Best guide in Madison. Joe was on time, courteous, kind and a really great guy. We caught a ton…read moreof fish, had an amazing day and really enjoyed the best boat on the lake. Joe will be a permanent part of our yearly trips to Wisconsin. Thank you, Joe.

From the owner: Providing all ages and skill levels with an enjoyable fishing experience from April through Novemberread more

Awesome with a playground, restrooms, picnic tables, restrooms, boat access, and sand. I'm here on…read morea Friday morning and there are people here eating lunch while ducks quack and boats stroll by. If the weather keeps up, I may just go for a swim! It may get a lot busier during weekends but very pretty and very relaxing.

The beach is very small. There is no lifeguard and no roped-off areas for swimming. The marina is…read morevery close to the swimming area and the boat load-in is also right next to the swimming area, so boats are frequently going by. Fishing also occurs nearby. There are very few people here, maybe because it's a holiday. The water is pretty gross. Lots of rocks and seaweed everywhere. The shore smells like fish and you will only be walking in seaweed or rocks in the water. I did not put my head underwater because it was so gross. It is NOT deep at all. I almost waded out to the nearest sailboat in the marina and the water was only to the top of my waistband (I'm 5'11"). This might be a nice place for lounging in a boat. It was okay for swimming, but not the best.

So so so fun to explore the fenced in Dog Park area with the pups yesterday, but I was a bit…read moreworried one would escape through the marshy area near the water! Thankfully, she returned, soaking and covered in mud, and didn't manage to skirt the fence near the edge of the water. I can't wait to see this place in the spring! It's lovely in the winter, definitely marshy! Wear your boots.

Ran into this place randomly and it is really pretty! Had no intentions of stopping but I happened…read moreto be in running clothes and decided to explore. Totally worth it. There were three spots where I was just totally taken aback because it was not at all what i was expecting. The trail is well groomed, well thought out and a very small amount of exposure to road traffic. They do not allow dogs but it looks like a few neighbors will bring their dogs in. There is water access as well and it looked like the people on the boat was fishing. Not sure how good the fishing was though! I kept getting distracted by the pretty water view.

I was so happy with Wingra boats today. I have a really large senior dog with some mobility issues…read more He can't walk for super long so I thought a paddleboard or a boat might be fun. I called and asked questions and they didn't blink at eye at what might seem like a silly request to some people. They were so helpful with getting him onboard today and with helping us dock. We will definitely be back.

Rented the Swan paddle boat for an hour for some team bonding for work-- absolutely would/will…read moreagain! Super easy to book online, check in was seamless, staff was friendly and kind, and the experience was a whole lot of fun. I've lived in Madison for the majority of my life and can't believe I haven't taken advantage of this until now.

Talk about a ten out of Tenney!…read more Hit the lagoon yesterday and boy was it the best beginning to the perfect winter day. Rentals are $6 and hour for adults, and there's plenty of room for all levels of skaters.

Gosh, the ice skating and ice hockey pictures look fun but I was here in mid-April and the grass…read morewas just starting to turn green though the trees were bare. This was a great spot to enjoy the lake side and appreciate the canal and locks which join Lake Mendota with Lake Monona across this isthmus. The park has paths for walking, biking and blading. Plus a basketball court, a tennis court and plentiful parking. It's quite nice. [Review 17177 overall - 188 in Wisconsin - 694 of 2022.]

I really love (and miss!) this little park. I used to live within walking distance and this was an…read moreoften visited spot with my doggo. It's actually much larger than you would think. It's got a small parking area, a covered picnic/bbq area (with restrooms!), and a water fountain immediately past the parking area. Beyond that, the walking path splits in two directions to go around the pond. To the right is a swing set that includes a wheelchair accessible swing (super cool!). To the left, the walking path just follows around the pond. The paths basically make a big figure 8 around the pond - there is a connecting bridge in the middle. Now if you walk all the way to the back, the walking path will transition from paved to grass, and there is a really awesome trail that leads you back along the creek. This trial used to go so far and just dead-end, but now it makes a full loop and brings you back out near the front of the park. It's a great spot to let your dog run. The trail is very well defined and maintained. I would bring my dog and keep him leashed through the park area, then release him once we hit the grass trail. I've seen several folks out with their dogs as well, and although this isn't a "dog park," it's a really nice and convenient option. I'm sure the city technically prohibits off-leash dogs here, but as long as they are well-behaved, no one ever seems to have any issues. I would see people fishing in the pond often as well, so there must be a pretty decent fish population in there too!

Used to take my son here when we used to lived in Madison, Wisconsin. It's a nice unique park…read moretucked away from busy city streets. Wish they would have set up donation info to the park.

