April 24, 2024

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Today’s Forecast

55º | 2% chance of rain | Sunrise 6:00 a.m. | Sunset 7:51 p.m.

🥾 Step to it

You can’t beat the view from Gibraltar Rock. | Photo by 608today

From quick and easy loops around town to drives that take you to fantastic lakes and bluffs, our city has several options to hit the trail. So lace up your hiking boots, because we’ve compiled a hiking guide for the Madison area to help you plan your next adventure and experience breathtaking views.

Note: While parks and trails may be listed as open, we recommend checking park websites before visiting for further info, current trail conditions, and safest practices for the area.

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

Madison area

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.

Sunrise on Lake Mendota with ice blocks in the foreground and the city in the background.jpeg — Picnic Point is one of the most popular hikes in Madison. | Photo by 608today

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 or keep your eyes peeled for one of many benches along the trail to enjoy the views.

Further afield

Ramparts of an ancient village with ceremonial mounds and trees beyond.jpeg — Aztalan State Park is at the site of the ancient Middle-Mississippian town. | Photo via Wisconsin DNR

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.

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.

Click the button below for eight more hikes.

Journey on

Asked

What is most important to you when choosing a hike?

A. Level of difficulty
B. Time to complete/number of miles
C. Unmatched views
D. It’s all about the hiking location

Something's afoot

Events

Wednesday, April 24

University Dialogue | Wednesday, April 24 | 5:30-8:30 p.m. | Upper House, 365 E. Campus Mall, Madison | $10-$25 | With Madison being a college town, come for a panel discussion with experts, paired with a dinner and dessert.
Poetry and Beer Night | Wednesday, April 24 | 7-9 p.m. | Minocqua Brewing Company, 2927 E. Washington Ave., Madison | Cost of purchase | Lift a pint while listening to some poetry at Madison’s newest tap room.
Country Jam | Wednesday, April 24 | 7-9:30 p.m. | Red Rooster, 2513 Seiferth Rd., Madison | $5 | Showcase your band’s latest country set or come listen to locals perform boot scootin’ boogies.

Thursday, April 25

Spring Cultural Showcase | Thursday, April 25 | 5-6:30 p.m. | Middleton Youth Center, 7009 Donna Dr., Middleton | Free | This open house includes music, food, dance, and community bonding over diverse cultures.
Resistance Music Ensemble | Thursday, April 25 | 6:30 p.m. | Arts + Literature Laboratory, 111 S. Livingston St., Madison | Free | Come for a rousing assortment of musical styles created from social movements, including hip-hop, reggae, and jazz.

Friday, April 26

“Babel” | Friday, April 26-Sunday, April 28 | 2 p.m. | Madison Youth Arts, 1055 E. Mifflin St., Madison | $30 | Three local dance organizations come together to share the story of language, told through dance.

Saturday, April 27

Great Midwest Alpaca Festival | Saturday, April 27-Sunday, April 28 | Times vary | Alliant Energy Center, 1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, Madison | Free | Visit with farm animals, check out fiber arts, and leave with an al-pack-a memories.
Print and Resist Zinefest | Saturday, April 27 | 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin St., Madison | Free | Celebrate the DIY literary efforts of local writers, publishers, and printmakers.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

News Notes

Closed

Atwood Scoop is closed and will be replaced by another ice cream shop, Sassy Scoop. The shop will sell at least 18 flavors from Columbus’s Sassy Cow Creamery. It’s expected to open in the coming weeks. (Wisconsin State Journal)

Cause

A Sand Valley Resort golf experience, pickleball lessons, and a kayaking trip with John Stofflet are up for auction by the Madison Parks Division. Proceeds will directly fund park accessibility initiatives. The online auction opens 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 1.

Announced

Well la-di-frickin da, the Madison Mallards baseball team will honor Chris Farley with Motivational Speakers Night on Saturday, July 6. Today is the last day for fans to purchase grandstand or Duck Blind tickets and get a replica jersey and Matt Foley tie. (Channel 3000)

Number

$11 million. That’s the investment recently made to the UW-Madison School of Education to support Wisconsin educators. The funds will go toward the Early Career Teaching Institute, the Teacher Education Center, and the Wisconsin Teacher Pledge program.

Outdoors

It’s Wisconsin Fat Bird Week, folks. The brainchild of the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin and SOS Save Our Songbirds, the week aims to shed light on the importance of native birds through humor. Vote for the chunkiest chick through this Friday, April 26.

Biz

Madison residents with Amazon Prime subscriptions can now have groceries delivered to their homes. The grocery delivery subscription is $9.99 per month. (Channel 3000)

Environment

🌞 Listen here, sunny

Solar panels on a roof with the Wisconsin State Capitol building in the background.jpeg

Solar panels are on the roof the Madison Public Library’s central branch. | Photo via City of Madison

The City of Madison has set a goal of reaching 100% renewable energy with net zero carbon emissions for city operations by 2030 and community-wide by 2050.

With the recent goings-on regarding solar energy, the area is on its way.

City of Madison

Madison reached a solar energy milestone this week, hitting 2 megawatts on city properties with solar panel systems.

There are now more than 6,200 panels on city facilities (pro tip: you can find them via the city’s solar locator). To put it in perspective, the energy they generate could power 237 homes per year.

The City aims to install one megawatt of solar per year through 2030.

Click the button below to learn more about other recent solar efforts in Dane County and Wisconsin, plus residential solar initiatives.

You're bright

The Buy

A two-in-one wine stopper and pourer. We love: The drip-proof pour and how easy it is to flip the lever down for air-tight storage.

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Jonathan

From the editor

I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and hiked constantly around Mount Rainier National Park. That said, I’m always excited for a weekend day when I can lace up my boots and tackle another segment of that (1,200 mile) Ice Age Trail.

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