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    Governor Nelson State Park

    3.8 (14 reviews)
    Open 6:00 am - 11:00 pm

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    Fish Cleaning Area
    Juno P.

    Not sure why the category is skate park... it's a *state* park. We walked around on a gorgeous mid October day. The beach was completely empty, there were a couple families at the play park and we ran into other walkers on the trails - but overall not busy. We did the Woodland Trail, which is about a mile trail over a mildly hilly trail. Along the way were Native American mounds, though I would've missed it unless there were markers. It's a nice combination of beach, woodlands and grassland, all within a short amount of time. Also, I don't fish, but I still played around with the fish cleaning area:)

    Limits posted on the accessible pier.
    Stacey L.

    Governor Nelson is a short drive north around Mendota and features hiking trails, a beach, a pet swimming area, a pavilion and picnic tables, a boat launch, and an accessible fishing pier. The park feels on the small side, but is a nice spot to have so close to town. On our visit, we started on the accessible fishing pier. The upside is that it juts out past the rock and seaweed for the most part, but it's on the small side and is absolutely covered in spider webs. Yuck. We then tried our luck on the newer-looking pier next to the boat launch. There's a built in bench and it's much cleaner, but you get snagged in the seaweed and have to contend with boats coming and going. It was a particularly windy day so the fish weren't biting in general, but we did see another gentleman snag a good-sized bass right when we arrived. As a novice fisher I did appreciate that the accessible pier had the lake's size and catch limits for the most common fish posted. After we abandoned our attempt to fish, we headed out to the Woodland hiking trail. On the map it was marked as difficult and had an icon with two little mountain peaks so I asked the person at the toll booth how difficult it was. She looked at me like I was crazy and assured me it had wood chips that were easier to grip than grass. After getting on the trail, I understood why she was baffled about me inquiring about the difficulty. There are some inclines and declines, but it's essentially a casual stroll down a manicured path. On a wet day it might be a bit treacherous if it turns to mud, or if you have mobility issues, but even the most casual of hikers like myself should be able to manage it without trouble. We chose the Woodland trail to check out the effigy mounds, but the natural growth had completely covered them and I couldn't personally make out where they were except in the general sense that they were directly in front of me and behind the posted sign. Bathrooms were clean enough. The picnic area bathroom has multiple stalls but only one sink. The boat launch bathroom has two single-use rooms. Both feature flush toilets. A vehicle day pass for the park in 2017 is $8; annual is $28. I wouldn't make Governor Nelson a hiking or fishing destination, but if you're just looking to spend the day outside with Madison skyline views, or want a park that almost anyone can enjoy (including your pets), it's not a bad choice.

    Late March sunshine.
    Ivy S.

    A small park but it's just a short drive from home in Madison. It's a great place to escape the city bubble and get a taste of the woods (or prairie). There's a lake and beach that are quiet and peaceful as well. Absolutely beautiful in the fall, of course. Gov. Nelson has trails for cross country skiers and dog walkers too. Great place to get your winter exercise.

    Lake Mendota at Governor Nelson State Park.

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    2 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Nice overlook of the Madison area across the lake, Native American Mounds, and nice trails!

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    12 years ago

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    Palmer Park - Little kid area of the playground.

    Palmer Park

    4.8(5 reviews)
    45.6 mi

    For a community park, this beats every other park I've been to thus far. We frequent this park…read moreoften during the week. Not in the winter, but in the summer we may be here 3 to 4 times a week. Some times we rode our bikes, 5 miles away from our home, to the park traveling on the ice age hiking trail and what a glorious trail that is. Once summer arrives, we eagerly await the opening of the wading pool. The closest thing we have to a beach really. The park is very well kept. The grasses are well maintained and trimmed. Restrooms are clean. There's also the travel center on the grounds, that also acts as the welcome station for Janesville. If you go there and tell them you are newly arrived they will give you a packet which includes several saving coupons that can be used at various stores and eateries. Parking is abundant and can be found at different locations through out the park. There are many picnic tables with fixed grills ready to be used. I bring a grill top just to be safe and clean when using these grills. You can fly kites, have large parties as people often do, and there are even short hikes with trail heads close by. The main attraction is the play ground itself. Designed like a large forest camp with many places to climb, run, explore it truly is heaven for kids as they run around expending energy. There are slides any one can go down. These have rollers so no matter how you are you will go down, and fast too. You really have to watch yourself coming down these type of slides. I have seen many adults land smack flat on their buttock, and I laugh every time watching them remembering my first time too. There's also rings for kids to strengthen their grip and rocking platforms to help control their balance. When the wading pool is open it gets crowded but several life guards are always present to make sure there is no misbehaving by kids as well as adults. The spouting whale slides and umbrella water rain falls are excellent attractions for the kids to take pictures on. The surrounding area also offers kids to begin their exploration of nature. There is lots to see in plants as well as bugs. Many have vibrant colors and are so strange looking that makes them very interesting. We loved coming here. It's a great way to spend family time while your kid unleashes that bottled up energy and get a good work out building his physical abilities with coordination. Many fond memories and pictures are here. Wish there was one close to us now.

