Definitely a great park for a walk! It has a paved trail, which makes it much easier to get around…read morewith a stroller. The park also has additional nature trails you can explore, which is fantastic, although they can be a little bumpy for strollers. There are lots of birds to see, and occasionally you might spot some deer as well, which is very cool. The trails are usually quiet, and the people there seem very friendly. Highly recommend this park!

I would have had no idea this park existed if I hadn't started dating someone who lived in the…read moreapartments that run behind this park. We mostly explored the prairie and pond that abut the apartment complex, so I was surprised to find later that there is a playground as well as basketball and tennis courts. The fact that I couldn't see it from one end should give you an idea of the park's size. Definitely a nice amenity to the neighborhood!

I was in the area picking something up and decided to take a short walk through this park. My…read morenephews and I used to come here in Spring when everything was still covered in snow, and in winter, the park is popular for cross-country skiing, so I'm quite familiar with it. I've also attended a foraging class here through the Madison Public Library, which was a great experience. The trails are easy to walk, but keep an eye out for black walnuts that ripen and drop onto the ground--you could easily step on one and twist an ankle (as I unfortunately did). Along the way, you might spot squirrels and hear birds singing in the bushes. I even came across some mushrooms, which reminded me of the foraging class. There's a restroom facility and a pond nearby, and in winter, local families love coming here for sledding on hill. I've done it myself--it's a lot of fun, just make sure to protect your back on the way down! Don't say I didn't warn you!

I went recently to try out the ice skating and had a blast. It cost 6$ to rent ice skates and you…read morecould skate for as long as you want until the rental place closed. If you have your own skates you can skate for as long as you want. They have 2 rinks, one for regular ice skating and the other for hockey. They have the green assistance rollators, for when you need assistance ice skating, that are useful. The ice was chipped in some areas, but overall good quality. There is a huge hill close by that looks like it can be sledded when there's more snow.

Such a beautiful park. There's a little beach area. Plenty of benches. It's very clean with trash…read morecans everywhere. Ducks and boats in there water. Good times

what a beautiful park! great at all times of day i assume, lots of green space to sit down and…read morestare at the lake!

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 love this park tucked away in Monona. The park has roughly 56-acres that are laid out along a…read moreglacial drumlin, or small hill, not far from the eastern shore of Lake Monona. There are paths leading through woodland, savanna, and, most notably, ponds and marshes that are home to a wide variety of waterfowl. We love going for a walk or jog here when we don't want to travel far. It is a wonderful spot for a quick escape from the noise and distraction of the surrounding urban environment.

A nice get away in a little urban area.. Check out the burial mound and enjoy the water fowl.read more

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.

Hoyt park is one of many sneaky natural treasures tucked away within the city of Madison. Easy to…read moremiss, but absolutely worth searching out. I hadn't been to the park in ages, in fact, when looking at the map earlier in the day I'd forgotten that I'd been there before. This is probably because we'd stopped and spent some time at the main shelter, but didn't really check out the rest of the park. Shame on me! We missed out back then; not only does the trail make for a lovely and mostly shady walk, but the history here is fantastic. The park was once a quarry, and it shows because this local stone was used throughout. You can access the park from three areas. First is a footpath next to Hoyt School on Regent Street (street parking only here). The primary entrance is a bit farther up Regent Street, and here is where you'll find the parking lot and the main facilities for the park. Lastly, you can hike down from the the scenic outlook at Owen Parkway. There is limited parking up there and on the street by Hoyt School, so I'd suggest the main lot. Hoyt offers a bit of something for everyone. As you pull into the parking lot you'll notice the stone shelter and restroom facility. There are enough picnic tables in the shelter for a good sized get together (reservable) and a large fireplace on each end. While we were there I saw two different groups cook up something on a teeny fire in there. There's a children's playground near the parking lot, more picnic tables scattered about, and a large open grassy area for soccer, lawn games or frisbee. A basketball court and softball field round out the sporting options. Also, as of June 2015, this is one of 10 Madison parks that will be participating in a pilot program for slacklining sites in the city. Neat! The trail (about a mile total) is a mix of paved and unpaved surfaces. It weaves through the trees and rock formations in a way that really maximizes the 31 acres the park sits on. There are picnic areas with stone fireplaces and tables tucked here and there, and a second shelter full of picnic tables down the path into the woods. A smaller clearing past this shelter opens to a restored prairie area, which was loaded with flowers and butterflies when my friend and I walked through. I noted a few benches here and there where one could sit and watch the pollinators at work. There were raspberries everywhere! At one point we walked past old mossy quarry walls, and up/down stone stairways. There were wildflowers all along the trail, which always makes me happy. We shared the trail with a number of people running through the park or walking their dogs. But beware! Technically dogs are only allowed along Owen Parkway and must be leashed while there (via City of Madison website). I don't know how strict they are at the park if you're caught. Regardless, I was pleased to see so many people using the park in a couple hours time. Unfortunately there are some signs of vandalism once you get into the woods. There are not-so-pretty patches in the fencing where people have tried to get through to the blocked off lower quarry area, and some of the beautiful stone tables have been spray painted. Hopefully the Friends of Hoyt Park are on top of these things; from what I read they're pretty active.

We stumbled upon this while staying nearby. It's a nice place to go to forget you are in a city and…read morehas many hidden gems if you have time to look around. There is a pyramid hidden there if you are fortunate enough to find it.

This is a hidden little gem of a park that lets kids play the way we used to before kids got…read morebubble-wrapped for safety. A kid can hike in a ravine, safe from traffic, hop across a little stream on fallen logs. Have an imaginary tea party on tree stump tables and chairs. Pick wild berries and chase squirrels. Collect pocketfuls of stones. Play hide-and-go-seek among the trees. Go exploring. Imitate birdsong. Have a walk and a talk with Grandpa. The only amenity is a trash receptacle. No swings, no sport court, no spring-necked horsies to rock on. Just blue sky, rocks, trees, wind, water, and birds. Mud in the spring, snow for only about half the year. I've pulled my kids in a sled through this park after a fresh March snowfall, feeling like the only people for miles. It's an oasis of green just off the bike path and it is one of the best parts of living in this neighborhood, whether you are a kid or a kidult.