RECREATION
Activities await you

The Portage Park & Recreation Department provides year-round activities for the whole family, including fitness classes, softball, baseball, volleyball, basketball, martial arts, soccer and tennis. Plus, 15 City parks offer a variety of amenities, such as athletic fields and courts, spaces for picnicking and grilling, playground equipment, boat landings, nature walking and plenty of open play areas.

Having fun on the water is a favorite warm-weather pastime for residents and visitors. Boaters hit the waters of the Wisconsin River and swimmers enjoy a day at Silver Lake Beach in Portage, which offers a wide, sandy beach, wading, swimming and diving opportunities for the whole family.  An indoor pool is located next to Rusch Elementary School at 117 W. Franklin Street.

The most avid golfers will find all the challenge they need at several courses in the Portage area.  You can try your luck at the 18-hole course at Portage Country Club or the nine-hole course at Saddle Ridge Golf Club.  Other nearby courses includes Coldwater Canyon Golf Course and Spring Brook Golf Resort in Wisconsin Dells.  These courses will provide golf enthusiasts with hours of recreation.

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

When the air turns chilly, skiers and boarders in Portage are lucky to have the highly rated Cascade Mountain just four miles from town. Offering free skiing to kids 12 & under accompanied by a paid adult. Cascade’s north-facing slopes offer real skiing variety. Some of the 36 trails are steep and challenging to any skier, while others are over a mile long and fun for beginners. Getting to the top of the mountain is fast and easy with ten lifts, including the high-speed quad Mountain Top Express chairlift.

Sledding is popular at “The Gully,” outdoor ice-skating is enjoyed on the Pond in Pauquette Park and snowmobiling trails are available around the county. But one has not really experienced winter in Portage until they have become familiar with the Scottish game of curling. Played on a level sheet of ice, the object is to “throw the stone” closest to the center of the “house target” on the opposite end of the rink. A broom is used to sweep the ice in order to lessen resistance on the ice so the stone travels farther.