navigate except for the occasional boardwalk spot that's a bit slippery after rains. The geography of the area is unique and interesting. One thing to note that is quite confusing for a first visit is that the "trail map" you are given at the visitor center doesn't include the "boardwalk" area between the guest center and the lighthouses. It only has the trails beyond that. You will be fine and navigate easily if you realize the boardwalk area isn't on the map and don't try to look for it on there. I usually hate gift shops, but I LOVE the Ridges one! No junk here. A multitude of guides for identifying birds, flowers, trees, etc. including regional flora and fauna. I look forward to returning to the Ridges in the spring to see the beautiful ephemeral wildflowers, including many orchids!

Came out of town for a weekend and saw the guided winter hike on a list of things to do. My boyfriend and I were the only ones on the tour (plus our AWESOME guide Jane.) and we absolutely loved it (16 degrees and all!) Highly recommended for a small $8.00. Everyone at the center is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the area.