Parks and Recreation

The Portage Splash Pad is a great way to keep cool on warm summer days.

PARKS AND

Recreation

The Portage Park and Recreation Department does an outstanding job of maintaining the beautification of our city parks. The department also provides year-round activities an entire family can enjoy, including fitness classes, softball, baseball, martial arts, disc golf, soccer, tennis and a dog park. Fifteen city parks offer athletic fields and courts, spaces for picnicking and grilling, playground equipment, boat landings, nature walking and plenty of open play areas.

12 | portagewi.com River and swimmers enjoy a day at Silver Lake Beach, a wide sandy beach with wading, swimming and diving fun.

An indoor pool located at Rusch Elementary School, 117 West Franklin St., and a nearby outdoor Splash Pad at the Gary O’Hearn Recreation Complex at Goodyear Park keep youngsters cool. The Portage Family Skate Park was recently added to the complex.

Golfers will find all the challenge they need at various courses in the Portage area. You can try your skill at the 18- hole course at Portage Country Club along beautiful Swan Lake, the adjacent 9-hole Saddle Ridge Golf Course, with a brand new club house. These courses provide golf enthusiasts with hours of recreation.

For those who prefer to have a ball by rolling one, J & J Fireball Lanes, 817 East Wisconsin St., is the place to go for some seriously fun pin action.

The Portage Rod & Gun Club offers members full use of its outdoor pistol and rifle ranges, archery range, four trap stations, skeet station and 120 acres of hunting land.

Portage is along the Ice Age Trail, one of eight congressionally designated National Scenic Trails located through- out the U.S. The trail meanders through 31 Wisconsin counties along the ter- minal moraine left by a glacier over 10,000 years ago. The Heritage Trail Chapter in Columbia County main- tains more than 12 miles of trails, boasts 21 hand-built bridges and showcases the intersections of prairie, wetlands and waterways.

When winter arrives, skiers and boarders in Portage are lucky to have the highly rated Cascade Mountain nearby. A recent expansion added two lifts, eight trails, in- creased snowmaking, an expanded main lodge, paved parking and several base area improvements. Some of Cascade’s trails are steep and challenging to any skier, while others are more than a mile long and fun for beginners. Kids 12 and under ski free when accompanied by a paid adult.

Ice skating is enjoyed on Bridal Pond in Pauquette Park, and for those who crave horsepower to get over snow, snowmobile trails run alongside Portage, connecting with other trails throughout Columbia County and Wisconsin. Snowmobile maps are available at the Chamber office.

One has not experienced winter in Por- tage until trying the Scottish game of curl- ing at the Portage Curling Club. Played on a level sheet of ice, the goal is to “throw the stone” closest to center of the “house target” on the opposite end of the rink. As a stone travels down the ice, teammates sweep the ice, guiding the stone to a de- sired position, sometimes bumping or blocking opponents’ stones as necessary.

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