This is a really neat park on the Sugar River. It starts at the "head gates" for the once brodhead…read moremill and hydro project. The park is a trail along the raceway, or mill race. This is essentially a man made canal that provides water to the mill pond in Brodhead. It is a lovely walk, very scenic with numerous wetlands, woodland, farmland, ending with a lovely stroll along the canal into the village of Brodhead. Here, along one side of the canal are numerous fun homes reminiscent of the canals in Amsterdam. If you choose to walk or kayak, once in Brodhead, stroll downtown to a local cafe or restaurant. Hint: This is a GREAT trip for a fun outdoor date! Even if the date doesn't go well, the scenery is lovely and you can enjoy the walk back alone. It's a 4+ mile roundtrip. Easy hike with gravel two lane path. Hint: Hint: oooh...you discovered the super double secret hint! This is a great place to bring your dog. Lots of room to run big! Fetch, swimming, ducks, and the water is clean so, your dog can enjoy itself! Hint: Hint: Hint: A super triple secret hint? Say it isn't so! Kayakers - pay attention! Here is an INCREDIBLE opportunity for kayaking that requires no shuttling! Put your boat in here, paddle up river a short distance (no current here) to the decatur tap, portage the dam, paddle down the Sugar River to where the race rejoins the Sugar River. Then paddle up the race to Brodhead dam. Portage the dam and bing bang boom, you're back on the race! Now it's an easy paddle up the race back to the head gates where your car is parked, waiting for you, with a cooler of beer in trunk! Cheers, you earned it! Hint 4X: A quadruple hint-o-rama....be still my palpating heart....If you want to get into kayaking and kayak this in a group, check out the Mad City Paddlers website for group kayaking and canoe trips! Or, send me an email, I kayak this at least once a year :)

The visit was great. They have many things to do. And big open spaces if you do not want to…read moreparticipate in playing on the play structure. They have soccer fields, basketball hoops, baseball, and softball fields, etc. It is so fun and definitely will be going back. They also do have a pool as well.

This is a lovely little park on Decatur Lake, at the Dam. There are some really impressive bluffs…read moreand cliffs. Be careful, they're easy to fall down! It's a nice place for a picnic lunch if you are in the area. Hint: On the other side of the dam, to the east, is the mill race park. This is a beautiful long mill race that used to deliver water to the old mill and hydro plant down river in the city of Brodhead. It's a great place for a walk, dog friendly, and very nice kayaking! Just lovely

A beautiful day to be out in the woods. I love trails that are within 30 minutes of Madison. This…read morespot is great and free for hiking. I enjoy the doing the 3 mile blue trail loop. If you're looking for longer combine with other trails or make shorter. They also have an area where your dog may be off leash. Most of the trail is shaded with some open sunny areas. The trail is generally not busy...another reason I love it.

Great place to take medium to larger dogs. There is ample space for them to run. The woods offers…read moreexcitement for them and the lake side is a great place for them to cool off on warm days. This is the best dog park we have ever used. There is a fee for those out of town folks who may wish to run their 4 legged friend. All the dog owners we have encountered are great. This is the place to socialize your dog, do not keep them on a leash because they can feel trapped when meeting other dogs. The dogs figure out how to relate to each other. The only mark against this place are the walkers who don't have dogs who choose to walk thru the park. They seem to be annoyed that dogs run up to them. I don't care because they have acres and acres of amazing paths in the woods to trek, the dogs only have this one smaller place. I say if you don't like dogs then don't walk thru THEIR part of the park!

Apple River Canyon (ARC) is my favorite campground in Illinois. No question. I'll start with a…read moreexcerpt from the Illinois DNR website: "Apple River Canyon State Park is in the hilly northwest corner of Illinois in Jo Daviess County near the Wisconsin border. Limestone bluffs, deep ravines, springs, streams and wildlife characterize this area. Once a part of a vast sea bottom that stretched from the Alleghenies to the Rockies, the scenic canyon area was formed by the action of the winding waters of the Apple River." My husband and I have been coming here since the late 90's. We love it here. Pros: + Only 2 1/2 hours from Chicago. + Did you read that paragraph above that I took from the website? It's BEAUTIFUL here. + 5 awesome hiking trails; some of them easier than others. + Hike (or drive) down to the river from your campsite. There's some good fishing. And our dogs love to swim in it. (Swimming for you is prohibited, however.) + 2 big loops in the campground. Most of them are nicely sized and thoughtfully spaced apart. + Only 15 minutes to Stockton (the closest town) for groceries and firewood. + Eight bucks per night for a non-electrical site. Cons: - I am not there right now. I am at my desk, rotting under flourescent lighting. This is the kind of place that, as soon as we arrive, I'm already saying, "I don't want to go home!" But I want to be completely honest - there are no showers here, and only pit toilets. There are, of course, 2 or 3 water stations in each loop (pump). So, if maintaining hygiene is the number one most important thing for you during a camping weekend, you may not find ARC as perfect as I do. Me? I try my best to make do. You're camping for God's sake! Shower when you go home! See you at Apple River Canyon!

