Washington Island Ferry Line (Northport to Washington Island)

Death's Door is not a metaphor. Early French explorers named this strait for the shipwrecks it collected, and the name stuck — it now belongs to a county, a peninsula, and the daily crossing that connects Washington Island to the rest of Wisconsin. The Washington Island Ferry runs year-round from Northport Pier, carrying passengers, vehicles, and bicycles across to a 22-square-mile island that roughly 700 people call home. For them, this isn't a scenic ride. It's the road.