Madison Parks ranks #1 in the nation for number of basketball hoops per resident, come check out the hoops in your neighborhood! Most of the basketball courts are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you are planning a new league or tournament see Athletic Field Reservations.

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• Garner Park - Basketball Court

  Surface: Asphalt
  Lighted: No
  Number of Courts: 1 full
  

Take your pooch to a park: 26 locations

Licensed and permitted dogs are allowed, on-leash & on path as posted in the following 26 parks.

In February 2017 the Board of Park Commissioners and the Madison Common Council approved the on-leash dog parks pilot program. More information. In summary, under this ordinance, an additional 14 parks joined the existing 12 parks where dogs are permitted on-leash and on-path, where posted. It is the intent that within these new parks, dogs will be limited to the paved paths, or within six-feet thereof, which will be posted as such at the entrances, subject to the existing requirements that the dog be under the owner or handler's control, the dog is licensed and has a permit to use dog exercise areas.

All other parks, with the exception of the 8 off-leash dog parks, dogs are not allowed, including children's play areas, beaches, athletic fields, conservation parks or in any park building.

View all Dog On-Leash Areas

• Garner Park - Dog On-Leash Area

  Location: 333 S. Rosa Rd.
  

Madison Parks has several park shelters with working fireplaces.  You are welcome to use the fireplaces with your park shelter reservation.   Hoyt Park also has several refurbished outdoor fireplaces where you can enjoy toasted marshmallows and a quiet evening around a fire. Just remember to bring your own wood and extinguish the fire completely before leaving the park.  Please note, fires are not permitted in Vilas Park during the winter months.
  View all Fireplaces

Many of the athletic fields are programmed with youth and adult league play. If you would like to reserve a field or facility, please call the Athletic Scheduler at 266-4711. Find out more about athletic field reservations.

View all Lacrosse Fields

• Garner Park - Lacrosse

  Bleachers: No
  Lighted: No
  Setup: Adult
  Type: Game
  

Madison Parks are a unique blend of active recreation and passive recreation spaces.  Open Fields are just that - open, not pre-designed as a softball diamond, or football field.  These open fields are available in these parks to spark your imagination, play a game of tag, or follow the leader - or anything you can think of!  Enjoy your parks!

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• Garner Park - Open Field Games

Parking lots are available in these parks for the programs or events in these parks.  Parking lots are available from 4:00 am to 10:00 pm. Overnight parking is not allowed.  Parking regulations specific to that park are posted at the entrance of the park. View all Parking Lots

Garner Park offers Madison's only dedicated pickleball courts, plus we have a number of tennis courts lined for pickleball throughout the city. Rules of the game, adopted by the USA Pickleball Association  may be found here. 

Pickleball courts may be reserved ONLINE.

PICKLEBALL LESSONS offered at Garner Park - June through September LEARN MORE

View all Pickleball Courts

• Garner Park - Pickleball Court

  Surface: Asphalt
  Lighted: No
  Number of Courts: 6
  
  Notes: Madison’s first dedicated pickleball court complex opened September 2016.

CLOSURE NOTICE (as of 8:00am, 3/25/2020): In compliance of the Emergency SAFER AT HOME Order by Governor Tony Evers and the State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services, with guidance from Public Health Madison & Dane County, all playgrounds are closed through 8:00am, Friday, April 24, 2020 or until a superseding order is issued.  

View COVID-19 for all impacted City services. 
 

View all Playgrounds

• Garner Park - Playground

Restrooms are located throughout the parks system and in most cases in a park with a reservable shelter.  Most of the restrooms are available only during the summer months. Restrooms available during the winter months include those open for winter activities at the following parks:   Tenney, Vilas, Elver, Olbrich, Warner and Westmorland Parks.

No firearms or weapons are permitted on this property. Violators are considered trespassers and subject to forfeiture or arrest.

View all Restrooms

• Garner Park Shelter

  Location: 333 S. Rosa Rd
  Lighted: Yes
  Open Year-Round: Yes
  

Many of the Madison Parks are located in ideal locations for sight seeing.  Enjoy the view! View all Scenic Overlooks

ANNUAL LOTTERY DAY - TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2020

WHAT IS LOTTERY DAY?  This is the first day you may make a shelter reservation for the following year. Held typically on the 2nd Tuesday in November, the day begins with in-person reservations (see below), and follows with phone-in and online reservations.
 
WHAT IS THE PROCESS?

• Beginning at 7:30am and ending promptly at 7:59am, each party wishing to reserve a park shelter is given a numbered lottery ticket. The distribution takes place in the lobby of the City-County Building, outside the Parks Administrative Office (210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Rm. 104)
  • Due to the random drawing process, arriving prior to 7:30am is not recommended or necessary. The building is locked until 7:30am.
  • Only ONE lottery ticket is given to each party reserving a shelter. Failure to abide by this rule may forfeit your eligibility in the Lottery Day process.
• Beginning at 8:00am, random lottery tickets are drawn. This order establishes when reservations are processed.
  • If you arrive after the drawing begins, you will need to wait until the Lottery Day process is complete before you may place your reservation. 
• Cash, checks or credit cards (MasterCard or Visa) are accepted for your full payment, which is due at the time of processing your reservation, along with any required permits. 
• Dates NOT available due to Special Events are posted HERE.
• Cancellation Policy: Reservations made during the Lottery Day process will receive only a 50% refund up until 10 days prior to the reservation. Within 10 days, no refunds are provided.

