Big Bay State Park
Big Bay State Park
4.5
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Year-round park located on Madeline Island, offering camping, swimming, hiking, fishing and picnicking.
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  • Photowanderer_NWF
    Omaha, Nebraska46 contributions
    Good fall color walk in the park.
    Beautiful, easy walk on the Point Trail to see fall colors and waves of Lake Superior splashing on all manner of rock formations. At certain points you can walk out on the rock outcrops and just sit and listen to the waves coming and going. There were sections at the beginning of the trail that were roped off due to erosion and unstable soils. It is a pricey park since you have to pay for the ferry to get there, plus pay for the park pass (purchased on line). Came here when the boat ride out of Bayfield was postponed due to heavy fog. The beach looked nice, but didn't extend out very far at the time I went. There is a change house next to the bathrooms. Didn't spend any time there because of rain and cool weather. Looks like they have a good campground.
    Visited September 2020
    Written October 5, 2020
  • WIfamilyof7
    La Crosse, Wisconsin43 contributions
    Something Everyone Should Visit At Least Once
    This was a family vacation to Ashland, Bayfield and the Apostle Islands. The ferry ride to the island cost us around $150 (vehicle and all occupants of the Suburban) but I was really looking forward to Big Bay State Park. The entrance is a decent drive from the ferry terminal in LaPointe. I wish the state kept the front gate staffed during the pandemic when use is so high. It seems stupid for all these cars full of families driving into a State Park and most could benefit from a park ranger giving tips and directions. Doesn't seem like it would be that hard to do. At the entrance, go to the left and follow signs to the beach and camping areas. At the beach parking lot there are bathrooms and changing areas. I loved loved loved the beach! So beautiful and large enough to find your own spots. The cliff jumping is down the Bayview trail. Walk past the bathrooms and head towards the stairs tot he beach. Look to the right for the sign for the Bayview Trail. There are a few separate spots to jump into the lake but the best one is pretty much at the end of the 1.3 mile trail. There were older folks and young kids all jumping and it was totally awesome! All our boys jumped and I did too! I think Big Bay is pretty cool. There isn't a ton to do there but the beach and cliffs are supper cool! Something everyone should see at least once.
    Visited August 2020
    Written August 18, 2020
  • AndrewFromMadison
    Madison, Wisconsin3,292 contributions
    Love Apostles!
    Perhaps I am biased, and this park is not so great, since it doesn't have that many trails and features compared with other State Parks. But the views are stunning, the Lake Superior is always beautiful, and ferry ride to Madeline Island is exciting. The park also includes Big Bay Sand Spit & Bog State Natural Area.
    Visited September 2020
    Written February 27, 2021
  • LCGreatorex
    3 contributions
    TOURISTS BEWARE!
    BEWARE... The Wisconsin park system is pulling a sneaky on tourists. They expect you to buy a yearly park pass before entering any parks. The entrance is open, but no one is there to tell you this. I guess they assume everyone looks online before they go, at least that's what the park ranger told us when he handed us a park violation for $38.00 (The annual fee for a park pass) BTW, he was writing out several violations in the parking lot. If they can afford to pay someone for that job, why can't this person give out reasonably priced day passes at the entrance? Parks in Minnesota seem to handle this okay through COVID. Perhaps they need funding for the swanky boardwalk that runs through the park. It's nice, but for the cost of a R/T boat fare and park violation, I would go on a kayak tour instead.
    Visited August 2020
    Written August 6, 2020
  • 381kt
    Madison, Wisconsin155 contributions
    A fun surprise
