Picnic Point & Lakeshore Path
Picnic Point
A narrow peninsula reaching into Lake Mendota, with a wooded trail to the tip where you can look back at the State Capitol and campus across the water.
Picnic Point is a narrow peninsula about 1.6 km long within a University of Wisconsin protected area, extending into Lake Mendota. Water lines both sides of the wooded path. At the tip is a fire ring, where you can look back across the lake at the State Capitol dome and the campus skyline. From the Memorial Union, it is about 3 km along the lakeshore path to the entrance, and the route is flat throughout. The peninsula contains remains of Native American burial mounds. It is free to visit, with closures during certain nighttime hours.
Opening hours
Approx. 04:00–22:00
Nearby sights
- Bascom Hill
- Camp Randall Stadium
- Memorial Union Terrace
- Chazen Museum of Art
- First Unitarian Society Meeting House
- State Street
- Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
- Henry Vilas Zoo