Plum Island Lighthouse sits in the waters of Lake Michigan off the tip of the Door County Peninsula in northeastern Wisconsin. Because it is offshore and cannot be reached by car, it remains one of the more adventurous lighthouse destinations in Door County.
For many visitors, Plum Island is more of a place to admire from the water than a quick roadside stop. Reaching it takes a little planning, but that extra effort is part of what makes it memorable. Between the lighthouse, historic Coast Guard buildings, shoreline habitat, and wildlife, Plum Island feels wilder and more remote than many of Door County’s better-known landmarks.
How to Visit Plum Island
Plum Island is part of the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge and is open seasonally for hiking, wildlife observation, and photography. The island is open from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend during daylight hours only.
Access is only by private boat, kayak, or commercial operator. Refuge rules note that private boats must dock on the outside of the breakwater, and activity on the island is limited to designated mowed trails and beach areas.
Getting There from Washington Island or by Boat
If you are interested in seeing Plum Island, a good starting point is Washington Island. In my Washington Island post, I share how to reach Washington Island by ferry from the Door County mainland. From there, kayakers and boaters can continue toward Plum Island.
If you own a boat, that is another way to reach the island. We traveled by boat from Green Bay to Rock Island and explored several islands along the way before continuing toward Fayette, Michigan. Plum Island makes an especially interesting stop if you enjoy combining boating, history, and photography.
What You’ll Find on Plum Island
Plum Island is small, but it holds quite a bit of history. The property includes a historic lifesaving and navigation station, shoreline habitat, and trails that let visitors experience the island on foot. Its mix of lighthouse history and rare coastal habitat is part of what makes it so distinctive within Door County.
Because of its size, Plum Island can feel both manageable and remote at the same time. It is one of those places where the lighthouse is only part of the draw — the setting matters just as much.
Wildlife on Plum Island
Because Plum Island is part of the Green Bay National Wildlife Refuge, much of the island is protected habitat for birds, wildlife, and rare plants. One of the things that makes Plum Island especially rewarding is the wildlife. The refuge protects rare forest and coastal habitats, and the island serves as both a place for wildlife to live and an important stopover for migrating birds.
Double-crested Cormorants
Double-crested cormorants are one of the colonial waterbirds associated with the refuge islands. On nearby Pilot Island, the refuge notes a large nesting colony of double-crested cormorants, and visitors exploring the waters around Plum Island may spot them flying low over the lake or resting along the shoreline.
Cormorants are easy to recognize by their dark bodies, hooked bills, and habit of spreading their wings open to dry after diving.
White-tailed Deer
White-tailed deer are also part of the island landscape. The refuge manages deer on Plum Island through a nuisance deer control program, noting that overbrowsing can affect forest regeneration and understory plant communities.
Birds of Plum Island
Plum Island lies within an important Lake Michigan migration corridor. The refuge describes the islands as vital stopover habitat for migrating raptors, songbirds, and waterfowl, which makes the area especially interesting during spring and fall migration.
The refuge also notes that the surrounding refuge islands support colonial nesting birds including herring gulls, great blue herons, black-crowned night herons, great egrets, white pelicans, and double-crested cormorants. Bald eagles are known to actively nest on Plum Island itself, and many visitors watch for them along the shoreline and in tall perimeter trees.
If you enjoy birdwatching, Plum Island and the nearby refuge waters can be a rewarding place to look for both nesting waterbirds and migrants moving along the Door County shoreline.
Rare Plants on Plum Island
Plum Island is botanically significant because the refuge confirms that the federally threatened dwarf lake iris is found on the island. This rare Great Lakes wildflower grows in select shoreline habitats and blooms in late May and early June along limestone shorelines.
If you would like to see dwarf lake iris in Door County without traveling by boat, one of the best places to visit is The Ridges Sanctuary in Baileys Harbor, where protected trails pass through habitat where the plant naturally grows.
The refuge also describes Plum Island as containing rare forest and coastal habitats, including coastal fens and alvars, which help support unusual plant communities in this part of Lake Michigan.
Why Plum Island Lighthouse Is Worth the Effort
Plum Island Lighthouse is not one of the easiest lighthouses in Door County to visit, but that difficulty is part of what makes it memorable. You have to plan for it. You have to want to go. And when you do, you are rewarded with more than a lighthouse — you get shoreline views, history, wildlife, and the feeling of being out somewhere a little less touched by crowds.
For visitors who enjoy adventure, boating, kayaking, birdwatching, lighthouse photography, or remote Great Lakes places, Plum Island is one of the most interesting stops in the region.
Door County’s Lighthouse Collection
There are 11 lighthouses on the Door County Peninsula, though some are much easier to reach than others.
You can also explore the Baileys Harbor Range Lights, Cana Island, Sherwood Point, Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal North Pierhead Light, Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Light, Chambers Island, Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, Old Baileys Harbor Lighthouse, Plum Island Front Range Light, Pilot Island Lighthouse, and Pottawatomie Lighthouse.
If you enjoy lighthouse travel in Wisconsin, Plum Island is one of the more unusual and rewarding places to add to your list.