Very nice short paved hike and unique historic site. Paradise Springs is a natural spring, with 500…read moregallon per hour output. There's a nice interpretive booklet that helps explain numbered highlights. There's a cool decaying building over the springs, which was purely ornamental, the springs works whether its covered or not. The Petit (Pabst) family owned the property and put in a lot of features like a circular wading pool, a gazebo. The springs were bottled and sold until the 1960s, and another owner ran water powered electric in the early 1900s; the first house with electricity in the area. The pond is stocked w/Brook Trout for catch and release only. And across the way there's an old homestead from the 1860s which is in great condition. This is a nice short hike with lots to learn about.

Short and quick hike with my toddlers this morning. They liked picking up pine cones, exploring…read morethe old stone building and looking into the clear water. Saw a few trout swimming too!

Yes indeed a true natural treasure. This segment is not hard, so even someone like me can walk or…read morebike it.

Some of the best glacier evidence is found along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail that spans about…read more1200 miles through the state of Wisconsin. This review covers Janesville segment of trail beginning at the Rotamar Trail Head to the Mercy Hospital Trail Head. When I first heard of this trail I was real excited. It sounded like there would be many things to see and discover. I was disappointed to find it was paved. Not the entire segment, not yet anyway but most of it was. I felt that took away from the experience but did not deter me from continuing on the adventure. Even for this segment, we've never covered the whole of it. We usually start at Randolph Rd as that's where we were staying at the time and ended up at Palmer Park. It's about 5 miles one way. I first walked the trail from Randolph Rd. to about Brunswick Lane. This was during the spring when things were starting to pop up. All kinds of plants were coming out of the long winter hibernation trying to stretch as high as they can to reach the sun. I wasn't too impressed at the point. It just look like weeds. When spring was about to roll into summer, weather wise, about the end of May or early June, we decided to ride our bikes all the way to Palmer Park and picnic there. We packed up our food and a few snacks with a few water bottles. I wasn't sure if my little guy G would make it all the way but would play it by ear and make decisions accordingly along the way. By this time, the plants, trees and everything else was buzzing with life. Wish I knew what they were. There were so many things to see, smell, explore it was all captivating, including for G. The trail exist within the green belts thats cut through the residential housing allowing for wildlife to co-exist with the community. I admire that. We have seen deer and other animals I don't know bc I couldn't get a good look at them. Also along the trail is a spray of colors, beautiful flowers fighting for the attention of the bees and others, spring out at you letting you know summer is here. Part of the trail follows along side a river that you could take a break by. It was nice to cool off a bit there and take pictures. By the time we reached Palmer Park we were famished for food. We sat down to eat in the park. We allowed G to have time to play in the park. This is his favorite park and we have fun playing with him. I wasn't sure if he would be able to bike back but he did with no problem. I believe the Ice Age Trail kept teasing him and he wanted to see what was around the next bend. Although the Ice Trail is under National Park Service and there is good information there, you can also get additional information from the Ice Age Trail Alliance... http://www.iceagetrail.org/ice-age-trail/ ...who has done much of the maintenance work and providing informative material to the awareness, education and maintenance of the trail to the benefit of all. They also offer several awards programs, one for completing the entire 1200 miles for those of you wanting elitist.

We had a family reunion here on one of the hottest, stickiest days of the summer. It was one of…read morethose days when an afternoon picnic outside doesn't sound the most appealing and you ask yourself what your family would think of you if you show up in a swimming suit, carrying a bucket of ice water. The shelter we reserved is on the northeast side of the lake (though I question how this qualifies as a lake - more like a pond in my mind) and with a hillside just to the east of it, the shelter was as good as air-conditioned! Hallelujah! There was a cool breeze thanks to the lake and since the shelter was shaded for half of the day, it wasn't until 3pm when the space finally started feeling too warm. The proximity of the shelter was also great as the Monticello Public Pool is right across the road and the kids were able to go enjoy a pool day once they were finished chasing toads around the pond (sorry Freddie the Toady Toad. Also, sorry the kids couldn't decide on a better name).

