60 hikes within 60 miles Madison : includes Dane and surrounding counties Madison :

Book - 2008

Saved in:

2nd Floor Show me where

917.7504/Sixty 2015
2015: 1 / 1 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
2nd Floor 917.7504/Sixty 2015 2015 Checked In
Subjects
Genres
Guidebooks
Published
Birmingham, Ala. : Menasha Ridge Press c2008-
Language
English
Physical Description
v. : ill., maps ; 23 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN
9781634040006
  • Overview Map inside
  • Overview-Map Key
  • Acknowledgments
  • Foreword
  • Preface
  • 60 Hikes by Category
  • Introduction
  • Madison Metro
  • 1. Arboretum: Greene Prairie
  • 2. Arboretum: Wingra Marsh
  • 3. Arboretum: Wingra Woods
  • 4. Capital City State Trail: E-Way Segment
  • 5. Cherokee Marsh North
  • 6. Cherokee Marsh South
  • 7. Edna Taylor Conservation Park (with Aldo Leopold Nature Center and Woodland Park)
  • 8. Elver Park
  • 9. Lewis Nine Springs E-Way Trail
  • 10. Madison Capitol and Downtown
  • 11. Olin Park and Turville Point Conservation Park
  • 12. Owen Conservation Park
  • 13. Pheasant Branch Conservancy (with Pheasant Branch Creek Trail)
  • 14. Picnic Point
  • 15. Pope Farm Park
  • 16. Tenney Park to Schenk's Corners
  • 17. Token Creek
  • 18. Tom George Greenway
  • Northwest
  • 19. Black Hawk Unit: Lower Wisconsin State Riverway
  • 20. Devil's Lake State Park: East Bluff
  • 21. Devil's Lake State Park: West Bluff
  • 22. Gibraltar Rock State Natural Area
  • 23. Governor Nelson State Park
  • 24. Ice Age Trail: Cross Plains Segment
  • 25. Ice Age Trail: Devil's Lake Segment
  • 26. Ice Age Trail: Groves-Pertzborn Segment
  • 27. Ice Age Trail: Lodi Marsh Segment
  • 28. Ice Age Trail: Table Bluff Segment
  • 29. Indian Lake County Park
  • 30. Mirror Lake State Park
  • 31. Natural Bridge State Park
  • 32. Pewit's Nest
  • 33. Rocky Arbor State Park
  • 34. Rowan Creek Trail
  • 35. Swan Lake State Wildlife Area
  • Southwest
  • 36. Badger State Trail
  • 37. Blue Mound State Park
  • 37. Cadiz Springs State Recreation Area
  • 38. Donald County Park
  • 40. Governor Dodge State Park: Lost Canyon Trail
  • 41. Governor Dodge State Park: White Oak Trail
  • 42. Ice Age Trail: Brooklyn Wildlife Segment
  • 43. Ice Age Trail: Montrose Segment
  • 44. Ice Age Trail: Verona Segment
  • 45. Magnolia Bluff Park
  • 46. New Glarus Woods State Park
  • 47. Stewart County Park
  • 48. Yellowstone Lake State Park
  • Northeast
  • 49. Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area
  • 50. Horicon National Wildlife Refuge
  • Southeast
  • 51. Aztalan State Park
  • 52. CamRock Park: Area 2
  • 53. Glacial Drumlin State Trail
  • 54. Ice Age Trail: Devil's Staircase Segment
  • 55. Ice Age Trail: Whitewater Lake Segment
  • 56. Kettle Moraine State Forest: John Muir Trail
  • 57. Kettle Moraine State Forest: Lapham Peak Unit
  • 58. Kettle Moraine State Forest: Nordic Trails
  • 59. Kettle Moraine State Forest: Scuppernong Trail
  • 60. Lake Kegonsa State Park
  • Appendixes and Index
  • Appendix A. Hiking Stores
  • Appendix B. Map Stores
  • Appendix C. Hiking Clubs
  • Index
  • About the Author
  • Map Legend Inside back cover

