Nice place to fish, discovered it in the fall. Use heavy line and not your expensive lures unless…read moreyou have waders. There is a lot of line draped across waiting to snag your $10 lures or $50 swim baits. Maybe the county can clean it up. We lost 9 lures one day! Steelhead pictured was caught on a white grub jig.

Good fishing, caught four carp and a smallmouth. Then they let more water out of the dam and the…read morebite stopped

The year was 2019, and my parents and I were spending another lovely week in Northern Indiana to…read moreroot on our Irish women's basketball team in the NCAA Tournament. Sadly, our steadfast friends were out of town, but they benevolently let us stay at their place, so everything was comfy and familiar and homey, if a little lonely because of the absence of our gracious hosts. We needed additional stuff to do on the days between games, so I suggested following the St. Joseph River to find out where it starts. On the way (back, I believe), we discovered tiny Bristol, Indiana, and its even tinier Subway, whose bathroom was extremely useful. Near that Subway is Congdon Park, a lovely waterside park right at the confluence of the St. Joseph and Little Elkhart Rivers. The park is cute and quaint and spectacular in its unexpectedness. The location is perfect, but it's not just some random piece of greenery. There's a gazebo and picnic tables and play equipment and some kind of weird deck/pier (for fishing?) and a bench swing. That's right, a bench swing. The grass is pretty well maintained, and there's a nice paved path all around the little park so that you can take a walk without getting mud on your shoes. This would be a five-star deal all the way around except that as we walked south along the shoreline from the bench swing, we were almost instantly swarmed by vicious but ultimately harmless insects--harmless, that is, unless you wanted to avoid breathing them in, because the swarms were huge and relentless. As we ran south, they dissipated a bit, but once we reached the deck/pier, they were back, and this time, they were unbearable. Bugs don't normally frazzle me, but these did. Maybe they only appear at a certain time each year, like the midges that invade Cleveland for a couple of weeks each spring, but it wasn't quite spring yet, so I doubt it. The bugs ruined what had been a perfectly charming park visit, but that's just because we happened to walk east from the parking lot and then head south. If we had gone counterclockwise, things would have been fine. You should visit this park, and you should also try to find the source of the St. Joseph River. Take a picture of you and your sweetie sitting in the bench swing and post it. You know you want to.

Beautiful park. Very spacious with a lot to do. Tennis. Fishing. Playgrounds. A great outdoor space…read moreto spend time at.

There is so much to do at this park! They have play equipment for kids (and adult kids like me),…read moresoftball field, tennis courts, boat docks/launch, fishing spots, a shady pavilion (I use it for picnics), and a trail for walking/biking. Thankfully their is a restroom because with how long we spent out here, I needed it. I've never used to boat dock, but I've seen it used and people love being able to have access to the water. My favorite is playing tennis with my husband. I've never played softball here because I don't hang out with many people but I enjoy everything else. Lots of space to just enjoy the outdoors. I highly suggest a picnic.

This is a terrific spot if you're looking to fish, boat (no gasoline use.), jog, walk, walk your…read moredog, or have a picnic! My husband and I go here to fish! They stock the water with Walleye. Which is pretty hard to find! They have lots of small mouth and big mouth bass, and tons of Blue Gills! The trails for walking, are mostly flat. They do have boat rentals, but not at the moment due to COVID. Should have them available again mid July. Even without a boat, you can fish from the shore or pier just fine. You have to use paddles or a trolling motor as there aren't any gas powered motors allowed. The scenery is beautiful! The price is $4.00 a carload for an all day pass. You are free to come and go as you please.

Great place to fish! A great vacation destination for the whole family. I stand by this…read moreestablishment. I like this place.

Neat little park where your kids can play until their heart is content. Lots of features to climb…read moreon, swings, slides, lookouts.....you mame it, this park has it. Except restrooms with plumbing and electric. There are a couple portable toilets, and trash bins, but that's it. You can grill here if you choose, as there are a few charcoal grills located in various spots. There's also a good sized sand volleyball court and basketball court. All in all, this is a neat little find.

