Great family campground! Boats to rent, cabins, snack bar, games, fishing, swimming! Very…read morereasonable prices! Great for large groups too.

From the owner: Our organization specializes in summer camp for children and youth, as well as retreats throughout…read morethe year. We offer hotel style rooms, group dorms, rustic cabins, RV lots, camping sites, recreational activities, meeting spaces and dining facilities for the various camping, meeting and training needs of our families, residents and guests.

This is one of the best times of the year to get out on the lakes in Portage, and with the sunshine…read morewe're expecting on Friday it's a good time to get your kayak ready. While the water is still absolutely frigid, it's a great time to glimpse some beautiful migrating waterfowl. I've seen mergansers, loons, and all maker of unique ducks that typically only stay for a week or two in the spring and fall and right now seems to be the season for them. You can also catch the occasional baldy here. And if you're real brave and don't mind spider webs, you can kayak underneath Portage road and go from Austin Lake over to West Lake. It's super peaceful this time of year before everybody gets there ski boats out on the water.

The beach there sucks, they have parts blocked off so there's very little area to swim and the…read morelifeguards will pull everyone get out of the water every 15 minutes

Hurray for a bit of good news amid an abysmal year. Tests came back for the beach staffers who were…read moreshowing potential Covid symptoms and they received the all-clear. It's freezing out today so the beach is a no-go right now, but it's wonderful to have the option available. They've got another beach campfire event, drive in movie, and drive in concert scheduled at the park this month as well. We appreciate their efforts to provide social but socially distanced events, although we hope they'll do a better job hiring local and/or talented bands for future summer concert series.

It really is such a shame that this park doesn't have a beach. We are super fortunate to live on…read moreone of the Portage lakes and have access all the time, but between West, Austin, and Long Lake's parks only Long Lake has a beach (at Ramona Park). Nonetheless, this park has incredible views and offers decent fishing opportunities off of two extended docks, one of which features a large covered gazebo with benches. The playground area here looks legit, and my partner and I always enjoy stopping for a break here when we do a 9-mile cycling route that basically wraps around Austin Lake plus an extra mile each way to access the route from where we live. As with Long Lake, the boat launch is at a completely separate location from the park. Unlike Ramona Park, there is no charge to park at Lakeside Park. We are super excited at the prospect of all the cycling routes in the Vicksburg and Portage area connecting soon. Work got underway on connecting the Vicksburg path into Portage early last year but was halted due to the pandemic. So happy to have a little bit of spring-like weather this week to get out and celebrate all the wonderful natural spaces in our community.

Thanks to our friends, we had a chance to see and enjoy this park…read more The park has great view to the lake with two decks on each side. We saw some folks fishing while we were there. There's also a small trail where you can exercise too. Don't worry, there are a couple of picnic areas for you and your family to bbq and enjoy the serenity of the beautiful lake. The parking lot has lights so when you leave the park at sunset, you won't be walking in the dark to your car.

Great dog park and lots of trees for shade. Very relaxing…read moreand only $5 for a day pass

The dog parks are very nice, some shade and water is available for dogs of all sizes. The drive…read morearound is very nice and tree lined with a nice boat ramp

What the village has done with the Rec center is amazing! It's a huge disc golf course now and it's…read moreone of my favorites in the area! Make sure you bring your bug spray though. With so many of the holes being near water the bugs can get heavy.

This park is the launching point for a lovely, wooded path for walking/running/cycling. We used it…read morea ton when we were in early days of our marathon training because it was nicely shaded and not too busy. Sunset Lake also abuts the area and is a beautiful little pond with lots of lily pads and bird life. There's very little in the way of homes on the lakeshore so it's a pretty spot. Great for sunset photography, too.

Can I please add another star? Visited with my husband and…read moredog. The folks here went above and way beyond to accommodate an unusual need I had. The grounds are meticulously maintained with level, shaded spots that provide great privacy. If you have kids, they will NEVER get bored here. Well-stocked store, clean laundry facility. If we are in the area again, this will be our go-to place!

