Whether you’re out with the kids, the pets, or your binoculars, or just out to get away from it all, there’s a great hike a short distance away.
By Kevin Revolinski | Photography by Travel Wisconsin
GREAT FOR BIRD WATCHERS
It’s become the rage lately — so get in on the fun.
Cherokee Marsh
A loop around the entire park takes you through three miles of varied habitats with diverse birds, including cranes, eagles, owls, warblers and bluebirds. Easy
Lake Farm County Park
The park’s 2.2-mile loop trail has a connection to the Lower Yahara River Trail boardwalk, but keep along the lake side of the loop through the forest to view wood ducks, woodpeckers and an assortment of songbirds. Easy
Pheasant Branch Conservancy
Walk out and back a couple of miles along the creek or follow a nearly five- mile loop through the conservancy with woods, wetlands, savanna and prairie. It’s all fairly level, except for a short climb for a hilltop view of Madison. Easy-moderate
WITH YOUR DOG
Most parks allow pups — always on a leash — except in specific areas where they may be allowed off-leash.
Governor Dodge State Park
The three-mile loop of the Lost Canyon Trail starts at photogenic Stephens’ Falls with a few modest uphill climbs. Cox Hollow Lake has a dedicated pet swimming beach and picnic area. Easy-moderate
Governor Nelson State Park
A total loop of the park is nearly four miles through forest and prairie, and a dog swim and picnic area with a Capitol view awaits at the end. Easy-moderate
Lake Kegonsa State Park
A pet area has a couple of quarter-mile loops and nearby is a swim area with a pier to jump off of. Easy
FAMILY-FRIENDLY JAUNTS
Rocky Arbor State Park
The 1.1-mile loop through the overgrown former bed of the Wisconsin River feels a bit like Jurassic Park with all the ferns and hidden sandstone. Easy-moderate
Edna Taylor Conservation Park
View Native American burial mounds as you hike in the forest, wetlands and over a boardwalk — then stop in at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center for some kid- friendly education. Easy
Natural Bridge State Park
Who doesn’t like a cool rock formation? It’s less than half a mile to the 35-foot-high sandstone arch, but a full loop of the park is 2.4 miles, which is mostly shaded. Moderate.
HIDDEN GEMS
Carpenter-Ridgeway Park
The paved, multi-use Starkweather Creek Path passes through this lovely neighborhood park, which recently popped up on local birders’ radars for a rare appearance of a Hooded Warbler. Dirt paths into the woods and along the banks of Starkweather Creek are perfect for a meditative, slow stroll. Easy
Chapel Gorge Trail (inside the Dells of the Wisconsin River State Natural Area)
This 1.6-mile loop through the forest offers the only land-based look at The Narrows from the east bank of the Wisconsin River with views of the carved half-billion-year-old Cambrian sandstone. Easy
Gibraltar Rock Segment
A four-mile lollipop trail from Merrimac Ferry climbs the hills for views of Lake Wisconsin. Moderate
Arbor Ridge & Devil’s Staircase Segments
A 5.6-mile roundtrip trek starts in Janesville’s Arboretum and follows the sandstone cliff along the Rock River in Riverside Park. Easy-moderate
