Marion Park is in Prairie du Sac, though it is only a block or two from Sauk City. The land for the park was donated to the village of Prairie du Sac by Mr. & Mrs. W. H. Jacobs in 1894 and the park is named in honor of their daughter Marion. The official address of the park is 145 1st Street, and it sits on a large block that is bounded by 1st Street, Grand Avenue, 5th Street and Lincoln Avenue. Grand Avenue Elementary School is on the block adjacent to the park, and a public outdoor pool is on the corner of Grand Ave and 5th Street. The old Sauk Prairie Hospital  it kitty-corner from the park, at 1st Street and Lincoln Ave.

The park has a disc golf course, shelter house and other amenities. It’s probably most famous for being the site of the annual Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw & Festival on Labor Day weekend. I usually run in the Cow Chip 10 K race every year.

Here is a typical walking route:

Walking route in Marion Park on 2021-02-28

I usually park in Sauk City on Helen Street by the parking lot for the old hospital. I walk on Helen Street to Oak Street – Oak Street is the dividing line between Prairie du Sac and Sauk City. I head west on Oak Street for a block until I get to Washington Street (Sauk City) or 1st Street (Prairie du Sac) and I turn right and walk past the old hospital to Marion Park. On this walk I just walked around the boundary of the park beginning at the corner of 1st Street and Lincoln Ave and proceeded counterclockwise. When it’s not winter, there is an available paved path from 1st Street to the shelter house and then to the playground area behind Grand Avenue School.

Note that not all of the streets have sidewalks on both sides! When I got back to the starting corner, I walked down Lincoln Ave to Helen Street and then headed back to the car past the old hospital.

The total distance is about 1.2 miles.

• Prairie du Sac Parks Department
• Wisconsin State Cow Chip Festival web site

Rennebohm Park is another City of Madison park. Its official location is 115 N Eau Claire Avenue. Its is sort of a long and narrow park that is bounded by N Eau Claire Avenue, N Segoe Road, Regent Street and a series of apartment buildings that face Sheboygan Avenue. The Sheboygan Community Garden is in the park, along with a shelter house that is accessible from N Eau Claire Avenue.

The park is named after Oscar Rennebohm who served as lieutenant governor and governor of Wisconsin and later served on the UW Board of Regents. He died in 1968.

I enjoy walking in Rennebohm Park – the paths are all paved and there are usually quite a few people out walking, or playing soccer or on the tennis courts. Here’s a map showing a typical walk.

Walking route in Rennebohm Park on 2021-02-25

I usually park along Eau Claire Avenue, near the intersection with Sheboygan Avenue. then I walk along Eau Claire Avenue to Regent Street and then head east along Regent to the second paved path. This loops back a bit and then heads east to Segoe Road behind some apartment buildings. Then up Segoe Road to Sheboygan Avenue and back to the car. On this walk I made a little diversion through the American Red Cross parking lot.

This walk was about 1.4 miles. It’s easy to lengthen the walk a little by walking on Door Drive and Buffalo Trail.

• City of Madison’s Rennebohm Park page
• Oscar Rennebohm from Wikipedia
• About Oscar from the Rennebohm Foundation

Winnequah Park is located in the City of Monona on the southeastern side of Lake Monona. The park is fairly large and continas a lot of facilities, including ball fields and outdoor pool. The Monona Library, Community Center and Police Department are adjacent to the park, as is Winnequah Elementary School.

I first became aware of Winnequah Park in the 1990s because it is on the “Lake Loop” bicycle route that goes around Lake Monona. Winnequah Park also hosts the Lake Monona 20 K race in May. I’ve run the race several times, but something odd always seems to happen whenever I run it.

Anyway, here’s a typical walk around the park:

Walking route in Winnequah Park in Monona on 2021-01-11

I usually park in the parking area on Healy Lane near the playground. I typically head south on Healy Lane to Winnequah Road. The basic route is just a loop around the southern part of the park, so I just follow Winnequah Land around until I reach Nichols Road and then return to my car on Healy Lane.

I often make an excursion to one or two of the smaller parks that are nearby. On this occasion I turned left on Wyldhaven Avenue to Wyldhaven Park. It’s a small park with access to Lake Monona and great view of downtown Madison. I then walked on Tonyawatha Trail to Arrowhead Park, which has a playground but not much of a view. I walked down Vogts Lane to Winnequah Road then over to Nichols Road and back to the parking area on Healy Lane.

Depending on the exact route, the walk is between 1.0 and 1.4 miles. It’s mostly flat but it is uphill towards both Wyldhaven and Arrowhead parks.

• City of Monona web site
• Arrowhead Park
• Wyldhaven Park
• Lake Monona 20 K race web site
• My 20 K results

Esther Beach Park is located on the south shore of Lake Monona in Madison. It has a nice beach and a new shelter house (constructed in 2018) and a pretty amazing view of downtown Madison across the lake. The official address of the park is 2802 Waunona Way.

There’s not much to say about the park itself; it’s really a pretty small park and it’s all about the beach. It’s kind of like Spring Harbor Beach Park on Lake Mendota.

Here is my usual walking route:

Walking route in the Esther Beach area on 2020-12-07

I park in the small lot at Esther Beach when possible, but sometimes it’s just easier to park on Esther Beach Road. I head up Esther Beach Road towards the Beltline and then turn right onto Nana Lane. I continue on Nana Lane past Ethelwyn Road, and which point Nana Lane magically becomes Harriman Lane. I have no idea why the name changes at this point. I follow Harriman Lane to the intersection with Waunona Way. I usually will turn left and walk to the end of Waunona Way and then onto the Capital City Bike Path for a bit. Then I turn around and head back to Esther Beach on Waunona Way.

The total walk is about 1.2 or 1.3 miles. It is uphill on Esther Beach Road and the first part of Nana Lane, but otherwise it’s mostly rolling hills along Waunona Way.

Note that Thut Park is located close to this route; it’s along Nana Lane and east of Esther Beach Road.

• Esther Beach Park (City of Madison web site)
• Esther Beach (City of Madison)
• Thut Park (City of Madison)

Wexford Park is located in the City of Madison, bounded by Westfield Road and Sawmill Road; the official address is 1201 N Westfield Road. It is also connected to Longmeadow Road by a path which leads to Stricker’s Pond Conservancy Park.

The wooded area of the park is between the shelter area and the houses along Longmeadow Road. The paved path from Longmeadow Road winds through the wooded area and intersects with several non-paved paths the go through the woods. The path comes out near the shelter house and it is a little steep as it approaches the shelter, so bike riders should be careful  when heading down the hill.

Here is a typical walk in Wexford Park:

Walking route in Wexford Park on 2020-12-04

I park along Longmeadow Road in the same area where I park when walking around Stricker’s Pond. I head up the Wexford Park Path through the woods to the shelter area, and at the split in the paved path I turn left and walk to Sawmill Road. Then I turn right and follow Sawmill to the intersection with Westfield Road where I again turn right. I continue until I reach the path and head back towards the shelter and playground area. I turn left to go back down the paved path into the woods, but I turn left again at the first non-paved path. I follow this through the woods until I get back to Westfield Road. Then I just continue on the road until I reach another paved path that leads back to Longmeadow Road, and then it’s just back to the car.

The total walk is just over a mile, but it could easily be combined with a loop around Stricker’s Pond to make a two mile walk.

• Wexford Park (City of Madison web site)