Doing more together

Supporting your favorite Dane County dog park and Ice Age Trail hiking.
Supporting your favorite Dane County dog park and Ice Age Trail hiking.
Prairie Moraine Friends support the development and restoration of Prairie Moraine Park, a public park owned and operated by Dane County. Our purpose is to assist Dane County with the maintenance of healthy, safe, and stimulating hiking and dog exercise areas in a natural forest, oak savanna, and prairie community.
We invite businesses and non-profits to show their support for the park and those who love it by joining Prairie Moraine Friends, Inc.
A stream-lined way to renew your current membership.
12-acre park expansion area is being cleared of honeysuckle and other invasive shrubs so that it can be fenced and added to the park.
Check out the new "geology of the moraine" signage installed at the entrances to the Ice Age Trail and at the overlook (wooden viewing platform) on the ridge of the moraine. Plus: A guided interactive tour of the northern half of Prairie Moraine!
Added in the summer of 2020, it is an area planted with over 40 species of native Wisconsin prairie grasses and wildflowers. It will act as a second pollinator garden and as a preview for the prairie restoration work in the park.
Check out our pollinator garden, planted in spring of 2020, with over 30 species of Wisconsin wildflowers to support our native pollinators including butterflies, birds, and bees.
The northern half of the park features the Ice Age National Scenic Trail corridor.
Dogs are welcome in this portion of the park as well, but - as part of the Ice Age Trail - they must be kept on leash.
At 80 acres, Prairie Moraine Park's off-leash dog exercise area is the largest in the county. An extensive network of trails allows for a variety of walks through woods and fields; rolling terrain and steeper hills; on a gravel road, wood-chipped trails, or grassy paths.
Created in 1994, Prairie Moraine Park was one of the first off-leash dog parks to be established in the U.S.
The work of Dane County Parks' natural areas program has been ongoing for some 20 years or more in the Ice Age Trail portion of the park. Enjoy the beauty and quiet of the restored oak woodlands, savanna, and prairie communities.
Prairie Moraine Friends and other park volunteers work to control invasive species and protect native habitat.
The Trail Ambassador Program is a self-directed effort for volunteers who want to help at the park but have day-to-day scheduling conflicts. “Trail Ambassadors” clean park trails, learn about park resources, and share their knowledge with others.
Permit is valid at all Dane County Parks, City of Madison Parks, City of Sun Prairie Parks and City of Middleton Parks. Purchasing through the Dane County Parks Store ensures the money goes to support your favorite dog park.
Dane County Parks, Ice Age Trail Alliance, and Prairie Moraine Friends, Inc.
are the three primary partners of Prairie Moraine County Park. Several other businesses and community and nonprofit organizations provide volunteer and in-kind services to enhance one of the most visited parks in the county