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!

This dog park is off the beaten trail, but is worth it if you are on the west side. There is enough…read morespace for your dog to get a good hard run, plus shade trees and picnic tables if you want to chill. As a park located in an established neighborhood, you get the opportunity to talk with the neighborhood residents. Each time we have visited we have a nice chat with other dog owners who are attentive to their dogs. An added bonus is that Walnut Grove Park has a playground close to the dog park area. So you can keep an eye on your kiddo AND your dog. Lol

Pretty sweet park with some birds. I've seen some big flying things in there in the early mornings,…read morelike cranes or herons or something. I've even heard of coyotes spotted here. The sign says no dogs :( But I see lots of people walking their dogs through the park on a leash. All in all another good Madison park.

Hoyt park is one of many sneaky natural treasures tucked away within the city of Madison. Easy to…read moremiss, but absolutely worth searching out. I hadn't been to the park in ages, in fact, when looking at the map earlier in the day I'd forgotten that I'd been there before. This is probably because we'd stopped and spent some time at the main shelter, but didn't really check out the rest of the park. Shame on me! We missed out back then; not only does the trail make for a lovely and mostly shady walk, but the history here is fantastic. The park was once a quarry, and it shows because this local stone was used throughout. You can access the park from three areas. First is a footpath next to Hoyt School on Regent Street (street parking only here). The primary entrance is a bit farther up Regent Street, and here is where you'll find the parking lot and the main facilities for the park. Lastly, you can hike down from the the scenic outlook at Owen Parkway. There is limited parking up there and on the street by Hoyt School, so I'd suggest the main lot. Hoyt offers a bit of something for everyone. As you pull into the parking lot you'll notice the stone shelter and restroom facility. There are enough picnic tables in the shelter for a good sized get together (reservable) and a large fireplace on each end. While we were there I saw two different groups cook up something on a teeny fire in there. There's a children's playground near the parking lot, more picnic tables scattered about, and a large open grassy area for soccer, lawn games or frisbee. A basketball court and softball field round out the sporting options. Also, as of June 2015, this is one of 10 Madison parks that will be participating in a pilot program for slacklining sites in the city. Neat! The trail (about a mile total) is a mix of paved and unpaved surfaces. It weaves through the trees and rock formations in a way that really maximizes the 31 acres the park sits on. There are picnic areas with stone fireplaces and tables tucked here and there, and a second shelter full of picnic tables down the path into the woods. A smaller clearing past this shelter opens to a restored prairie area, which was loaded with flowers and butterflies when my friend and I walked through. I noted a few benches here and there where one could sit and watch the pollinators at work. There were raspberries everywhere! At one point we walked past old mossy quarry walls, and up/down stone stairways. There were wildflowers all along the trail, which always makes me happy. We shared the trail with a number of people running through the park or walking their dogs. But beware! Technically dogs are only allowed along Owen Parkway and must be leashed while there (via City of Madison website). I don't know how strict they are at the park if you're caught. Regardless, I was pleased to see so many people using the park in a couple hours time. Unfortunately there are some signs of vandalism once you get into the woods. There are not-so-pretty patches in the fencing where people have tried to get through to the blocked off lower quarry area, and some of the beautiful stone tables have been spray painted. Hopefully the Friends of Hoyt Park are on top of these things; from what I read they're pretty active.

We stumbled upon this while staying nearby. It's a nice place to go to forget you are in a city and…read morehas many hidden gems if you have time to look around. There is a pyramid hidden there if you are fortunate enough to find it.

I couldn't find it My GPS it took me into a corner and there…read morewas no dog park in sight

Best dog park in Middleton/west side in my opinion. Plenty of room for the doggos to roam and it is…read morevery well maintained (compared to the Madison parks and the smaller Middleton one at Penni Klein), as the grass is frequently cut, and mulch frequently reapplied. The frequent maintenance means that my dog doesn't get too muddy even after rain events. There is also an agility course area that is in decent shape near the front of the dog park. Plenty of parking up front. Just look for the compost sign off County Road Q!

Quarry Park is one of the few Madison parks that allows dogs on-leash to walk in the park. This is…read morelikely because this park is primarily here to serve mountain bikers. The park consists of a wooded area laced with crisscrossing dirt mountain biking trails. Get ready to bust a glute because the hills here are steep! But the pooches will have fun; they love getting to charge up and down the gravel hills. The park seems to be seldom utilized; on several trips here we only ran into a pair of mountain bikers once and never any other other hikers/dogs. Don't look for official signage or a parking lot because you won't find it. There is plenty of street parking available on Steven's St. and there are random trail entrances along that side of the park.

My husband and I strolled here the other day. It's a beautiful retreat and reminds me of being in…read morethe country even though it is in the town of Waunakee. The trail is not groomed and judging by the paw prints left in the snow the fact that they don't allow dogs is most likely not enforced. However, with the warmer weather the trail is wet and muddy in some spots and I recommend water proof shoes as the trail isn't paved or gravel. The bridges are lovely and there are rest benches along the path. There were also wildlife tracks so if you time it right you may see some deer or large birds. I'm looking forward to walking this when the path is drier. Update: I did go here when the weather was drier and I loved it. The path makes a circle, so if you don't carry a compass or navigation eventually you'll get back to the start. It was even prettier now without the snow and less mud, I'm looking forward to some greenery along the path. While you are close enough to town to see civilization it almost like being out in a natural state.

Hidden jewel of the Waunakee Park system…read more I "ran" into this park during a recent jog. Since my legs were still sore from the recent WaunaFest 10 miler, I was in search of a soft surface to run on. I detoured off my usual route on Division Street and started running through the Conservatory. For a park that gets limited use (I've lived in Waunakee for over 10 years and rarely have I seen anyone entering or exiting the park), the grass-covered trails were well maintained. While the park is surrounded by civilization, it is very secluded, with Six Mile Creek forming one border and an elevated railroad track forming the other. During my job, I enjoyed the abundant prairie flowers, songbirds and butterflies that populated the park. The park is a great spot for someone looking for some tranquility. There were a couple of negatives. If you are using the park in the summer, bring some bug spray. The mosquitoes are as abundant as the songbirds. And use the rest room, before you come, since there are no facilities at the conservatory.

I have nothing but amazing things to share about Green Dog. My wife and I have been getting…read morefrequent pet visits for our goldens Duncan and Ellie for over a year now. The team is so sweet and treats our pups like their own. They are so kind and understanding of our constantly changing schedule and last minute changes. We love the constant updates, frequent photos, and respect of our home and requests. I would recommend them to anyone without a second thought.

Rory and I love Jaci and Angela at Green Dog. Green Dog is great to work with very flexible and…read moreresponsive. Rory loves his time with Jaci and it gives my such piece of mind knowing my fur baby is being taken of.