A father’s dream more than 12 years in the making is being completed after his death by his sons with the opening this spring of Door County’s newest campground a couple miles east of Sister Bay.
Brothers Matt and Chris Hockers are opening the new Camp Door RV Resort & Campground on May 23, the Friday of Memorial Day weekend. It’s a boutique campground (although those who want to rough it in tents are welcome, too) with a rustic feel and 77 sites, and Matt Hockers said Camp Door will distinguish itself from other campgrounds in Door County by the number and types of amenities it offers its guests.
“We want to be different,” he said.
The property where the campground sits is an old apple orchard on land bought years ago by Matt and Chris’ father, Pat, that now has towering evergreens as well. Matt said he and his family planted pine saplings in parts of the property when he and Chris were really young, and now those former saplings are more than 20 years old and more than 20 feet tall.
It was Pat Hockers’ idea to build a campground on that property, Matt said, giving people other than he and his family the chance to enjoy its natural beauty by creating a place for family fun and togetherness.
“He was a very generous person, and he loved the allure of sharing his property,” Matt said.
Pat Hockers moved to Door County from Green Bay when he was about 17 years old, Matt said. Shortly after coming to the Peninsula he bought an excavating company and ran what is now called Hockers Excavating in the town of Liberty Grove for 47 years.
Matt said around 2012, Pat got the idea to build a campground as a family business on the land he owned next to the excavating business. He drew up loose plans for a large campground and presented it to the Liberty Grove Town Board, but he was asked to redraw the plans, at least in part because the campgrounds would be too big.
Matt and Chris were away attending college at the time, and the idea went quiet. But Matt said when he and Chris returned to Door County and the excavating business, they resurrected the idea with their father, this time envisioning a smaller boutique-style campground with plenty of amenities.
This time the idea met with approval from the town, Matt saying the town board was “super-excited” about it, and the Hockers broke ground for the project in 2021 with Matt and Chris joining their father on it.
Unfortunately, with the project well on its way to completion, Pat suffered a major heart attack and died Nov. 9 at age 64. But Matt and Chris, who also run the excavating business with their mother, Jill, as president, are continuing their work to turn their father’s dream into reality.
“Dad was a very generous person to a lot of people,” Matt said. “We want to carry on with that.”
The grounds at Camp Door will hold 77 campsites. Thirty are set aside for campers who are staying the whole season, and Matt said about a third of those already are booked for 2025. While Camp Door is aimed more at tourists who camp in RVs or campers, Matt said several people have reserved sites for tent camping.
The amenities Matt and Chris say will set Camp Door apart from other campgrounds include picnic tables and full 50/30/20-amp and water/sewer hookups at each site; free high-speed Wi-Fi; restrooms; a shower house with in-floor heating and temperature control; a camp convenience store for supplies (including firewood and ice) and other retail items; a fire ring and a covered outdoor patio. The shower house and stores will be in a centralized lodge-style clubhouse, and Matt said they hope to have a bar in place by midsummer.
About 20 acres of the campground is being used for campsites, with another 20 available for hiking trails for those who want to explore nature. Room exists for possible future expansion.
The Hockers brothers are making plans for 2026, too. Matt said they want to add a playground, a pool and year-round cabins, the latter with an eye on having trails for snowshoeing on the grounds (this year, campsites are open until Oct. 28). Also, the pads for RVs and vehicles are gravel this year, but the plan is to pave them with concrete for next year.
The goal for their first year is 50% occupancy including full capacity in all the seasonal sites, Matt said. He feels with their amenities and what he considers an ideal location, they’re well-placed to meet that goal.
“We’re right in the epicenter of Door County,” Matt said. “Sister Bay is one of the hottest towns in Door County.”
Camp Door RV Resort and Campground is at 10663 County ZZ, Sister Bay. For reservations or more information, call 920-673-3116 or visit camp-door.com or the “Camp Door RV Resort & Campground” Facebook page.