A beautiful day to be out in the woods. I love trails that are within 30 minutes of Madison. This…read morespot is great and free for hiking. I enjoy the doing the 3 mile blue trail loop. If you're looking for longer combine with other trails or make shorter. They also have an area where your dog may be off leash. Most of the trail is shaded with some open sunny areas. The trail is generally not busy...another reason I love it.

Great place to take medium to larger dogs. There is ample space for them to run. The woods offers…read moreexcitement for them and the lake side is a great place for them to cool off on warm days. This is the best dog park we have ever used. There is a fee for those out of town folks who may wish to run their 4 legged friend. All the dog owners we have encountered are great. This is the place to socialize your dog, do not keep them on a leash because they can feel trapped when meeting other dogs. The dogs figure out how to relate to each other. The only mark against this place are the walkers who don't have dogs who choose to walk thru the park. They seem to be annoyed that dogs run up to them. I don't care because they have acres and acres of amazing paths in the woods to trek, the dogs only have this one smaller place. I say if you don't like dogs then don't walk thru THEIR part of the park!

This park was one of our favorite places we have ever stayed. My husband and I came to stay here…read morewith our small Yorkshire terriers and our cat, and we had a wonderful time. Tim ( the host for the park) is friendly and helpful, and takes great pride in keeping it beautiful and orderly. He lent us an extension cord as the electrical hookups are fairly far away. The park was quiet and lovely. There were lots of friendly people, and it felt like a little community. It was very close to town which was really convenient. We travel in a 36 foot toy hauler with a one ton truck, and I do think that we were pushing it to try to get into some of the spots. Because we had not booked early ( we called the morning of) we had to move spots, and it was the hardest spot we have ever had to get into. Not the parks fault at all, our trailer was just a bit big. Both my husband and I really wished that we were traveling in a sprinter van. That would have been so easy. Lake Mendota is lovely and relaxing, and this is a special spot.

Good little campground for those with kids. Large play area near a beach. In town camping at its…read morebest! Bring lots of bug spray

Great walking/biking path and quite a few folks set up this morning doing some fishing. The park…read morehas boat launches available. I found a space with free parking that fit the Sprinter van and started my walk. Along Lake Monona it's a beautiful spot for some exercise. If you're here for a bit, head to Monona Terrace and get a view of the lake from 5 stories up. [Review 20690 overall - 260 in Wisconsin - 1671 of 2023.]

Not much to say about this place, but:…read more Location: 4 out of 5 Prime real estate really close to Monona Terrace. I parked there and took a walk around with the dog while the future wiffy went to MT to pick up her Madison Half Marathon packet. There's restaurants and a bike shop that does rentals quite close by, and depending on what you plan on doing and what time of day you go, the parking is free. Easy access to the lakefront trail. Amenities: 2 out of 5 Not a full scale "park" in the sense that there's a field house with bathrooms, but I do recall a porta potty there (maybe it was just there because of the marathon though). A few floating docks for people who want to launch watercraft rounds out the the "amenities". Picturesque factor: 4 out of 5 Looking out over the lake was really pretty, and I had the lovely experience of seeing a furry rodent swimming towards me, only to climb back into his nest under one of the floating docks. Muskrat, perhaps - but I didn't get a really good look at him/her. Dog enjoyment factor: 5 out of 5 A rare metric, but my dog enjoyed walking around, particularly because he enjoys walking on floating docks and being on boats....but he actually hates being in the water. He enjoys most things that involve being outdoors, however - so this may be a moot point. Overall: 4 out of 5 Not a whole lot to do if you plan on having a picnic, but if you want to hit up the lakefront trail by running or biking, it's a good place to park for a few hours. Likewise, it's also a really pretty place to take a few photos, and I'm sure the sunrise/sunset really looks cool.

This is a great find half an hour from Madison. The park has a variety of trails through woods,…read moreprairie and along the lake. Most of them are loops so you can do as short a hike as you want or add several loops together and spend a few hours. They are also decently hilly so that's fun too. My favorite trail runs along the lake, great views! Be cautious though, the narrow trail through the woods does border a steep decline to the lake. It's worth it though, great views!! The other nice thing about this park (at least when I've been there) is that there aren't very many people around so it's easy to hike around and barely see anyone else. Some of the trails bump up against neighborhoods so that's interesting, emerging from the woods into a prairie and then seeing houses. Must be nice to have this park as your back yard though! Dogs are allowed in this park, on leash of course. There are garbage cans near the parking lot and a small beach area. Also near the parking lot is a playground and a shelter with a number of picnic tables. Definitely worth the drive. We will be back!

5.14.24 - Great park with playground, beach, ducks, covered picnic area, benches along the hike,…read morerest shelters, clean restroom.