Virmond Park stairs, Lake Michigan shore access opens in Mequon

Virmond Park lakefront stairs opens in Mequon

Virmond Park in Mequon held a grand opening Friday, Aug. 18 for a new floating stairway from the top of the park's bluff down to Lake Michigan.

MEQUON, Wis. - Virmond Park in Mequon held a grand opening Friday, Aug. 18 for a new floating stairway from the top of the park's bluff down to Lake Michigan.

Since 2016, officials said Ozaukee County's Planning and Parks Department has been working to improve access to the lakeshore.

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"Here in Ozaukee County, much of our access to Lake Michigan is challenged by 130 clay bluffs, so very hard to traverse that to get down to Lake Michigan," said Andrew Struck, the department's director. "The stairway makes that possible both from a safety standpoint and trying to control access, because we're also trying to protect the natural ecology of the bluff."

The new stairway will be used as a case study to design and construct similar public access points along Lake Michigan where similar bluff conditions pose a challenge.