Whitefish Dunes State Park is a 867acre state park of Wisconsin, United States, on the eastern shore of the Door Peninsula. This day-use park preserves the most substantial sand dunes on the western shore of Lake Michigan. The remains of eight successive prehistoric Native American villages are on the National Register of Historic Places as Whitefish Dunes-Bay View Site.HistoryFrom 100 B.C. to the later 1800s there is evidence of early settlers. The North Bay people occupied the area from 100 B.C. to A.D. 300, leaving pottery in the dunes. Their descendants, the Heins Creek people, then occupied the area. In the Late Woodland period, there were two occupations: a group settling there from A.D. 800-900, and the Oneota, who arrived around A.D. 900. In the early 1800s, fishing camps were established in the area, including one by New Englander James Pearson Clark. Maritime trade began to grow.RecreationRecreational activities at Whitefish Dunes include hiking, fishing, canoeing, boating, and swimming. There are several picnic tables located throughout the park and shelters to rent. During the winter there is skiing and snowshoeing.The Whitefish Dunes Nature Center features exhibits about the ecology, geology and cultural history of the park. The center is open year-round. There are programs offered for children and adults to learn about the park's natural history and cultural history. Naturalists are available to answer questions as well as give tours.
