More than 100 miles of shared-use bike trails connect communities, parks and natural areas across Dane County. This network is a good starting point for discovering the county’s natural highlights: from lakeside scenery to ecological habitats and trails.
Lakes and trails in Dane County
Lake Kegonsa State Park sits on a 3,200-acre lake in Dane County and has more than five miles of hiking trails. The lake and trails offer different highlights: the lake shapes the scenic setting, while the hiking trails provide a tangible way to explore the park on foot. This is a different scale from navigating the shared-use bike trail network: here, the focus is on a specific park and its hiking trails.
Ecological habitats and birdlife
The UW Arboretum in Madison encompasses a variety of ecological communities and horticultural collections. The grounds also include earthworks in the form of animal and symbolic mounds, as well as more than 17 miles of trails. Admission is free, and free nature walks are also offered. They introduce visitors to identifying plants and animals, as well as to ecological concepts. The Arboretum thus brings together different perspectives: trails and collections sit alongside earthworks, while the walks explore species identification and ecological connections.
At Cherokee Marsh, the wetland defines the character of the area: it is the largest wetland in Dane County and lies at the head of the Yahara chain of lakes. The Mendota Unit of Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park is part of a protected land complex that supports wildlife and native plant communities in both the marsh and the adjacent upland. The ecological perspective therefore extends beyond the marsh to include the neighboring upland landscape.
Birds at Cherokee Marsh include barred owls, black-capped chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches and woodpeckers; warblers also appear during migration. This offers a concrete seasonal point of interest for bird enthusiasts: warblers are specifically mentioned in connection with migration.
Earthworks and named trails
On the west shore of Lake Mendota, the 422-acre Governor Nelson State Park lies in Dane County. Along the Woodland Trail, you can see earthworks of Indigenous origin in the form of animal and symbolic mounds. This provides a different focus from the UW Arboretum: there, ecological communities and horticultural collections sit alongside the earthworks; at Governor Nelson State Park, they can be seen along a named trail.
The Ice Age Trail has another specifically defined route: in Dane County, it follows a section of the Badger State Trail between Purcell Road and County Highway A. These two road names pinpoint the section and distinguish it from a more general view of trails in the county.
A market day in Madison
The Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Square in Madison traditionally takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Since market dates vary by season, check the current schedule before your visit. The market offers a different focus from the natural sites: here, you can plan around the traditional market days and seasonal dates.
Discover more destinations: Madison, Mcfarland, Deforest, Middleton, Stoughton, Verona, Sun Prairie, Mount Horeb, Monona, Waunakee.
For the broader travel overview: Wisconsin.
