Toft Point State Natural Area
8380 Ridges Rd.
Baileys Harbor , WI
Attraction, Outdoor Activities, Parks & Nature Preserves, Hiking, Nature Preserves
Summary
Toft Point contains several outstanding native plant communities concentrated on a 1-mile-wide peninsula along Door County’s Lake Michigan coast. The natural area is bordered on the north by Moonlight Bay, and on the south by Baileys Harbor. There are more than two miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, with areas of wave- cut dolomite cliffs. Stretches of limestone cobble beach, mixed with marly soil, are exposed during periods of low lake levels. The natural area provides habitat for more than 440 vascular plant species and one of the most diverse bryophyte (mosses and liverworts) floras in the state. Toft Point, along with the adjacent Ridges Sanctuary, contains many area- sensitive bird species including seventeen species of nesting warblers. The site is named for Kersten Toft who received the land as compensation for his work at a limestone quarry nearby. Remaining on site is an historic kiln, which is the state’s best intact example of the early circular kilns.
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Driving directions
From the intersection of State Highway 57 and Ridges Road on the north end of Baileys Harbor, go east on Ridges Road about 1.4 miles, then north on an access lane at fire number 8380 to a parking area. Or, continue southeast on Ridges Road 1.1 miles, then east on Point Drive 1.2 miles to its end.