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Reservations and checking the availability of our larger shelters may be completed ONLINE or you may call the Madison Parks Office at (608) 266-4711 Monday-Friday, 8:00 am – 4:15 pm. More information and details on reserving a large shelter may be found in our Shelter Reservations Guide.

Most shelters are open mid-April through mid-October. There are a few exceptions:

• Open Year-Round:
  • Gates of Heaven
  • Highland Manor Park
• Open mid-April through mid-November:
  • John Wall Family Pavilion in Tenney Park
  • Elver Park (enclosed shelter) 
  • Warner Park
  • Olin Park (through October)

Please Note: We are continually improving our park system. Some of these improvements may impact a nearby shelter. Prior to making a reservation, please visit Parks Projects for more information on specific parks.

FEES:
Pricing varies depending on the shelter and may be viewed here. 

SPECIAL NOTES: 

• Picnic shelters are also reservable or available on a first-come, first served basis.
• Madison Parks does not guarantee absolute privacy to any group.  Your reservation will reserve only the facility you are using, not the entire park or other facilities within the park. If you are interested in reserving the entire park, please visit Special Events.
• Alcohol is permitted in most Madison Parks. There are a handful of parks that are alcohol-free. In order to have alcohol in these parks, you must have a reservation and an alcohol permit, which can be obtained when placing your reservation.
• Public improvements and/or construction may be underway during the time of your reservation.  The City of Madison Parks Division makes every attempt to schedule around events and shelter reservations whenever possible, however, this is not a guarantee.  Please keep in mind improvements to parks and infrastructure continues throughout the year.  Please visit Park Projects for a partial list of major capital improvement projects.
• Firearms or weapons are not permitted at any of the shelters. Violators may be considered trespassers and may be subject to forfeiture or arrest.
• The availability of Gates of Heaven may be checked online however, you will need to call to make your reservation. 
• 2021 RESERVATIONS: Available beginning on Lottery Day - Tuesday, November 10, 2020

View all Large Shelters

• Garner Park Shelter

  Address: 333 S. Rosa Rd
  Capacity: Seats 80 people in main section, 60 people in upper section
  Restrooms: In shelter
  Water: Available in shelter
  Parking: Parking lot
  
  
  Shelter Details

Slacklining is a balance sport which uses nylon webbing, typically 1"-2" wide, suspended horizontally between two anchor points. Slacklining and hammocking, under policy are allowed at specific times and on specific park trees. In December 2017, the Board of Park Commissioners approved a policy and guidelines for slacklining and hammocking on park trees. The policy provides inforomation on when, where and how. Please review the following documents before tethering on any park trees. 

• POLICY & GUIDELINES
• TREE PROTECTION
• TREE IDENTIFICATION

View all Slacklining and Hammocking

Madison Parks offers many hills perfect for winter sledding. The locations listed below are few suggestions for ideal sledding with a good snow base. Sledding hills are not maintained by parks staff.

The Elver Park sledding hill is one of the most popular and is lit for nighttime sledding during the open season. Sleds are available to purchase or to rent from the Elver Park winter shelter (see website for schedule). 

PLEASE NOTE: For your safety, and to uphold the quality of our landscapes, please do not use the sledding hills without a significant snow base.

View all Sledding

• Garner Park - Sledding

  Warming House: No
  Concessions: No
  

Experience winter in Madison Parks like never before with snowshoeing!  This silent sport is a fantastic way to explore many of our parks during the winter months and is easy to learn. 

Trails of various lengths and terrain are suggested below, in addition, snowshoeing is also permitted anywhere with good snow cover with the exception of any groomed ski trail and off-trail in a conservation park.
   
TIPS

• Snowshoeing is allowed anywhere in a park that is snow-covered and ungroomed and on ungroomed trails only in conservation parks. Snowshoes are not allowed on groomed cross-country ski trails at any time.
• Sufficient snow (typically 4" or more) is needed to create a base for snowshoeing. The woods generally need more snow to fall due to the trees protecting the trails.
• Our trail systems are designed to facilitate controlled public access while protecting environmentally sensitive areas and providing quiet refuges for wildlife away from people. Disruption of wildlife by human activity during the winter puts additional stress on them during a challenging time for their survival.
• Snowshoeing, hiking, and skiing off-trail destroys snow tunnels used by native small rodents (deer mice, shrews) by the trampling effect. These small mammals are an important part of the wetland and grassland ecology in our conservation parks. Destruction of these tunnel networks makes the small mammals more vulnerable to predation.

View all Snowshoeing

Many of the soccer fields are programmed with youth and adult league play.  If you would like to reserve a field or facility, please call the Athletic Scheduler at 266-4711.  Find out more about Athletic Field Reservations.
 

FIELDS, OPEN OR CLOSED?

The best and ONLY way to know if your field is open for play is to call the Rainout Line (608)267-8787. Weekdays the line will be updated by 2:00pm, weekends and holidays the line will be updated by 9:00am. The line will be updated if fields are questionable, if no update by times listed, fields are open for play.
 

View all Soccer Fields

• Garner Park - Soccer

  Bleachers: No
  Lighted: No
  Setup: Youth
  Type: Game
  

Most of the volleyball courts are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.  If you are planning a new league or tournament see Athletic Field Reservations.
 

View all Volleyball Courts

• Garner Park - Volleyball Court

  Surface: Sand
  Lighted: No
  Number of Courts: 1