MADISON CAPITOL AND DOWNTOWN LENGTH & CONFIGURATION: 3-mile loop DIFFICULTY: Easy SCENERY: Historical buildings, downtown shops, the Capitol, views of Lakes Mendota and Monona EXPOSURE: Mostly sun TRAFFIC: Moderate to heavy TRAIL SURFACE: Sidewalks HIKING TIME: 1 hour DRIVING DISTANCE: 0.5 mile from the Capitol Square ACCESS: Year-round MAPS: USGS Madison West WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY: Yes FACILITIES: In shops and restaurants along the route CONTACT: visitmadison.com COMMENTS: This area is busiest on Saturday mornings, especially during Wisconsin Badger football games and the Farmers' Market. IN BRIEF Stroll the eclectic downtown area, visit the majestic Capitol, climb Mansion Hill, and take in the lakeshores on both sides of the isthmus. DESCRIPTION Starting from the corner of Lake Street, begin up State Street toward the Capitol. Just about every style of ethnic food can be found in the next seven blocks (0.5 mile), from the classic Wisconsin State Street Brats to more exotic fare, such as Peruvian, Afghan, and Tibetan cuisines and Russian dumplings. Clothing, music, books, coffee shops, and an assortment of gift shops and boutiques make this a nice alternative to the usual mall-variety stores. Street musicians, university students, and a few panhandlers, unfortunately, are ubiquitous and add to the vibe that is quintessentially Madison. You pass State Street Brats on your right halfway up the first block. Cross Gilman Street; in the next block to your left, across the street is Lisa Link Peace Park, where a historical marker remembers Madison's role in the antiwar movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Continue toward the Capitol and pass Sacred Feather, a fine hat store and one of the only freestanding houses along here. You'll cross the one-way, traffic-heavy Gorham Street and, another block later, Johnson Street heading the opposite direction. Henry Street crosses this intersection as well. Cross Johnson Street and then Henry Street to stay on State Street. At this corner, find the towering glass corner of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (closed Mondays; check mmoca.org or call 608-257-0158 for hours and exhibit information). There is a somewhat upscale rooftop terrace restaurant and bar. The view of State Street makes it worth a visit. The museum is part of the Overture Center for the Arts complex, which runs along the entire next block. Look for the old façades of two of the structures that once stood here--most notably the 1922 Capitol Theater; they were worked into the new building. Across the street is the Orpheum Theatre, which brings in a mix of concert events throughout the year. In the last block of State Street before you reach the Capitol Square, find Ian's Pizza, a local favorite. At the top corner of State Street are two museums: The State Historical Museum and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. Cross the street to get to the Capitol at the corner of Mifflin and Carroll Streets. The Capitol is open to the public, free daily tours are available, and, from Memorial Day through October, you can climb to the observation deck for great views of the city in all directions. Hours are Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; weekends and holidays 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Call 608-266-0382 for more information. Go right along Carroll Street to Main Street, and head left. Halfway along the block is Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Boulevard. Go right here and follow it two blocks to get to the Monona Terrace. Based on a design by Frank Lloyd Wright, the convention center's rooftop terrace offers views of Lake Monona and occasional live music in the summer months. Return along MLK Jr. Boulevard to the Capitol and continue around the square, going right on Main Street to Pinckney Street. Go left here and follow it to Mifflin Street. At this intersection, you will find the award-winning Madison Children's Museum (madisonchildrensmuseum.org). Cross Pinckney to the right and then Mifflin to the left, and take the angling Hamilton Street right and down the hill from the Capitol. You will walk three blocks (0.25 mile) to Gorham and cross to James Madison Park. This park along the shore of Lake Mendota offers canoe and sailboat rentals and is often alive with ultimate Frisbee, pickup basketball games, and sunbathers. Go left and pass the 1863 Gates of Heaven synagogue, a sandstone and brick structure brought here from West Washington Avenue to be preserved. At Butler Street, go right one block and then left, climbing Gilman Street into what is known as the Mansion Hill District. Have a look at some fine houses from some of the wealthiest of the 19th-century Madisonians. After two blocks, go right on Wisconsin Avenue and come to the Edgewater Hotel, with its central terrace and bar overlooking Lake Mendota. Go left on Langdon Street and begin passing more rather large houses. Many of these are Greek fraternity or sorority houses. The Greek system began at the University of Wisconsin in 1857, and many of the chapter houses you see now were built in part as an answer to the housing problem before the advent of residence halls. At the intersection of Carroll and Langdon Streets is a historical marker in honor of Frank Lloyd Wright and his relationship with the Madison area. You can follow Carroll Street to the lakeside, where steps lead you down for a view of the water. Continuing down Langdon Street, follow the street's bend to the right, and then continue two more blocks to Lake Street. Go right one short block to the end of the street, and follow the lakeside promenade to the left, which will take you to the University's Memorial Union Terrace. This is an excellent place to watch the sunset from the various tables and docks. Food and drink are available outdoors in season, and live musical acts are regularly scheduled on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. These events move indoors by late fall. Heading away from the lakeside, cross through the parking lot with the Union to your right. On your left is an enormous redbrick building that looks more like a fortress. This is the 1893 Red Gym, which was once home to UW basketball and various other events. Cross Langdon Street at the crosswalk in front of the Memorial Union, and take the angle walk through Library Mall that passes the central fountain. Just beyond that is a concrete speaker's pulpit. You can see the university's Chazen Museum of Art from here as well. Going left there will take you between the Memorial Library and University Bookstore and return you to your starting point at State and Lake Streets. NEARBY ACTIVITIES This is the heart of the Mad City, and activities are too numerous to list. The Dane County Farmers' Market on the Capitol Square on Saturday mornings from April through October is a Madison social event as much as a time to get local produce, cheese, meat, and baked goods. Another market is held off the square on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on Wednesday mornings. Check out visitmadison.com for a calendar of other downtown events, such as Maxwell Street Days and Art Fair on the Square. GPS COORDINATES AND DIRECTIONS N43° 04' 29.11" W89° 23' 50.62" From the Capitol Square, go northeast 0.2 mile (three blocks) on Wisconsin Avenue to Gorham Street. Go left and follow Gorham 0.4 mile as it crosses State Street and bends right, becoming University Avenue. Two blocks later, turn right on Lake Street and park in the parking ramp half a block down on the right. The hike begins another half block beyond at the corner of Lake and State Streets. Excerpted from 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Madison: Including Dane and Surrounding Counties by Kevin Revolinski All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.