Love this playground for the kids! The playground equipment and area itself is so imaginative and…read morefun. My kids could play happily for hours if we'd let them. The park also has a pavilion, trails, a pond, a picnic area and sand volleyball.

Wow what a park, wrapped around the lake. I didn't realize the sheer size of the place.read more

Large park, well used by the locals. We were here on a Sunday, there was a disc golf tournament,…read morepicnics and in general a lot of people using the park. We stopped by to sneak in a little fishing after an appointment. The lake is very shallow around the shoreline, has a ton of lily pads and we couldnt get any interest from the fish. Most people appeared to be " bucket fishing" for bluegills. We will skip it next time we are in town but it is a nice park.

The property offers variety of permitted hunting and trapping activities. The two ponds are a short…read morehike from the parking lot on natural surfaces. The archery range has its own parking area through the pine trees. All guests must register at the main office. The area is good for dog walking but I stay close to the parking lot and the surrounding safety envelope. Be aware of hunting season and wear safety orange if you hike to the ponds. The walking swath is loose sandy soil, so use caution. Sandals, flip flops, or open toe shoes not recommended. Pit toilets are near the parking lot.

This is a State of Indiana recreational area owned and managed by the State of Indiana and staffed…read moreby some very nice folks who are always glad you visited. The property has archery as well as multiple firearms ranges,it also has a couple nice fishing ponds ideal for a family outing/picnic. There is abundant wildlife and hunting can be very good at times. The staff works hard to keep this property clean and safe. If your looking for a nice quite outdoor experience pay these folks a visit.

The park is under some construction through September which is a bummer but from what they've dug…read moreup, it looks like there will be some great improvements. The ball field will go away but they're putting in new playground equipment, new pavilion, new basketball courts and updated restrooms. In the meanwhile, the parking lot is still there, the river is still there (note the warning about eating the fish) and it's a nice, peaceful spot. [Review 11208 overall, 984 of 2019.]

This is our go-to putting-in point for kayaking to Arcadia Ales (it's round about an hour's paddle…read more-- longer if you're feeling leisurely and faster if you're going for a big workout). Plenty of parking, tons of covered picnic area. We staged about 75 kayaks/paddleboards/canoes there for a recent Kanoe the Kazoo event and it didn't feel too crowded on the riverbank, which was awesome. However, you've got to be pretty strategic about how you put in (fortunately we had seasoned paddlers leading our group who gave good advice about how to put in, but those who tried to enter the river closer to the woods/fence/parking lot got caught up in some wicked current. Be sure to put in farther out toward the picnic structure and park and paddle across the river then let the current drift you across the mini-rapids. Don't forget -- it's unsafe to eat the fish from the Kalamazoo River. We saw tons of people fishing on our recent excursion and really worried about their health. A few people were sad to see a small tent city on the river's edge -- personally it made me happy that some of the homeless had found a more pleasant haven than the city parks. Just a matter of perspective, I suppose. One of the "tent cities" was also a group of 5 matching, new-looking tents so I suspect that group was a group of people kayak-camping.

We have been going y shamrock campground since 1997. We have met so many people there. I was taking…read moremy grandkids every fall break and the youth fair every year until my husband couldn't go because he has Alzheimer's. The kids love it. It's a very special place for me and my family.

We camped on the river. Beautiful primitive site for $30. Great location and great to book a spot…read moreone day out. Bathrooms are fine but not great.

I guess it all depends on who you talk to while there. If you make a second trip be sure to speak…read morewith the same person you talked to the first time. Choices

Extremely helpful with a wide variety of choices. They know the subject as they live and breath it…read more As much as I like REI, they're more of a "jack of all trades". The advice from such a place, as true with any "big box" sporting goods store, can be hit or miss. If you're in the market for a kayak, this place is definitely worth the trip, even if there's a good hunk of distance involved.