Clay Banks 2026 08

This week my kids wanted to do a family hike. They wanted to go to Witches Gulch in the Dells. However, after finding out that the ferry to the island was expensive, Witches Gulch would have to wait for another day. Instead we chose to go to a trail my wife and I had attempted to hike twice already. That was Legacy Nature Preserve at Clay Banks.

Key Features

• Protected Acreage & Shoreline: Managed by the Door County Land Trust, the preserve encompasses 91 protected acres and features over one-half mile of undeveloped, pristine Lake Michigan shoreline.
• Ice Age Glacial Features: The site is bisected by a steep bluff that marks an ancient Lake Michigan shoreline from the last Ice Age. Evidence of glacial activity includes smooth, rounded pebbles transported from as far away as Canada and large glacial erratic boulders made of non-native rock.
• Distinct Red Clay Bluffs: The preserve and surrounding township derive their name from prominent red clay banks that line the coast. Historically, these vibrant outcroppings served as a vital natural landmark for ships navigating between Milwaukee and Sturgeon Bay.
• Diverse Ecosystems: Within its borders, the preserve connects several distinct natural habitats: open native meadows, hardwood forest, a cedar wetland with a cedar-tree tunnel, a meandering stream, and a shore consisting of both sand and pebble beaches.
• Historical Maritime Hazard: The waters immediately offshore feature shallow reefs, rock ledges, and submerged boulders. These hazardous conditions contributed to numerous shipwrecks in the 19th century, several of which remain submerged off the preserve’s coast today.
• Lost Lumber Village: Near the site stood the 19th-century settlement of Clay Banks, a bustling lumber town that featured a sawmill, schools, multiple post offices, and what was then the longest pier in Door County.
• Trail Network & Boardwalks: A mowed loop trail approximately 1.3 miles long leads visitors through the meadow, down the bluff, and through cedar wetlands via wooden boardwalks that protect the delicate wetland floor.
• Wildlife Refuge: The rich mosaic of ecosystems supports diverse wildlife, including nesting bald eagles, migratory shorebirds, butterflies, and several rare species of native wildflowers such as wild bergamot and goldenrod.
• Invasive Species Prevention: The trailhead is equipped with boot brushes, which visitors are encouraged to use to clean off seeds and prevent the spread of non-native invasive plants into the preserve.
• Public Land Access: Established through a bargain sale by land donors Nancy and Susan Kreuter alongside support from public conservation grants, the preserve is free and open to the public year-round for hiking, birdwatching, and nature photography.

Review

So after church on Sunday we jumped into the SUV and headed to Algoma. The nature preserve is about halfway between Algoma and Sturgeon Bay. I chose to go through Algoma though because it’s shorter and part of the drive is along the shore of Lake Michigan.

After a hour and a half drive to the nature preserve we jumped out of the car and raced down the trail. Just kidding, we were all hungry and a little sore from being packed into our small SUV.

My wife had packed a picnic lunch but there was no place to sit and eat. Two of our kids, 20 and 18 years old, sat in the back of our SUV while my wife, youngest daughter and I stood in the parking lot eating off of our small travel cooler. While we ate, I took the first video linked from Youtube on this post.

Finishing our lunch we decided to get ready to go. I strapped the GoPro on my wife and started to take some pictures of the entrance.

The nature preserve has three different meadows full of wild flowers. The first near the parking lot on top of the Clay Banks bluff. Where the bluff drops away there is a line of trees separating the high meadow from the middle meadow. Then a line of cedar marsh divides the middle meadow and the beach side meadow.

The trail forms two loops, one that runs along the bluff drop off and then back along the bottom of the drop off. A connecting trail splits off the lower section of this first loop and leads through the cedar marsh. And the second loop wanders around the lakeside meadow. There is also a short connection to the beach.

We started out on the trail keeping to the higher meadow, walking on the grassy trail that slowly got wilder as we ventured. It seemed as though not as many people walked this section of the trail. Or the wildflowers grew faster there then elsewhere on the path.

All of the trails seemed to be either mowed trails or heavily trafficked pathways through the wild flowers. Butterflies, Dragonflies, and song birds flew around us as we walked. A turkey vulture soared high above us.

When we reached the trail connecting the loops we started down to the cedar marsh. Here we found a tunnel lined with a boardwalk through the dense stand of trees. We slowly made our way along the boardwalk until the trees thinned out and we reached the lakeside meadow.

Large dragonflies measuring an inch to three inches in length flew around us as we hiked. This lower loop led us almost immediately to the lake.

The lake shore here is sandy but full of pebbles. Larger boulders are strewn about in the surf. We were even able to see some kind of animal on one of the boulders further out. As I walked along the beach I could see that it was a cormorant. He stood on his boulder stretching his wings out as if to warn others that he was the king of this boulder.

After spending some time walking up and down the beach we decided to continue our hike. We finished the lower loop and walked back through the cedar tunnel. This time we recorded our way through the tunnel which I will share at the end.

Returning to the upper loop and then to the parking lot we finished our hike. I took one more static video of the field of wild flowers and the crickets chirping. We got into our car and started the long drive home.

The Nature Preserve at Clay Banks was a fun little hike. Far out of the way tucked in a corner of Door County that many people will never visit. If you’re looking for an out of the way hike this would be a good one. I will warn you though it is not an easy hike. A few sections of the path would be challenging for the mobility impaired.

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