Lovely family beach because of the nice sand and the gradual increase in depth of the water. A new…read moreslide ah just been added, and there are lifeguards on duty.

This is a really nice beach, the sand is very soft, it's not too rocky, and the water is completely…read moreclear. It's gorgeous at sunset but I'm sure it would be really nice during the day too.

I had a terrific hike in this small, off the beaten path, park. It is located on the banks of Lake…read moreMendota, near Madison, WI. We were staying at the Holiday Inn in Middleton, and I decided to check out this park. I went there around 7am, and maybe it gets crowded later in the day, but there were just a few fishermen putting their boats in at the marina. The maintenance people have done a great job cutting trails through the fields. There is a paved trail also (for bicycles and hikers), but I didn't take it. I sure wish I lived closer to this little park! Living in Cincinnati, it is just a little too far for me to drive.

We were looking for a place not too far away to get out and enjoy our recent snow. Given we had…read morejust bought a state park pass we decided to go to the close-by Gov Nelson Park to cross country ski. There is no additional fees for using the trails unlike some other state parks. It was a weekday so it was pretty empty - good for us. There was a fresh inch of snow on top of a good base. We skied the un-groomed Woodlands trail which was very nice and then the groomed Morningside trail which was better. The grooming really helped. If it were windy that trail would be a bit exposed. We will definitely return to ski.

We skipped Devil's Lake for our end of summer camping and opted for Mirror Lake instead; it was…read moresuch a great experience! Definitely best way to beat the crowds and relax at a quieter campground before the hype of the school year starts up. While the sites look and feel the same as the ones at Devil's Lake, there are far fewer sites and it is much more peaceful. The sites themselves are really well kept. Our little site was still able to fit three cars in the driveway, two full tents and a sunshade.The campground features a massive field, covered family Pavillion and little playground. Really nice way to burn off some energy away from the sites if you're not hiking or sit and have lunch at one if the many picnic tables. Two grills available as well. You can't get better camping showers than I've experienced outside of Mirror Lake! They're all private entrances and have a seperate area behind a partition to put your bag/towel/clothes with a bench. Great hot water and pressure. Seperate bathroom area that is extremely well maintained too. Huge plus! While there aren't a lot of trails, the hiking isn't at all strenuous and has beautiful views of the rock formations along the way. Sturdy walking shoes still required. Personally I wouldn't swim in the water as its a little murkier, although it is so lovely to venture around. You're able to rent kayaks for the best experiences it seems so we'll be doing that next year! I highly recommend taking a break from life at Mirror Lake for camping and relaxed hiking! Can't wait to go back.

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.

BIG fan of this state park! Recently returned for a camping trip after not having been here in…read moreyears, and boy was it delightful. The campgrounds themselves are well-kept and honestly massive. Can't even imagine how many campsites they have. Ours in particular was in quite the open space with tons of grass, but there are plenty of options that are more wood-like and covered. Nice they have electric hook up options, as we were traveling with both tents and RVs. Hiking trails were awesome too, wow. Really enjoyed our excursions out and about, winding through the woods, rocky up-hills, and taking in the beautiful lake views. Also awesome? The beach and the attached gift shop/restaurant. Super duper well-kept. Tons of beach space (though it was still packed!) with clean sand and shallow waters, great for the kiddos. Also that gift shop is more of a convenience store- it's got it all! The adject ice cream shop was also enjoyed by everyone we traveled with. My only small gripe was the lack of garbage cans. I feel like this is some kind of state-park rule maybe? I don't know there was only one area with dumpsters and unless you trek over there, you're kind SOL with wrappers, ice cream cups, rubbish left over from your restaurant meal, etc. 100% will return here, whether it's for future camping, just hiking outings, or beach days.

Fantastic spot for hiking and swimming. Beautiful views and fun rocks to climb. Highly recommend…read morespending some time here and away from the craziness in the Dells.

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

Great little park for all sorts of activities. Honestly one of my favorite places in town. The…read morewalks are nice, there are so many different paths, and the scenery is idyllic. There's also a beach for fun and swimming. A lot of fishing also goes on here. There's a good sized shelter with plenty of tables too. A great place to hang out with family and friends or just enjoy some time on your own outside.

This was super easy and fun for my first kayak experience. I really enjoyed my day. Staff was…read morefriendly and helpful in helping me figure things out

No wake area, perfect for kayaking!…read more Mirror lake rentals is inside the park, so you do need to get a state park pass for your vehicle. It is $10 a day, or $35 for the entire year. It is recommended that you book in advance if you are a large group, as the kayaks seem to be limited. It is a very popular place, as the scenery changes dramatically. The lake its' self is rather small, but is connected to windy rivers that are lined by orange cliffs. There is a nice mixture of shaded areas, as well exposed sunny areas. There are many beaches to pull up onto, and a dam at the end of the course. The lake is very friendly for beginners and experts. Kayaks are $10 an hour or $25 for a half day. It takes about 2 hours to get to the dam and back, more if you go casually and like to stop a lot like we did!

Every year my family goes on a big camping trip, and this year we visited Governor Dodge! A first…read morefor us. Looking back, I'd say overall it was A-OK. We booked a double site as we had two RVs and multiple tents. It sure was plenty spacious! However, we all had noted it would have been great to see photos of the site when booking so we could know more that to expect. It was 100% full sun, and truly not chance for shade. Most other sites at this park had lots of tree coverage, which we would have loved and likely swapped to giving the chance. Being in a wide open space in the dead of summer can be tricky. The grounds are massive and well-kept, with tons of great hiking trails. Overall stunning views and vast green spaces. There's two large lakes with options to kayak, canoe, fish, ,etc. Concession stand with tasty ice cream, and a handful of convenience-store type items. Oh and we also definitely enjoyed the playground area with the kiddos. On the bad side: the shower-houses were pretty terrible. At least the one nearest to our site. It was to the point that half of us chose to forego showering all together just to avoid it. We also had a bummer experience at one of the beaches. We arrived around 10am and were all swimming for a few hours (along with tons of other visitors), when the rangers arrived and promptly closed the beach due to dangerous water bacteria. The closing wasn't the issue, but instead allowing 50+ folks to swim and fish in it before doing so. We'd all wished this water testing was done before the beach 'opened' for the day, as it left us fairly nervous having the quickly be rushed out. Overall, plenty of positives to this gorgeous state park - we made some great camping memories! Just hope those few shared pieces of feedback could help for future plans/changes.

What an absolute 'Sconi gem!…read more Anything other than 5-stars is insane! Awesome trail system with great views. The trails are wonderfully maintained. If you just want to laze about on a lake-beach, you can do that too! I have family that live less than an hour from here and they haven't been in 10+ years, that is CRAZY!

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.

We had a great time on a tandem kayak…read more On the way there, it won't look like you are heading to a body of water rather the middle of nowhere. It's a no-frills family business. I appreciated that the "Canoe Lady" called me back right away after missing my call. We groups of overnighter canoers and kayakers. Tip: They will accommodate you, even if you only want to kayak for a few hours. We'll be back!

I've stayed here for camping a few times and the family that runs it is so nice. Just came back for…read moretubing and it didn't disappoint. The tubes were comfortable with back and neck rest. Perfect for relaxing on the water. And they come with straps to hook up to friends and the cooler tube. Can't wait to come back and do it again!