    After reading these reviews I was prepared to be bored. It was not at all! We hiked 4 miles including on the rocks, the trails, the woods, the beach— even jumped off the cliffs. So much fun here. Better than all the other area hikes
    Visited July 2022
    Traveled as a couple
    Written July 26, 2022
  • WisconsinCheeshead
    Oconomowoc, Wisconsin48 contributions
    Take the time to go to this beach!!!!
    This beach is AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL!!!! This was the last stop on our Apostle Islands vacation and truly one of the best sights in the area. The State Park itself seems very primitive and there are a lot of mosquitos in the woods...which is why I like to stay in hotels rather than campgrounds. However, this beach is one the most beautiful beaches that I have ever experienced. The cold water was clear and the bottom was rocky near the shore and then was soft sand. I also didn't see even one pesky seagull, but the chipmunks might try to creep on your snacks. We visited mid-week and found that is was nearly empty. I would recommend taking a cooler and some snacks or lunch, as there are no vendors in the area. I would also recommend lightweight chairs, if you find sitting in the sand difficult. There are changing rooms and pit toilets near the beach parking lot.
    Visited July 2020
    Written July 27, 2020
  • Theresa W
    Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan6 contributions
    Disappointed
    Nice park, but apathetic staff. The woman who checked people in could barely care less. They shut the water off leaving campers with no toilets and no showers! They only told us when we went to find out what was going on. Signs on the door said out of order. We left 2 days early.
    Visited September 2022
    Written September 30, 2022
  • warrenville111
    1,005 contributions
    A Beautiful Winter Day
    Having come in the winter, we decided to take a trip to Big Bay State Park. It was fairly cold out, so we did the shorter Point-Trail loop. It was quite gorgeous. I can't give it an "excellent" just because the cost to get to the island is heavy. One could definitely plan for a longer hike...in mid-January 2021, there was not a lot of snow. Hiking with yax-trax on standard hiking shoes was fine.
    Visited January 2021
    Written January 22, 2021
  • allifromWI
    West Bend, Wisconsin263 contributions
    Beautiful fall colors & beautiful water
    I was here twice within a year, and would go back again. This is a wonderful park with great, mostly level hiking trails. There are a few rocks & roots here & there, but overall a pretty smooth hiking surface. We went in the fall, and the colors were beautiful! I would definitely go back again.
    Visited October 2021
    Written December 7, 2021
  • dimmetter
    Port Washington, Wisconsin35 contributions
    Beautiful Park
    We loved this state park. You definitely have to get out of your car and explore a little bit. We only went to a couple spots but they were beautiful. There a lot of small trails to get closer to the water. We were able to follow an off road trail to a platform of rocks. We swam and hung out there. Dogs are not allowed on the beaches but are allowed in the park.
    Visited June 2020
    Traveled with family
    Written June 10, 2020
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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LCGreatorex
3 contributions
Aug 2020
BEWARE... The Wisconsin park system is pulling a sneaky on tourists. They expect you to buy a yearly park pass before entering any parks. The entrance is open, but no one is there to tell you this. I guess they assume everyone looks online before they go, at least that's what the park ranger told us when he handed us a park violation for $38.00 (The annual fee for a park pass) BTW, he was writing out several violations in the parking lot. If they can afford to pay someone for that job, why can't this person give out reasonably priced day passes at the entrance? Parks in Minnesota seem to handle this okay through COVID. Perhaps they need funding for the swanky boardwalk that runs through the park. It's nice, but for the cost of a R/T boat fare and park violation, I would go on a kayak tour instead.
Written August 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

