Hawk Island Park
Hawk Island Park is a spacious, scenic, and family-friendly park offering a wide range of outdoor activities including hiking, biking, picnics, and water recreation such as kayaking and paddle boating. The park features a neat playground, splash pad, volleyball court, and is well-equipped for kids’ birthday parties. It includes a dedicated dog park area, dog-friendly trails, and hosts a welcoming environment for pet owners with on-leash dog walking in the main park. Amenities include picnic tables, barbecue grills, public restrooms, and wheelchair accessible facilities. The park is well-maintained with paved paths, parking available for visitors, and offers seasonal attractions like tubing and fishing.
Reviews
Wow, what a beautiful park. We were looking for a place near our campground, Cottonwood, to take our Kayak out. This must be either a new park or it’s being updated. Has a very nice dog park, splash pad, playground near a very small but nice beach. There’s a boat rental and small boat launch area with plenty of piers for fishing and what looks like an amazing bike path that goes around the entire park. They do rent paddle boats, swans, canoes and kayaks. We were able to set up our kayak and launch here easily as well. Nobody was on the water. Very small little lake to loop around but gorgeous and fun for us old folks. Did I mention it’s close to the campground as well!!! Lots of picnic areas and benches. Saw plenty of staff driving around the grounds. NULL parking for out of town people. Loved it!
Beautiful park for running, walking, biking, picnics and anything outdoors. Great dog park inside. Worth the annual parking fee.
Visited this park with my kids. We had fun exploring!. There was a very neat playground. It could use some fresh paint and repairs, but still lots of fun. There were docks in the water. We visited in April and there was even a big hill of snow leftover from the tubing hill.
There’s a dog park right next to the county park, so there are lots of people walking dogs. One of my kids embraced that and asked to pet the dogs. The other stood back. Just wanted to make people aware that there will probably be lots of dogs in the county park too. One more things: the owners were very good. Dogs on leashes and whatnot.
Hawk Island is a versatile, well-maintained park that caters to all seasons. Whether you’re cooling off on the splash pad, paddling around the lake, tubing into the evening, or enjoying a scenic bike ride along the river trails, there’s something for everyone. It’s family-friendly, pet-friendly (with some restrictions), and a valuable local hub of outdoor recreation.
If you’re planning a visit, here are a few tips:
1.Grab an annual pass if you plan multiple visits across lakes, parks, and the zoo.
2.Reserve shelters early—they book up fast for summer parties.
3.For tubing, buy tickets ahead online, and dress warmly if you’re watching from below.
This park is a wonderful place for families! It’s clean, peaceful, and has plenty of space for kids to play and run around. We loved the playground and the walking paths. It’s also a great spot for small birthday parties or relaxing picnics. Definitely one of our favorite parks in the area!