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Donges Bay Gorge

Donges Bay Gorge Natural Area:  Ablaze in the Golden Season

November 29, 2022  |  Topics: Places

Story and photos by Christel Maass

Somewhat secreted away, I heard about Donges Bay Gorge over the years before I finally set out to find and explore it for myself.  I went for my second visit on a late fall day when the property was lit gold and copper. 

The preserve is tucked between stately Mequon homes on Wildwood Court, just southeast of Donges Bay Road off of Lake Shore Drive.  Behind the parking area for five cars, a trailhead leads into the property.   

A bridge crosses a deep ravine onto the main part of the preserve.
A bridge crosses a deep ravine onto the main part of the preserve.

Now owned by the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust, the 23-acre property was once part of a larger estate belonging to the Herbert Kurth Family.  Jens Jensen, renowned landscape architect and conservationist, created the landscape plans for the property. 

On the north side, a long drive leads to the former bathhouse, designed by prominent Milwaukee architect Thomas Van Alyea in the 1930s, and to the Lake Michigan bluff where the main residence once stood.

The former bathhouse appears through the trees.
The former bathhouse appears through the trees.
Goldenrod gone softly to seed.
Goldenrod gone softly to seed.
Virginia creeper adds a blaze of deep red amid the maple yellows beside the bathhouse.
Virginia creeper adds a blaze of deep red amid the maple yellows beside the bathhouse.
A bench provides a resting place with a view and a cool lake breeze.
A bench provides a resting place with a view and a cool lake breeze.

A more rustic loop trail, Wendy’s Way, skirts the Lake Michigan bluff and meanders through towering white pines and maples, as well as beech and a few other species.  The maples glowed golden and the beech beamed like burnished copper as I wandered, taking in their warmth. 

The path leads toward Lake Michigan blue.
The path leads toward Lake Michigan blue.

Bald eagles have nested above, while songbirds twitter in the understory.  With the lakeside location, these woodlands serve as an important stopover for migratory birds. 

Canopy light.
Canopy light.
Leaves and pine needles atop a mossy log.
Leaves and pine needles atop a mossy log.

The woodland trail passes over humble footbridges and along deep ravines against the southern portion of the property. 

Golden light blazes through the ravines.
Golden light blazes through the ravines.

I took a few laps, dillydallied, taking in and enjoying the season’s offerings—not wanting it to end.

Peeling birch bark.
Peeling birch bark.
Vibrant moss hugs the base of a dying white pine.
Vibrant moss hugs the base of a dying white pine.
Maple leaves snuggle in a frayed log.
Maple leaves snuggle in a frayed log.

The light changed and the lake added a bit of mystery before I departed that Halloween weekend.

Mysterious light.
Mysterious light.

It’s a gorge-ous property—and that’s a bad pun indeed.

For more information about Donges Bay Gorge go to our Find-a-Park page: 

Donges Bay Gorge Natural Area

Christel Maass, a Wisconsin Master Naturalist, loves exploring Wisconsin’s special places, especially discovering surprises not too far from home. Ozaukee Washington Land Trust is a project partner of A Wealth of Nature.