This is a really neat park on the Sugar River. It starts at the "head gates" for the once brodhead…read moremill and hydro project. The park is a trail along the raceway, or mill race. This is essentially a man made canal that provides water to the mill pond in Brodhead. It is a lovely walk, very scenic with numerous wetlands, woodland, farmland, ending with a lovely stroll along the canal into the village of Brodhead. Here, along one side of the canal are numerous fun homes reminiscent of the canals in Amsterdam. If you choose to walk or kayak, once in Brodhead, stroll downtown to a local cafe or restaurant. Hint: This is a GREAT trip for a fun outdoor date! Even if the date doesn't go well, the scenery is lovely and you can enjoy the walk back alone. It's a 4+ mile roundtrip. Easy hike with gravel two lane path. Hint: Hint: oooh...you discovered the super double secret hint! This is a great place to bring your dog. Lots of room to run big! Fetch, swimming, ducks, and the water is clean so, your dog can enjoy itself! Hint: Hint: Hint: A super triple secret hint? Say it isn't so! Kayakers - pay attention! Here is an INCREDIBLE opportunity for kayaking that requires no shuttling! Put your boat in here, paddle up river a short distance (no current here) to the decatur tap, portage the dam, paddle down the Sugar River to where the race rejoins the Sugar River. Then paddle up the race to Brodhead dam. Portage the dam and bing bang boom, you're back on the race! Now it's an easy paddle up the race back to the head gates where your car is parked, waiting for you, with a cooler of beer in trunk! Cheers, you earned it! Hint 4X: A quadruple hint-o-rama....be still my palpating heart....If you want to get into kayaking and kayak this in a group, check out the Mad City Paddlers website for group kayaking and canoe trips! Or, send me an email, I kayak this at least once a year :)

Bartel's Beach is a small park along Lake Mills that offers families plenty. There's a playground…read morewith your typical slides and swings. There are benches under shaded trees and some BBQ grills if you want to have a little cookout. But the big draw of Bartel's Beach is the actual beach part. Yes there is sand at Bartel's Beach but more importantly, it offers a safe spot to swim away from all the water sports found on Lake Mills. There's an area probably 100 feet out and 400 feet wide that's bouyed off just for families to enjoy swimming. Now, there aren't any lifeguards on duty so if you come here with the kids you know what to do. I'm not sure how deep the water goes but my kid isn't the most daring either lol. Oh, and there's also a public restroom so go there and not in the lake! And that's really it for Bartel's Beach. Whether you're looking for some sun where the cool breeze coming off the lake feels great or you're on the hunt for a little swim spot for the kiddos (or yourself), you can do way worse. It can get a bit crowded so come early and get yourself a cherry spot!

I go here once in a while, and every time I do, I'm either relaxed, swimming (in the summer), or…read moreriding my bike, and it's all really nice and pretty. Even on a rainy day it still feels like a community park, not just a random plot of land with a slide and swing.

Great pool! Love the seperate kiddy pool and the lazy river! (Also love that we dont get blasted…read morewith music at this pool, thankyou!)

Can't believe I'm the first one to review this place! Beloit, you guys are slacking!…read more This is a pretty neat playground to take the kids to with an awesome view of the river. Not exactly sure what river it is, Illinois i think? The playground is well maintained, my 10 year old loved it. Not your traditional playground with swings and seesaws, but plenty of stuff to climb. There's also a walking trail along the river but I was sad that I couldn't go because we didn't take the baby stroller! We had our infant in the car seat and she was too heavy to lug that thing around in. Parent fail! Would love to come back and bring my walking shoes to get my steps in!

Went hiking here in the snow on a weekend and got a very good workout. The path was paved pretty…read morewell, but it is still climbing a bluff and we had a dog pulling us all the way up. When you get to the top, there is a great view of the countryside. Only comment is that the way down was a little treacherous with the snow-covered steps and ground. Also with the snow, only the lower lot was open, but well plowed, unlike some of the other parks we've been at recently.

I really love this park. In high school, we would come out here often when the weather was nice to…read moreclimb around on the bluffs and explore. I've continued to come out here, not as frequently, but when I get the chance. The park itself has some large bluffs. There is parking down below them, or you can drive up a steep winding narrow roadway to a large parking area up top. Once you're up there, there is a large green space with lots of tall mature trees that provide nice shade cover on hot summer days. There are picnic tables and an outhouse style restroom available. As you walk out towards the edge of the bluff, the trees clear and there is a nice view of the surrounding farmland. The bluffs are really cool to check out. Years ago, we would climb all over them. Now, due to safety concerns, they have the area marked off. Makes sense. There are also a lot of trails to walk along back in the wooded area that sits behind the clearing. A lot of these trails are also equestrian trails, so you must be on the lookout for horse poo! I really enjoy bringing my dog out here and cutting him loose in the woods. He never gets too far, and it's a great place for him to explore! The park is open year round, however the drive to the top does get gated off during the winter. You have to make the trek up on your own!