Cause For Fall Colors

Some roads deserve a little more attention than just getting you where you’re going. The Kangaroo Lake causeway is one of them. Water sits close on both sides, the road runs straight toward the trees, and in fall, there’s plenty of reason to enjoy the approach. From above, you can see how narrow that crossing really is, with the lake spreading out around it and autumn color stretching across the horizon.

What catches my attention here is how much changes from one side of the road to the other. On the left, wind draws pale lines across open green water. On the right, patches of aquatic vegetation create darker shapes beneath and along the surface. Ahead, yellows, oranges, and reds mix with trees still holding their green. The causeway gives the photograph a straight line through all those different textures.

Kangaroo Lake is Door County’s largest inland lake, covering roughly 1,156 acres. For all the attention given to Lake Michigan and Green Bay, the inland lakes offer another way to explore the peninsula. Here, you can be a short distance from the big lake and find yourself in a landscape of sheltered water, marshes, and wooded shorelines.

The crossing has been part of that landscape since the late 1800s. According to the Door County Land Trust, the original causeway was a narrow corduroy crossing made from tethered logs. That’s quite a different drive from the paved road we know today. The causeway separates the lake’s more developed southern portion from the northern basin, where extensive wetlands have helped keep much of the shoreline undeveloped.

There’s an even older story behind the water. Kangaroo Lake was once a bay connected to Lake Michigan. Over thousands of years, waves and currents moved sand into place, building dunes that eventually separated it from the larger lake. Heins Creek still carries its water back to Lake Michigan through that sandy strip of land. What looks like a lake tucked into the woods is part of a shoreline that has changed considerably over time.

Nearby, the Kangaroo Lake Nature Preserve holds a special place in the Door County Land Trust’s history as its first preserve. Its trails cross another reminder of the changing landscape: a ridge that once marked the shore of ancient Lake Algonquin. From there, the ground drops roughly 130 feet toward Peil Creek and the lake. It’s a good place to get out of the car and see how much variety fits into this part of Door County.

That variety is what makes the aerial view worth exploring. The road is familiar, but the height reveals shallow areas, vegetation, and the shape of the shore that are harder to appreciate while crossing. Fall adds another layer, making individual trees stand out across a forest that might read as mostly green in summer.

I like a view that makes me curious about what’s farther down the road. This one gives you water on both sides and a whole hillside of color ahead. A pretty good argument for taking the scenic route.

All prints are of museum quality and printed in The USA. Canvas Prints are wrapped around a hardwood frame to prevent long-term wrapping and utilize a 0.75" thick wrap. Metal Prints are glossy, vibrant, and of course are ready to hang.  These prints make a statement and bring Door County home to your wall.