Dodgeville, Wisconsin

You can make campground reservations ahead of time or drive into the park to talk to a ranger, and reserve a hike-in campsite for the a night.Once you're all set up, you can hike to the beach of Cox Hollow Lake to hang out, go for a swim, or snap a few sunset photos.There are beaches on both Cox...

Five miles west from Sauk City lies another great natural area. According to the official website, it is about a 25-minute drive from Devil’s Lake State Park. There are a few trails you can take here at this park, they go up all of the bluffs in the area, the most popular one is Cactus Bluff. Fol...

Ferry Bluff is a 0.8 mile lightly trafficked, very steep out and back trail located near Sauk City, Wisconsin that features a river and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and birding and is best used from April until October. The entire no...

Located in Wisconsin’s Driftless Region, Natural Bridge State Park includes 530-acres of oak and hardwood trees, small prairie remnants with grasses and cacti, ferns, and the rare goldenrod and purple cliffbrake. Wildlife in the park includes turkey vultures, pileated woodpeckers, and bald eagles...

More info can be found about that here.  This is a beautiful 105 acre conservancy with several different trails.  It’s a great spot for a picnic and to bring the family.  There are interpretive signs so you can learn about the history of the land like glaciers and the different settlers.  They ev...

442 acre park just outside of Madison is a perfect spot to escape for awhile. About a 20 minute drive from Madison makes it easily accessible even on a tight schedule. It provides a great place for lots of outdoor activities, year round.I love this place enough that I have been there many times a...

This garden is open to the public from dawn to dusk, 7 days a week, free of charge.  The gardens are tended by summer interns.  During the off-season they are maintained by volunteers and apprentices.  We made our first stop here earlier this week.  It was beautiful. Tons of plants and lots of sp...

This is an excellent trail right in the city of Madison and doing this portion made me very excited to continue hiking more of the Ice Age Trail in this area.  The Ice Age Trail is more than 1,000 miles long and it follows the edge of the last continental glacier in Wisconsin.   - - - - - For thi...

There are no specific trails in this conservancy, so just choose the path that looks the best to you.  It would be hard to get lost here and all the trails put together are only about 3 miles.   There are some hills, but nothing too serious. bathrooms in the parking lotsmall parking lotfreecommon...

Devil's Lake is one of Wisconsin's most visited and most beautiful state parks, offering many trails, activities, gorgeous scenery and more. There are various trails to explore in the park, including the East Bluff Trail and the Potholes & CCC Trail Loop, as well as camping that's offered. T...

Devil's Doorway can be accessed via a loop trail in Devil's Lake State Park located near Baraboo, Wisconsin. This route to Devil's Doorway is from the southeast end of Devil's Lake.  If you're starting closer to the Visitor's Center on the north end of the lake, check out the 3-mile roundtrip De...

It is filled with effigy mounds, thousands of plant and animal species, and unlimited places to explore.  You can run, hike, bike, and even drive through the Arboretum.  There is a visitor center and you can host an event here.  Trail info  One of my favorite trails is in the Grady Tract area nea...

Park in the South entrance group camping lot to find the trailhead, just a few steps North of the parking lot. A few different paths you can take, but took grotto trail (.3 miles) to Potholes trail (.4miles) and looped back on the CCC trail (1 mile). Very steep climb for a decent amount of the tr...

Being a native Wisconsinite, I think the most quintessential thing to do in Madison is beers and a sunset at Memorial Union Terrace on Lake Mendota. There’s plenty more to do right at the Union too, including world famous ice cream,  kayaking and other water sport rentals at Hoofer’s, live mu...

Starting at the trailhead at the base of the hill, follow the paved asphalt path that ascends the backside of Gibraltar Rock. While the trail is paved all the way to the top, there are sections of it that are rather rough due to tree roots tearing the pavement up. There is also a slightly longer ...

There’s plenty to do here: relax on the beach, walk the neighborhood, soak in the views of the Madison skyline, bring a kayak or SUP to get on the water, or go for a swim.     Always be sure to check the blue-green algae levels before swimming in a Madison lake. That can be done here.  Thankfully...