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 :)

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

I say this about a lot of parks but, this is definitely one of the best parks I have ever been to…read more There are 6 areas for different sports, including: basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, and ping pong. In addition to the sports, there is a very nice playground, pavilion (with electricity and a grill), and a walking trail.

Nice place for a hike but bring some bug spray. Nice path around the perimeter. Sandhill Cranes…read morebred there this year. Lots of frogs and dragonflies.

A wonderful place to host a Catholic retreatread more

Can't believe I'm the first one to review this place! Beloit, you guys are slacking!…read more This is a pretty neat playground to take the kids to with an awesome view of the river. Not exactly sure what river it is, Illinois i think? The playground is well maintained, my 10 year old loved it. Not your traditional playground with swings and seesaws, but plenty of stuff to climb. There's also a walking trail along the river but I was sad that I couldn't go because we didn't take the baby stroller! We had our infant in the car seat and she was too heavy to lug that thing around in. Parent fail! Would love to come back and bring my walking shoes to get my steps in!

Alpine Park is awesome! They have a little something for everyone in every stage of life. They have…read morea pool, basketball courts, tennis courts, lots of picnic tables, pavilions and spots that you can rent out for events, lots of lawn space, and an epic kids playground (called "Paulyground"). We come here all the time and our kids love it just like I did as a kid. Would definitely recommend!

An awesome park - if you've haven't been there you should really give it a try…read more In addition to the picnic and hiking in the park that I remember from years back, we stopped at the playground. While not amazing, it has a good number of play stations at which the kids were having a blast (has soft surface to help when kids fall) Plus big green fields to run and play The only downsides are that the sandbox could definitely use some more sand and someone had clogged up the drain for the drinking fountain (...with sand...)

This is a nice place to take a break and relax. One wish is for dog owners to pick up after their…read moredogs. It would make for a much more pleasant experience on and off the bike/walk path. There is a botanical garden along the river front. We'll have to check it out next time.

Awesome spot for toddlers. My 1yo loved it! The slide was super easy for him to navigate and I was…read moreable to stay in a comfortable spot while being within arms reach.