Our friends live about 10 minutes from this park and recommended we check it out, so we stopped by…read moreafter visiting them. There's a huge rock formation that definitely catches your eye, but the path leading up to it isn't well paved. You'll need to navigate through some tall brush if you plan to climb up. I wouldn't suggest attempting it unless you have proper shoes and decent balance (or a good core!). We saw a few adventurous teenagers make the climb, though. Aside from that, there are several nearby trails that are much better maintained and perfect for a casual walk or light hike. Overall, it's a nice county park with plenty of parking spaces to explore, especially if you're in the area and want a bit of fresh air and nature.

Discovered this park while looking for a hiking spot after visiting Mt. Horeb. Only 6 minutes drive…read morefrom Mt. Horeb and what a great hidden gem. We parked at Pop's Knoll which has a gravel parking lot for about 20 vehicles. About 100 meters from the parking lot is an area with a covered shelter with picnic tables and a toilet room. What really surprised me about this park was how well the trails were maintained and marked with numbers so you have reference points to know where you are on the park map. Consists of multi-use trails for hikers and horseback riders, as well as hiking trails for pedestrians only. A good mix of trails through corn fields, wooded areas, and grassy paths along streams. Dogs are allowed but must be leashed at all times. I highly recommend.

A beautiful park in located near the water tower in Mount Horeb! It has beautiful views and plenty…read moreto do. They have soccer goals, softball fields, a large playground, walking paths, bathrooms, vending machines, and more! This park is a great place for adults, children, and/or dogs. It's well maintained, spacious, and in a great location. There's also a large parking lot with plenty of parking nearby. I highly recommend!

What a hidden gem! The Yellowstone Lake is beautiful!! Boat rentals available along with beach,…read morepicnic areas, fishing and campsites.

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.

Whilst in the area, I decided to drive to the state park since it was right here. I turned where…read morethe sign said Blue Mound State Park... but to be honest, I couldn't actually find the park. I must have been there or right by it because there was the sign announcing it, but it was just driving through the wooded area; I never saw a place to pull out that was a park. I didn't see any trails crossing the road, either, so I'm not sure what was up. I did see four deer whilst driving through, so that was pretty cool. There are probably better parks in the area.

Camp Site #22 is very nice and away from road noise. The sites are a little bit close together, so…read moreyou will definitely see and hear your neighbors, so if you have good ones, great! If you have ones with dogs and kids, there's going to be noise. And this is a great campground for kids because there is the nearby Cave of the Mounds attraction, which is why we stayed here. We don't have kids and haven't been to this attraction, so we didn't know it is mainly meant for children. We hiked up to the towers and had great views. During fall when the leaves are changing this is a beautiful place to camp. There is a nearby general store that sells fire-starter, which came in really handy because most of the wood was wet and the Camp Host sign said they had fire-starter, but there wasn't any in the storage area where all the wood was kept. We had a great time biking the trails, going to nearby Military Ridge State Trail, and seeing one neighbor's starry light show at night in their campsite. The bathroom near Site #22 was the biggest, cleanest, and most well-maintained in all the State Parks we've camped in. All in all, a great family campground.

I read about Sunflower Days in a recent summer piece on Madison, and was happy that my Madison…read morevisit coincided with opening weekend of this year's sunflower bloom. The sunflower bloom is definitely worth the trip and parking lot traffic and walk up the hill- it's simply amazing. Over 500,000 sunflowers will bloom in a one week period! There's a bit of an uphill climb to get from the parking areas to the sunflowers and the farmland, so expect that. This is a free event, so feel free to donate to the conservancy, cheapskates! There's as much or as little walking here as you want. Get a few pics of the sunflowers and go home, or walk around the whole sun field, walk past the oak savannah and prairie, or walk around the whole farm (which is quite a hike)! Bring water, bring a blanket, bring a picnic!

I cannot believe I didn't know this hidden gem existed. Their sunflower days are absolutely…read morestunning! It's definitely an attraction close to Madison that's not to be missed. To be honest, I have only ever been to the Pope Farm Conservancy for the sunflowers. But it seems like a beautiful place to stop year round for a hike or to cross country ski. It gets crowded during their sunflower days, so it's best to go during off hours. The Conservancy does an excellent job marking off parking spots and directing traffic. They have plenty of volunteers to answer questions and everything appears to be very well run and organized. People come to take family photos, have a picnic, or just go for a nice stroll to watch the sunset over a beautiful field of sunflowers. However, leave your dog at home because pets are not allowed. The sunflower days attraction is free however donations are accepted. Definitely worth a trip to the far west side of Madison.

This place is also known as Verona Beach. There's quite a few options at this park for children…read moreyoung and old. We spent over two hours playing with our young grandchildren at the free water park - open 10am-7pm. Lots of water features to keep kids cool on a summer day geared toward kids up to about age 10 or so. Picnic benches and shade available. Next to the water park is an area of padded Astroturf with a slide and climbing net. The water park also has a section for toddlers with a gentle stream of water for the really young children to play in. The snack bar opens later and has a limited selection of treats and drinks so I'd recommend bringing your own snacks and drinks for you and your kids. For the adults, there's a nice coffee shop across the street that also sells pastries and beer. Fishing and swimming activities for older kids, teens, and adults are available at the beach area and lake - open 1-6pm ($2-$5 dollar entry fee, pay with cash or check only). Nice basketball courts here also.

Beautiful park!.. Lot's of Triathletes does their practice open water swims here. Beautiful place…read moreto go fishing also. Lots of families come here to swim and hangout. And by the way it is very clean!..

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 :)

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.