Take a hike: A guide to trails around Madison

Lace up your hiking boots. We’ve compiled a curated hiking guide for the Madison area with XX trails and routes to help you plan your next adventure.

Note: Before heading out, we recommend checking park websites for further info, current trail conditions, and safest practices for the area.

Key: Easy = 🥾| Moderate = 🥾🥾 | Hard = 🥾🥾🥾

Picture-perfect views

Picnic Point, 2000 University Bay Dr., Madison

• Difficulty: 🥾
• Length: 2 miles out and back
• Wheelchair accessible: No
• Pet-friendly: Yes

A Madison classic, this mile-long peninsula juts out from the south shore of Lake Mendota. Reserve a fire circle for a mid-hike fire, or keep your eyes peeled for one of many benches along the trail to enjoy the views.

Governor’s Island, Governor’s Island Parkway (off of Troy Drive), Madison

• Difficulty: 🥾
• Length: 1.2-mile loop
• Wheelchair accessible: No
• Pet-friendly: Yes

Think: Picnic Point, but not as busy.

Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park - South, 5002 School Rd.

• Difficulty: 🥾🥾
• Length: 4 miles of trails
• Wheelchair accessible: No
• Pet-friendly: No

Close to the hubbub of Northport Drive, you can still get lost in restored prairie, oak savannas, and woodland areas with views of marshes and the Yahara River.

Gibraltar Rock, Gibraltar Rock Road, Lodi

• Difficulty: 🥾🥾
• Length: 1.5-mile loop
• Wheelchair accessible: No
• Pet-friendly: Yes

If you’re afraid of heights, you may want to skip this one. Just south of Lake Wisconsin, this hike is part of the Ice Age Trail and offers stunning views (especially in the fall) atop the 200-ft cliffs.

Best for a workout

Ferry Bluff, Ferry Bluff Rd. (off of State Road 60), Prairie Du Sac

• Difficulty: 🥾🥾
• Length: 1-mile loop
• Wheelchair accessible: No
• Pet-friendly: Yes

While it’s only a half-mile walk to the bluff, be prepared for steep walking conditions — but the view is worth it. This trail is closed November-March in an effort to protect roosting Bald Eagles.

Wildlife walks

Edna Taylor Conservation Park Trail, 802 Femrite Dr., Madison

• Difficulty: 🥾
• Length: 2.3 miles out and back
• Wheelchair accessible: No
• Pet-friendly: No

Each month, there’s an opportunity to join a 90-minute Bird and Nature Walking Tour to explore the park with an expert. Since this is a conservation park, no dogs are allowed, but there’s a high chance you’ll see plenty of critters on your hike. It’s also a stone’s throw from the Aldo Leopold Nature Center that offers learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds.

Pheasant Branch and Fredrick’s Hill Loop, 4864 Pheasant Branch Rd., Middleton

• Difficulty: 🥾🥾
• Length: 4-mile loop
• Wheelchair accessible: Yes
• Pet-friendly: Yes

This hike takes about an hour and a half on average but with plenty of side paths to explore, you can easily spend a few hours enjoying nature on this trail.

Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park - North, 6098 N. Sherman Ave.

• Difficulty: 🥾🥾
• Length: 4 miles of trails
• Wheelchair accessible: No
• Pet-friendly: No

A birder’s paradise, there are trails along the upper Yahara River, across marshes, and through meadows and forests. A small pier provides canoe/kayak access (1/4 mile carry-in from the parking lot).

Step back through time

Indian Lake County Park, 8183 WI-19, Cross Plains

• Difficulty: 🥾🥾
• Length: 4-mile loop
• Wheelchair accessible: No
• Pet-friendly: Yes

One of Dane County’s largest parks, there’s the loop around Indian Lake, but also has a plethora of other hiking opportunities (the Ice Age Trail runs through it, as does a hike up a hill to a historic chapel built in 1857).

Aztalan State Park, N6200 County Rd. Q, Jefferson

• Difficulty: 🥾🥾
• Length: 2-mile loop
• Wheelchair accessible: No
• Pet-friendly: Yes

Mostly open prairie, with some oak woods along the Crawfish River, the park is the site of an ancient Mississippian culture settlement during the 10th to 13th centuries. There are reconstructed stockades and earthwork mounds to explore.

Take it easy

Starkweather Creek Path, Access from the Goodman Sports Complex, 3201 Anderson St., Madison

• Difficulty: 🥾
• Length: 3-mile trail
• Wheelchair accessible: Yes
• Pet-friendly: Yes

Near the Bridges Golf Course, the path splits into two segments. Go west along Aberg Avenue to reach Oscar Mayer Park, or south to cross Milwaukee Street and converge with the Capital City Trail.

Get the right gear

Get the most out of your trip with comfortable, handy, and helpful hiking gear:

• For the best footwear, check out Nordstrom Rack’s sneaker edit for hiking.
• If your trail demands a proper hiking boot, we like Columbia’s collection on Amazon.
• Travel light (but still have room for snacks) with lululemon’s Everywhere Belt Bag.
• Get a good bulk deal on Perfect Bars, Clif Bars, or Kind Bars at a warehouse store like Sam’s Club.
• Don’t forget to bring a compact, portable phone charger (you’ll thank us later).
• We like this Teton hiking backpack.
• We like this lightweight water bottle.
• Psst — to be ultra-prepared, here are the 10 items you should never enter a national park without, according to the National Park Service.