governor nelson state park

The County and city have done a great job of creating easy walking paths thru Marshlands, a little prairie and near enough Lake Mendota to view it. We were here in the middle of October and the trees were just turning into their fall colors. Absolutely gorgeous. There are a number of paths and all have small signs explaining the types of trees or plants they are in front of, explaining about the history of prairies in Wisconsin, the history of the park itself, or of some of the more exotic and aquatic birds.Whether you want to be educated about the flora and fauna or you want a quiet meditative walk or a brisk jog down the trails, this is a very nice place to visit.Enjoy!

Lots of parking and hiking trails all year long. A good boat launch and fish cleaning station. Beautifully restored prairie with lots of blue birds and other birds. A dog beach for your dog to swim and another beach for you to swim. A very well maintained park.

Beautiful trails through woods, along the lake and across open grasslands. Several level hiking areas too for those that struggle with inclines and hills. Great park area by the lake for the kids, too.