My review may be a bit different than other people but during my time here I absolutely enjoy the…read moreviews but what I did not enjoy here were the amenities featured. The bathrooms here were absolutely in shambles and the maintenance at the park is pretty bad. Please be cautious that your GPS will not work in this area either. Poorly labeled trails as well where you can get lost.

By far this is my favorite dog park in Madison. My dog loves coming here everyday. I enjoy the…read morenature, the water, and the large area there is for my dog to run around in. Unlike most Madison dog parks, this park is large enough that it can accommodate dogs of any size. I have a particularly large dog, so other dog parks have been hard for him to have enough room to run around in. All the owners I've met are super friendly and understanding if a dog is having a rough day or needs some space. Owners are conscious on their efforts to keep the park clean and abide by the rules to pick up when needed. This park has two docks which are big favorites for pups. They even have two docks by the side of the docks for dogs that are scared to jump right in. Mine likes to soak in the water and feels most comfortable sitting there. Dane County dog parks truly take care of their parks and offer trash bags to dog owners so that owners don't have to bring their own. They also offer a lot of information for dog owners and give passes for owners for a cheap expense. I believe a one year pass is around $30-$35. This dog park also is open YEAR round unlike some of the inner city parks that close when it gets too snowy or muddy. I can't wait to take my pup back!

A pleasant surprise to finally visit this park! All prairie land with a water source (small lake)…read morein the park. There are a few piers with ramps for the dogs to walk in and out of the water easily! We did not think it was taking very long to get around the perimeter of the park, but a full lap took us about 45 min. of course allowing our dog to track and run around like crazy. Lol Plenty of space to spread out, but not so large that your dog does not get to socialize.

The trails are phenomenal. Especially the equestrian trails. Love going out and riding in the…read morewoods. Need to get out and start hiking with the dogs

Muralt Bluff Prairie is a beautiful state natural area that features a native remnant of prairie…read morebluff land in southern Wisconsin. It's a short drive from Madison - see the website at the Department of Natural Resources for driving directions. Wear long pants, hiking shoes, bring water, a camera, picnic lunch, and plan on spending at least half a day to explore. Be brave, go off the main path but, don't trample all the lovely native wild flowers! Hint: It can be muddy after a rain. And, the hike starts with a steep climb to the top of the bluff. Once up there, it is a lovely rolling hike along crest lines and through the high prairie. On clear days, you can see north and west for miles. Stunning views of the ridges and farmland.

This park is so cute in the middle of the Oregon community. We have been coming to this park for…read moreyears and it's so nice and clean, and it has a bathroom and picnic areas so you can enjoy the park for hours. Check out the old fashioned slide!

Lovely campsites and what could have been a wonderful experience was ruined by loud, drunk and…read morenoisy campers... partying, swearing and obnoxious throughout the evening. The entire area quiet and peaceful except for these two families who chose to make it miserable for the rest of us. We've camped at numerous WI State Parks and have never experienced this kind of rude behavior. These campers proudly displayed they were from Oconomowac, WI. Ugh ...!! We ended up moving to another site. Camp office was gracious and accommodating.

Maiden voyage at this location was quite the surprise. In the middle of rolling luscious green…read morehills. It felt pretty safe with the warden and Ranger making frequent passes. The host was very friendly and helpful with the 411. The sites are close enough together that it doesn't feel very remote though. Unfortunately, it was very extremely high temperatures so I didn't get to explore the hiking trails. But the beach and amphitheater were definitely worth checking out. Educational programs and food truck Saturdays. Wi-Fi is a little spotty so they recommend cash. The grounds are very clean as well as the restrooms and showers. Definitely feels like you're someplace else even if you're from the state of Wisconsin.