Narrow dirt trail winding through tall meadow grasses and shrubs at dusk, with a pastel sunset sky over Legacy Preserve at Clay Banks

Guided Hike

Hiking into History: Discovering the "Ghost Port" of Clay Banks

Thursday, September 3, 2026 9:00 am - 11:00 am

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It took place on September 3, 2026. Below is what we shared.

Narrow dirt trail winding through tall meadow grasses and shrubs at dusk, with a pastel sunset sky over Legacy Preserve at Clay Banks
© Jim Perry

Join us for a one-mile guided hike at Legacy Nature Preserve at Clay Banks to explore the rise and fall of a Door County “ghost port.” Learn how landforms, massive timber, and shoreline access shaped early settlement, industry, and survival on this rugged frontier. Discover why shipwrecks rest just offshore and experience the preserve as it looked more than 165 years ago.

Program Leader

Kris Smith

Legacy Preserve at Clay Banks

About This Preserve

Legacy Preserve at Clay Banks

This 91-acre preserve offers nearly 3,000 feet of undeveloped Lake Michigan shoreline, dramatic clay bluffs formed in the Ice Age, and a landscape rich with grassland birds, shorebirds, and rarely encountered wildflowers.

91 acres1 mi of trailsTown of Clay Banks

Terrain

EasyNatural surface

Accessibility

beach

What You'll See

ForestShorelineGrasslandWetlandlake-accessclay-bluffsshipwrecksScenic overlook

Facilities

🅿️ Parking
Explore full preserve details

Our Business Members

The Door County Land Trust sincerely thanks the following businesses for their support. Please thank them for helping protect Door County's exceptional lands and waters when you patronize their businesses.

Platinum Members

Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant & Butik
Dave's Tree Services
Door County Ice Cream Factory & Sandwich Shoppe
RBC Wealth Management - David Harris
Brian Frisque Surveys Inc
Main Street Market - Egg Harbor

Gold Members

Door County Medical Center
Blacksmith Inn on the Shore
Godfrey & Kahn
White Gull Inn

Silver Members

Alibi Marina
Door Born
Jack and Jill Landscape Co
Pinkert Law Firm LLP
Waterfront Restaurant
Dromhus
Kick Ash

Bronze Members

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