381kt
Madison, WI155 contributions
Jul 2022 • Couples
After reading these reviews I was prepared to be bored. It was not at all! We hiked 4 miles including on the rocks, the trails, the woods, the beach— even jumped off the cliffs. So much fun here. Better than all the other area hikes
Written July 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

WisconsinCheeshead
Oconomowoc, WI48 contributions
Jul 2020
This beach is AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL!!!!

This was the last stop on our Apostle Islands vacation and truly one of the best sights in the area. The State Park itself seems very primitive and there are a lot of mosquitos in the woods...which is why I like to stay in hotels rather than campgrounds. However, this beach is one the most beautiful beaches that I have ever experienced. The cold water was clear and the bottom was rocky near the shore and then was soft sand. I also didn't see even one pesky seagull, but the chipmunks might try to creep on your snacks.

We visited mid-week and found that is was nearly empty. I would recommend taking a cooler and some snacks or lunch, as there are no vendors in the area. I would also recommend lightweight chairs, if you find sitting in the sand difficult. There are changing rooms and pit toilets near the beach parking lot.
Written July 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Theresa W
Sault Ste. Marie, MI6 contributions
Sep 2022
Nice park, but apathetic staff. The woman who checked people in could barely care less. They shut the water off leaving campers with no toilets and no showers! They only told us when we went to find out what was going on. Signs on the door said out of order. We left 2 days early.
Written September 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

warrenville111
Warrenville, IL1,005 contributions
Jan 2021
Having come in the winter, we decided to take a trip to Big Bay State Park. It was fairly cold out, so we did the shorter Point-Trail loop. It was quite gorgeous. I can't give it an "excellent" just because the cost to get to the island is heavy. One could definitely plan for a longer hike...in mid-January 2021, there was not a lot of snow. Hiking with yax-trax on standard hiking shoes was fine.
Written January 22, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

allifromWI
West Bend, WI263 contributions
Oct 2021
I was here twice within a year, and would go back again. This is a wonderful park with great, mostly level hiking trails. There are a few rocks & roots here & there, but overall a pretty smooth hiking surface. We went in the fall, and the colors were beautiful! I would definitely go back again.
Written December 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

dimmetter
Port Washington, WI35 contributions
Jun 2020 • Family
We loved this state park. You definitely have to get out of your car and explore a little bit. We only went to a couple spots but they were beautiful. There a lot of small trails to get closer to the water. We were able to follow an off road trail to a platform of rocks. We swam and hung out there. Dogs are not allowed on the beaches but are allowed in the park.
Written June 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robby G C
Toronto, Canada78,235 contributions
Jul 2016 • Couples
We took a one hour stay in Big Bay State Park for 5$. We first turned right. We saw some rocks on Lake Superior, but no sea caves. So went back to the left. Once near the shore we realized this is where we kayaked that day. We had only entered one sea cave, as the water was a bit too tumultuous.

Now we were able to see quite a lot of sea caves from the solid ground. It was fun to explore and see all these sea caves. The view was way better than a moving kayak. At least my pictures were now way better. We kept on looking for more and more sea caves until our time was up. It was fun!

We also saw two places where people jumped into Lake Superior. One told us it was scary at first, but once into the water, although it was cold, it was fun.

We were glad to see so many sea caves. Wow!
Written September 26, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

IowaMum
Des Moines, IA541 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
We visited this State Park for an afternoon while staying on Madeline Island. The long, lazy road into the park is perfect for bike riders and every time we drove it, there were at least a few pairs of people riding to and from the park. The fee for day use of the park is $11 for the day. There is also a smaller fee for just an hour. We parked and did part of the hike along the “cliff”, which was not a rocky cliff, but did have nice views of the beach area. There is a set of bathrooms and changing rooms before the walk to the beach. There is a choice of boardwalk or stairs to the beach. The beach is along a long spit of sand and so there is plenty of space for people. Everyone seems to group near the stairs, however, which is shady in the afternoon. The water is wonderfully cool and there is a sandbar close in to swim out to. Tons of families and kids building sandcastles along the beach. This state park joins the town park at the end of the spit of sand, which is also fun, but has a very steep set of stairs down to the river inlet and sand.
Written August 12, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lori Ann M
Wausau, WI67 contributions
Jun 2016 • Family
We were traveling with our family & my parents (78 & 80). Everyone was able to enjoy the boardwalk trail! It's a beautiful, wood plank trail that goes through a big area with several access points to a beautiful sandy beach. A wonderful "hike" that can be enjoyed by all! Although my parents are highly mobile, this would be a great place to bring someone in a wheelchair or scooter.
Written June 21, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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