Monona on Lake Monona

Shoreline, Lagoon, and Trails

Monona lies along the eastern and southern shores of Lake Monona and has more than four miles of shoreline. Water and shoreline thus define the town’s geographical setting. Winnequah Park surrounds a winding lagoon in the heart of Monona. San Damiano is a public property covering 10 acres, with almost 1,075 feet of shoreline on Lake Monona. The two places offer different highlights: at Winnequah Park, the lagoon is the central landscape feature; at San Damiano, it is the size of the property and its shoreline. The figures represent different scales: more than four miles of shoreline for Monona, and almost 1,075 feet for the individual property at San Damiano.

For outdoor activity, the Monona Lake Loop offers 13 miles of paved trails for cycling, walking, and running. It passes through residential neighborhoods and parks along the shores of Lake Monona. The three activities mentioned make the loop an option if you’d like to include cycling, walks, or running in your travel plans. Schluter Beach has free public parking and an e-bike rental service along the Monona Lake Loop. If you plan to use these amenities, check current rental and parking information before your visit.

Recreation and Nature

The Monona Community Pool is an outdoor pool with a capacity of 300,000 gallons. The swimming area has eight lanes and is 25 meters long; there are also two diving boards, a water slide, a shallow pool area, and a separate wading pool. The facility thus combines lanes and diving options with a slide and shallower water areas. The Monona Youth Dream Park offers a different focus: the children’s playground is designed with tower-like battlements, walls, and bridges; a painted moat and a dragon sculpture continue the castle theme. In comparing the two places, water areas are set against a playground design featuring a moat and dragon.

The Aldo Leopold Nature Center in Monona offers hiking trails with self-guided tours and family programs. Nearby, the small arboretum at San Damiano is home to native and migratory birds. Their nature-related highlights thus differ: the Nature Center focuses on hiking trails and programs, while San Damiano’s arboretum highlights birdlife. Together with the paved trails of the Monona Lake Loop, they offer a range of outdoor activities, from self-guided tours to cycling, walking, and running.

Historic Sites

Monona’s historic sites also offer different highlights. In Woodland Park, the Tompkins-Brindler Mound consists of two preserved linear earthworks. The Springhaven Pagoda in Stonebridge Park dates from 1890. San Damiano was a former gathering place for the ancestors of the Ho-Chunk Nation. The sites differ in their historical points of interest: for the mounds, it is the number and shape of the earthworks; for the pagoda, its year of construction; and for San Damiano, its former use as a gathering place. If you include cultural history in your travel plans, these differences can help guide your choice of topics.

Discover more destinations: Middleton, Sun Prairie, Waunakee, Verona, Mcfarland, Madison, Mount Horeb, Stoughton

For the full travel overview: Dane.