There is much to do in Portage year-round. Below
you will find the most popular recreational pasttimes. Also,
visit the Portage Park & Recreation Department's website
for specific information on city parks, lakes, and Park &
Rec activities.
Support trees in our community. For more information, go to: www.treesforportage.org
Swimming
Silver Lake Beach in Portage offers a wide, sandy beach,
wading, swimming, and diving opportunities for the whole
family. Lifeguards are on duty 11am to 7pm from Memorial
Day to Labor Day. Changing house, picnic tables, and bathrooms
are available. Call Portage Parks and Recreation for more
information, 608-742-2178. There is also an indoor pool
at 117 West Franklin Street. Call 608-742-2004 for times
and cost.
Golfing
Enjoy a day of golf at one of several courses: Portage Country
Club, 608-742-5121 is a challenging 18 hole course. Saddle
Ridge Golf, 608-742-2181 is a 9 hole course. (April -September,
608-742-7174 otherwise) Both are located on Hwy 33 east of
Portage. Pauquette Pines, 608-635-8252, in Poynette is a 9-hole
course with clubhouse & banquet area.
Boating/Canoeing
Boating on the Wisconsin River is a favorite warm-weather
pastime for area residents and visitors alike. Boat ramps
are indicated on the county recreational map available
at the Chamber of Commerce office. The map aso indicates
ramps on various lakes in the county. Backwater Motor Sports
in Poynette rents watercraft
and leads canoe trips. They can be reached at: 608-635-8497.
Walking Trails
The Ice Age Trail and the Wisconsin River Levee Walking
Trail both offer beautiful scenery for walkers and hikers.
Maps of the Ice Age Trail are available at the Chamber
office. The Wisconsin River Levee Trail is a 2.5 mile
out and back trail with access areas at Riverside Park
on Wisconsin Street and at the MacFarlane and Edgewater
Street intersection just past the Portage Public Library.
Downtown & Waterfront Walking Tour
The Portage business district lies along a hillside which overlooks the Portage Canal. The buildings now in the city's downtown were once part of a bustling, urban commercial center serving a large region across north
central Wisconsin. The building of the city paralleled its commercial
prominence between the Civil War's end and the second decade of the
20th Century. Click here for a printable version of the Downtown & Waterfront Walking Tour.
Roller Skating
Roller skating at it’s finest can be found at Spinning
Wheels Skate Center at 111 East Haertel Street in Portage.
The roller skate center has over 7,200 sq. ft of hard maple
skating surface to skate on. Skaters can select over 5,000
song titles to be played over our Bose sound system. Entertainment
lights add to the excitement of skating while you and your
friends enjoy the healthy fun exercise of roller skating.
The skate center offers quad skate rentals, in-line rentals
or hi tech in-line rentals. The skating center offers 3 very
attractive birthday party plans. We also encourage groups
of all types to book a skating party whether large or small,
private or public. Call 608-742-4035 for hours and costs or
visit our website at www.gorollerskate.com
Skiing,
Tubing & Snowboarding
Once the leaves start turning red and gold, thoughts turn
to curling, hockey, skiing, tubing, and snowmobiling. Skiers
in Portage are lucky to have Cascade Mountain just four miles
from town. It’s rated among the best Midwestern ski hills,
and there’s something for beginners or seasoned pros.
Call 1-800-992-2SKI or 608-742-SNOW or visit www.cascademountain.com
for information.
Snowmobiling
Snowmobilin
g is another activity that lures in winter.
You may pick up a copy of both the state and county snowmobiling
maps at the Chamber of Commerce office. Call 608-227-7433
for county trail conditions. For information on joining
a club, please contact Rocky Run Riders
at 608-429-3936 or Winnebago Ridge Runners
at 608-742-6352.
Ice Skating
Pauquette Park
(on Hwy 33 at the Wisconsin River) has a lighted rink
and a warming house.
Sledding
For years the traditional spot for sledding in Portage has
been “The Gully” (Sunrise Park) on East Howard and
Hamilton Streets. It is an unsupervised area. In 1997, the
Portage Lions gave the funding for a warming house to be constructed.
Curling
You haven’t really experienced winter in Portage until
you’ve become familiar with curling, a sport brought
here by Scottish immigrants. The game is played on a level
sheet of ice and the object is to “throw the stone”,
a 42 pound granite disk with a handle, as near as possible
to the center of the “house”, target, on the opposite
end of the 146 foot rink. A “broom” is used to “sweep”
the ice in order to lessen resistance on the ice so the stone
travels farther. The Curling Club is located on East Albert
Street just off of Hwy. 51, north of the train tracks. Call
608-742-0387 for information.
For more information on other columbia county activiities
visit www.columbiacountytourism.com.
For more information on other state activities visit
www.travelwisconsin.com.
