Rock Island State Park (Wisconsin)

Geobox|Protected area
name = Rock Island State Park
category = Wisconsin State Park
category_iucn = V


image_caption = Icelandic Boathouse in Rock Island State Park.
etymology_type = Named for
etymology = Rock Island
country = United States
country_

state = Wisconsin
state_

state_type = State
region_type = County
region = Door
city_type = City
location = Washington
lat_d = 45
lat_m = 24
lat_s = 57
lat_NS = N
long_d = 86
long_m = 49
long_s = 10
long_EW = W
area_unit = acre
area_imperial = 912
area_round = 1
established = 1965
map_locator = Wisconsin


management_body =Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Rock Island State Park is a 912 acre (3.69 km²) Wisconsin state park located on Rock Island, off the tip of the Door Peninsula in Lake Michigan. The only public transportation to the island is by the passenger ferry "Karfi" from Washington Island. However, there is mooring/dock space for people with their own boats, and during winter, the island is accessible via snowmobile and foot traffic. No "wheeled vehicles" (cars, all-terrain vehicles, bicycles, etc.) are allowed to be brought onto the island by visitors (although park staff use them routinely).

Attractions include the stone Viking boathouse and other structures built by inventor Chester H. Thordarson, Native American artifacts, as well as Potawatomi Lighthouse (Wisconsin's oldest lighthouse). The island is a popular destination in the fall for deer hunters and in the winter for snowmobilers from nearby Washington Island. The park has campsites available and is a destination for daytrippers.

External links

* [http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/parks/specific/rockisland/ Rock Island State Park] official website
* [http://uniontel.net/~cmarlspc/ Friends of Rock Island State Park]