Great family-friendly RV campground / resort…read more Our site was beautiful - it backed up against a forest and was close to the pond. It was a bit tight / cramped (my picnic table was virtually on top of the neighbor's sewer line), but the neighbors were friendly and everything was clean and well-kept. The restrooms and showers were spotless. Cute playground - we loved the pirate ship. The pond was a great place to walk our dog, and it seemed like most people (like us) were cleaning up after their pets because we didn't see dog piles everywhere like many other campgrounds in the area. One warning: This place is surrounded by a pond, a lake, and plenty of forest, and has a serious (but understandable) mosquito problem. We tried to sneak in eating 2 slices of pizza quickly upon arrival before putting on bug spray, and my youngest son got 14 bug bites on his legs in less than half an hour. Beware and plan accordingly! I'd highly recommend long sleeves, long pants, and shoes and socks, even if it's hot outside. Biggest qualm: my son was crying for the last 10 minutes of our drive because he was going to pee his pants and this is in the middle of nowhere - we hadn't seen a gas station or anywhere legal for him to go "number 1" since leaving I94. I'll admit I drove 15mph in a 10mph zone on the way in, because the map showed a bathroom next to the pool on the entrance road (before any of the campsites, before any pedestrian areas), and I wanted to avoid a pee-pee incident. After dropping them off, I stuck to the speed limit even when it dropped to 5mph. I was chastised (politely) upon check-in to watch my speed, which is completely reasonable. Separately, someone ran up to my wife and child (neither of whom were driving) as my 5-year-old came out of the bathroom and yelled at them, which is not okay. There are good ways to handle an admonition, and bad ways, and whoever yelled at my wife and son needs to learn a bit of tact. This is the only reason our stay wasn't a 5-star experience. It wasn't an isolated or stranger incident as the yeller was also the person who called the front desk to complain about it and I'm certain was a local / seasonal / permanent resident. There's "enforcing rules" and then there's "yelling at children for something they had no control over," and the management here was much closer to the latter.

The unique and fragile ecosystem located in this park is even more amazing when you consider it's…read moreat the heart of the city of Portage. Some of the first stops along the sanctuary's trail are viewing platforms overlooking a marshy area, which, though enjoyable, still require you to press on to reach the five-star attraction -- a wetland bog featuring carnivorous pitcher plants, sphagnum moss, and tamarack trees. You will have to walk awhile on paths through the woods before you reach the actual bog, which must be traversed on a floating boardwalk. Choose to wear shoes that will keep your feet dry. (At certain times of the year the boardwalk may even be flooded and inaccessible.) Mosquito spray and drinking water are also must-haves. Autumn is a particularly beautiful time to visit; the colors are spectacular. The trek ends with a glorious view of West Lake. You can sit on benches on the viewing platform before the trip back to the parking lot. Your wetland adventure will take 45 minutes or more depending on your pace and frequency of stops. Also, beware of poison sumac growing along the trail through the bog; the risk of getting a rash is a great deterrent to picking any pretty plants along the way.

Yet another Portage Park that has elevated walkways over the bogs. Be aware both that when you walk…read moreover these rubber walkways, water will squirt up through the holes so you're likely to get damp (not a huge deal on a hot summer day, but pretty intense when you're going on a run in the late fall or early spring). Also, despite being a fairly neutral looking gray, these elevated walkways get incredibly hot. I noticed my chihuahua was lifting his paws so I reached down and touch the surface and it was scalding, so we carried the dogs for those stretches of the paths. We saw lots of butterflies, birds and a gorgeous turtle on our recent visit. Our cousin had a hard time finding the geocaches that were supposed to be on our route, though. There's a beautiful West Lake view at the end of one of the elevated platforms and lots of yummy wild blackberries to forage if you happen to be at the park in early July. We're always on the hunt for great spots to take our dogs for a nice afternoon hike, and this will be becoming one of our go-to spots.