Wisconsin author Babs Smith publishes ultimate kayaking guide for Door County

A new insider’s kayaking guide by Wisconsin author Babs Smith shares some of the best ways to discover Door County

Babs Smith is a Wisconsin-based writer who saw a need for information on where to go and what to see when kayaking around Door County. So, she decided to write a book about it!

The Appleton woman says the journey started when she retired as an occupational therapist and took up kayaking with her brother. 

“We decided to kayak all around Door County. It’s really hard to find information on where you can land that is public,” Smith says. “So, I said, ‘Somebody should write a book about this.’ And my brother, who is 6-feet tall patted me on the head and said, ‘Do it!’ And I said, ‘I will!’”

And due to Smith’s interest, information about many shipwrecks are being added to the Lake Michigan Water Trail. 

“I kept calling the Wisconsin Archeology Department and asking for more information about this shipwreck or that shipwreck,” Smith explains. “Those at the department wanted to know how I was looking at these shipwrecks. I told them by kayak. and they responded by saying they never thought of that.”

Smith’s writing process always starts with a kayak trip. Once she gets home she starts to create the story.

“Silly things. Everything dumb that we did, everything we discovered,” Smith says.

And she adds a third book is in the works.

“Right now, I am working on circumnavigating all the way around Green Bay. We only have Big Bay to finish and then crossing off all the islands,” Smith says. “And then I need to make this information into a book. Sometimes that’s the hardest part.”

Her books Day Tripping: Kayak Wisconsin Door County Peninsula: Bluffs, Beaches, Lighthouses & Shipwrecks and Kayak Wisconsin: Lake Michigan Water Trail from Sturgeon Bay to Chicago can be found online on Amazon and other websites.