Madison Parks ranks #1 in the nation for the 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. 

View all Basketball Courts

• Hiestand Park - Basketball Court

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

Disc Golf News

• Hiestand and Elver are open for the season.
• Free practice disc golf baskets at Wexford and Westhaven Trails parks.  Select park for locator map. 
• Yahara Hills Winter Disc Golf is closed for the season.

Madison Parks offers three seasonal disc golf courses, plus year-round baskets at Wexford and Westhaven Trails parks. Hiestand and Elver are open late spring through early fall and Yahara Hills is open late fall through early spring. A daily or annual permit is required for anyone age 16 years or older and may be purchased online. A 2021 permit is valid now through December 31, 2021. 

2021 Fees

Daily	$5
Annual	$40
Replacement	$12

 

 

 

View all Disc Golf Courses

• Hiestand Park Disc Golf Course

  Location: 4302 Milwaukee Street
  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!

View all Open Fields

• Hiestand Park - Open Field Games

Smaller picnic shelters may be reserved for exclusive or on a first-come, first-served basis, if not previously reserved.  

RESERVE: ONLINE (search "small picnic shelter") or by calling (608) 266-4711
 
2021 FEE 

• $35/day, including tax

OPTIONAL PERMITS

• Amplified Sound Permit: $60/reservation (6 hours maximum). Please ask when reserving
• Temporary Structure Permits:  $110/day, including tax
• Alcohol Permit (select parks only):  $55/reservation. It is required in select parks. Please ask when reserving.

NOTES

• 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. A handful are alcohol-free and would require a permit to bring alcohol. You must have a reservation and an alcohol permit, which can be obtained when placing a reservation.
• All picnic shelters are open year-round, however, if the picnic shelter has restrooms, these are open seasonally (closed winter/cold months).
• Firearms or weapons are not permitted at any of the shelters. Violators may be considered trespassers and may be subject to forfeiture or arrest.
• **IMPORTANT**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 see Park Projects  for park improvement that may impact a nearby shelter.

CHANGES & CANCELLATIONS OF PICNIC SHELTER RESERVATIONS:

• Cancellation requests must be submitted to the Parks Administration Office in writing to:
  210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, #104, Madison, WI  53703 or by email. 
• There is no charge to change the date and/or location, if the request is received 28 days or more prior to event date.
• Full refunds are given, at no charge for cancellation requests received at least 28 days prior to the event date.
• Cancellations and changes received 27 to 11 days prior to the event date (counting notice date and event date) will incur a $10 administrative fee. 
• No cancellations or changes will be accepted 10 days or fewer before the event date (counting notice date and event date).

 

View all Picnic Shelters

• Hiestand Park Picnic Shelter

  Restrooms: No
  Lighted: Yes
  Notes: Solar lighting
  

With more than 175 playgrounds throughout Madison, you are never too far from a playground. According to the Trust for Public Land, Madison ranks #1 in the nation for the number of playgrounds available. The traditional swings and slides are always an option, as are new play elements and fully accessible playgrounds. 

PLAYGROUNDS FOR EVERYONE
Through the Madison Parks Foundation initiative, Madison Parks offers all-inclusive playgrounds in Brittingham Park and Elver Park, opening in 2019.  The Foundation has a goal of 5 fully accessible playgrounds. 

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PLAYGROUND REPLACEMENTS: HOW AND WHEN
Madison Parks is responsible for maintaining more than 175 playgrounds and began a system-wide replacement initiative in 2013. With current staff and funding resources, replacements are scheduled to continue through 2033. Playgrounds are routinely inspected to assess the equipment's conditions and repair any safety concerns. Based on the age of the equipment and current conditions, each is given an audit score. The number of playgrounds replaced each year is based on budget allocations, staffing resources, and using the current playground audit score for prioritization. 

REPLACEMENT PROCESS: NEIGHBORHOOD INPUT
At the start of the replacement process, notices are sent to the District Alder, neighborhood association representatives, and surrounding residential addresses. Information is also posted to the project website. Generally, two public meetings are held to review surfacing and equipment options and make final selections.

If you have questions about a specific playground or see something broken, please let us know. 

View all Playgrounds

• Hiestand Park - Playground

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

Madison Parks offers many hills perfect for winter sledding. The locations listed below are few suggestions for ideal sledding with a good snow base. With the exception of Elver Park, sledding hills are not maintained by park staff. 

The Elver Park sledding hill is one of the most popular and is lit for nighttime sledding during the open season. 
 

View all Sledding

• Hiestand Park - Sledding

  Warming House: No
  Concessions: No
  

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

• Hiestand Park - Soccer East

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

• Hiestand Park - Soccer West

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