Newport State Park — Attraction in Town of Liberty Grove

Stumbled on this little gem in Door County -- An internationally designated "Dark Park" (no light pollution from cities -- I wish I had brought my binoculars.) Go after 10pm in summer (no moon) the Night Sky is truly amazing and beautiful. Watch celestial objects rise above the horizon over Lake Michigan. Park in the parking lot 3, short 100m walk on a paved trail to the beach... (try to limit flashlights /phone lights) to respect others and not ruin your night vision. Want to go back and bike the trails.

Update: August 2025: This still remains one of my favorite parks. We did go back and bike the trails,we did get to bike some but unfortunately due to some storm damage a large portion of the trails (south of lot 3) were closed. So we didnt get to do those, but we'll have to come back and try again. I guess the third times a charm? While biking, this is the second time in my life I've ever experienced "true silence" (the first time was Heart of the Forest trail in Olympic National Park). It's amazing. The [north] trails are nice, about a mile in the trails do get more rustic with more rocks and tree roots, etc. Better suited to mountain/fat tire bikes. Hybrid style [what I have] was ok but it was a rougher ride than what I am accustomed to - not complaining, just observing. We also went back at night - we got lucky again as it happened to be a New Moon, and all I can say is: Even as a one who dabbles in astronomy occasionally - you forget just how enchanting the night sky is. I've added a photo of the center of the Milky Way, taken with just an iPhone.. no...

Great park if you like minimal development. I visited for the dark skies as an amateur astronomer. I would recommend visiting the main viewing area by the beach. The area obviously has a reputation for a dark sky, and was quite popular after dark while I was there in early July. Everyone I visited with was from areas with major light pollution, and wanted to see the stars and the milky way. As an amateur astronomer, this brought me great joy to have people appreciate the night sky. The only problem this creates is that visitors bring too much light with them. Eyes really need 20-30 minutes of no light to begin to appreciate the dark sky. When I was there, people were constantly turning on flashlights and cell phones, ruining everyone's night vision. Perhaps some more signage or outreach is needed to remind/educate visitors that they should not use anything other than a red flash light to guide their way, and then only when necessary. I am sure other areas of the park or the hike in areas don't have this problem. However, area three by the beach was the only that I found to offer a broad vista of the night sky. I did thoroughly enjoy my time at Newport. Make sure you show up late and allow plenty of time. The good viewing in the summer doesn't start until well after 10 pm. I couldn't give the area 5 stars, only because of the mosquitoes. Come prepared with repellant with a high percentage of Deet, and practically...

Did some camping towards the end of February 2024. We only explored the southern end of the park. Stayed at site 11, which is right off the shore and the trail. It's not incredibly private, but a nice site regardless. There's a decent pad area, good for 2-3 small tents. A few trees suitable for hammocks. Exposed pit toilet with modest privacy wall, no TP provided.

We also visited other sites in the area. Site 12 was very private with beach/shore access, but also exposed to the wind. Site 13 was back a bit further into the woods and did not have shore access. Similar toilet situations to site 11.

Sites 8, 9, and 10 all share a single enclosed outhouse/pit toilet. I believe all have shore access. Site 8 seemed to be the most secluded, with a wide space available.

All of the sites we saw had their own bear boxes and metal fire rings with grill/grate.

The park offers tons of trails to explore. The dedicated hiking trails were full of rocks/roots, but no major elevation changes. The biking/hiking trails were mostly wide and flat, very easy to walk.

The park office wasn't staffed during our visit, but open for access to the bathroom and water fountain. They also had some carts available for transporting gear to our site. We saw very mild foot traffic during the day, but it was cold. I didn't see any available fire wood for sale on site. But there was plenty of deadfall to use, or local residents selling bundles outside...