Potawatomi State Park

The federal government claimed this land in 1834 for a quarry operation, then held it as a strategic reservation overlooking Sturgeon Bay and Green Bay for nearly a century. In 1928, Wisconsin purchased 1,046.10 acres from the federal government and opened it as a state park. The park takes its name from the tribe that inhabited these shores when Europeans arrived — the Potawatomi called themselves Bo-De-Wad-Me, "keeper of the fire."

Today the park covers 1,225 acres of rolling upland terrain edged by steep slopes and limestone cliffs along Sturgeon Bay. It marks the eastern terminus of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail — meaning the entire length of that trail begins, or ends, here. Two miles of water frontage on Green Bay opens the park to boating, canoeing, and fishing. Come for the trails. Stay because the name on the sign carries a history worth knowing before you walk.