    Amazing! We live in Illinois, not Wisconsin, but we're met with kindness and openness here. The…read morewading pool is a little dated, but serves a great purpose on a hot august day when you don't have access to any other outdoor pools. But it's fun for my son. He is 5 years old and made friends right away while splashing around. The breaks aren't too bad. We showed up during a break and there was an event going on (I think a lot of events go on at Palmer park) where they learned about seeds and growing their own seeds and vegetables and even got to try some colorful vegetables while being read to. Afterwards, the kids planted their own seeds in a cup and got to pick out a book. So sweet. Then-break was over and back to splashing. The bathrooms are....well public pool bathrooms which are always gross. There's vending and shelters. Also, my sons favorite part is the gigantic playground. There's a Little kids section, a toddler section and a bigger kids section. He likes them all. There's also a mechanical swing for someone wheelchair bound to go in-wheelchair and all...and swing!! The floor is bouncy, so less injuries. Plenty of slides, places for parents to sit. Wooden maze under structure. The merry go round(?) needs help. It's stuck on something so that's no fun. There's a mini house and plenty of fun for hours and hours. On days that I want to surprise my son after school I pick him up and bring him there- 30 minutes away. Just a great place to be. I'd love to keep it to ourselves, but it's too good to be hidden. Also, a GREAT little Pokémon Go spot :)

    Photos
    Palmer Park - Slides and fun

    Slides and fun

    Palmer Park - More slides and fun.

    More slides and fun.

    Palmer Park - Stage area

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    Stage area

    Mirror Lake State Park - A view of Mirror Lake from behind Echo Rock Trail

    Mirror Lake State Park

    4.1(40 reviews)
    29.5 mi

    We rented kayaks on Mira Lake. It was one of the most beautiful kayaking trips we've taken. We did…read moreit an early fall, and it was absolutely perfect. The scenery is beautiful. The water was calm. And there weren't a lot of other people kayaking at the time. Highly recommend if you're in the Dells area.

    Wonderful State Park! Memorable experience! Would certainly plan to return!…read more Our big annual camping trip with the family recently took us to Mirror Lake, a spot that was new to all of us. It's an easy distance from where we live in Milwaukee, as it's in close proximity to the Wisconsin Dells. That said, even though we were deep in the woods camping, there was plenty of civilization close by should we have needed to restock on anything. Since we had quite a big group, we booked a double-site and boy did we luck out. I think we had the largest double that was available. It fit two large RV/campers and five tents, leaving ample room for tons of chairs around the fire pit and the big picnic tables provided. Oh and they are *electric campsites* which can be hard to find! No water hook up though. Not too far down from our site was the big shower houses/bathrooms. And let me just say, these are NICE! Like very nice. And very clean. Probably the best campsite bathrooms I've ever seen. I feel as though the building was very new / freshly redone. Other pros: plenty of lake activities (we rented both kayaks and pontoon boats), great walking paths (freshly laid wood chips and clear signage), lakeside beaches, and various playgrounds for the kiddos. Oh and fun planned experiences by the park - it was "Smokey Bear's birthday" when we were there and they had a firetruck on-site, water games, bday treats, prizes, and a meet and greet with the bear himself. A hit with our kids. Even if you're not camping, this state park would be wonderful for a day trip!

    Photos
    Mirror Lake State Park
    Mirror Lake State Park
    Mirror Lake State Park - Another view of Echo Rock.

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    Another view of Echo Rock.

    Governor Nelson State Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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