Janesville is known statewide as Wisconsin's Park Place. Our community offers diverse outdoor opportunities with a park system of over 2,600 acres and 64 improved parks including four regional parks, six community parks, 33 neighborhood parks, greenbelts and open spaces. The Recreation Division is here to help you experience the natural wonder of Janesville's great outdoors with programs for all ages and abilities. 

For questions, contact the Recreation Division at (608) 755-3030. 

Kindness Rock Gardens

Have you heard of Kindness Rock Gardens? The concept is simple, take a rock for motivation or leave one for inspiration. These painted rock gardens help foster a feeling of community and spread positive messages.

The Recreation Division is accepting applications from individuals, families, businesses, and organizations interested in adopting a Kindness Rock Garden. Adoptees will help create and maintain their garden, spreading optimism and togetherness in our community! Find an application for adopting a kindness rock garden on the City's website.

Current Rock Gardens

Celebrate the Earth 

Observe Earth Day with the Janesville Recreation Division and the Rotary Botanical Gardens at their Earth Day event. Weather permitting, the Recreation Division will have a booth complete with fun activities. The Earth Day celebration has community exhibits, Zoozort, animal shows, children's activities, and family education. Tickets are free to the main event, but the Zoozort shows have a separate fee of $5/person. Tickets must be purchases in advance through the Rotary Gardens. 

Spring Woodland Wildflower Hike

One of the best places to observe truly spectacular flower displays is on a portion of the Ice Age Trail in Riverside Park, called Devil’s Staircase. On this walk you will be able to see entire hillsides covered with the blooms of Dutchman’s breeches and anemones. Depending on yearly variations in bloom time there may also be hepaticas, violets, spring beauty, wild ginger and trilliums. After an initial steep climb up a short staircase, the trail runs across slopes adjacent to the Rock River. Trail conditions are good, and the hiking difficulty is moderate; a hiking stick is recommended for those who have balance issues. Meet at the far north parking lot of Janesville’s Riverside Park near the pavilion next to the Devil’s Staircase Trail. Pre-registration is required. Limited to 25 participants/hike. Register on Active Net. Registration Deadline: Wednesday, April 29

Wildflower Walk at Robert O. Cook Memorial Arboretum/JSOL

On this hike, participants will walk the Robert O. Cook Memorial Arboretum/JSOL to observe the earliest of spring woodland wildflowers. Flowers likely to be in bloom include Hepatica, Violets, Spring Beauty, Anemones, and Dutchman’s breeches. Hiking will be easy to moderate with some hiking on hills required. Please park in the main parking lot. Register on Active Net. Limited to 25 participants. Registration Deadline: Wednesday, May 6

Summer Night Hike at Rockport Park 

We’ll hike the paths to listen, see, and smell the natural world on the weekend of the summer solstice. This is the peak time of year to see bats, fireflies, and glowworms, smell night-blooming wildflowers, and hear the calls of owls, frogs and toads. This is an excellent program for families with small children or for scout or church groups, etc. Wear light-colored clothing and footwear suitable for hiking. Be prepared for mosquitoes - bring your own repellent. Please leave your flashlights at home. Hiking difficulty ranges from easy to moderate. This hike is co-sponsored by the Friends of Rockport Park and the Rock County Conservationists. Meet at the west end of the parking lot next to Rockport Pool in Rockport Park. Rain date is Saturday, June 13. Contact our Rainout Line at (608) 447-4007 ext. 17 for weather-related cancellations. Register on Active Net. Limited to 50 participants. Registration Deadline: Tuesday, June 9

A Children's Exploration of Aquatic Life

Participants will be wading in the shallow water of Marsh Creek that runs through the Robert O. Cook Arboretum for a hands-on experience learning about aquatic life. This program is in partnership with the Rock County Conservationists. Participants will take on a 15-minute hike from the parking lot to the stream and will be given stream nets, trays and ID charts to observe and identify aquatic life. Participants must be accompanied by an adult. All participants are required to wear shorts, swim trunks and a water shoe. Sandals, flip flops, and Crocs are unacceptable. The water shoes must remain attached with laces, Velcro and/or a heel strap. Pre-registration is required. Limited to 15 participants Register on Active Net. Registration Deadline: Wednesday, July 15

GEOCACHING

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting activity or an outdoor scavenger hunt for all ages.  Use a GPS enabled device to navigate to a cache location by utilizing established coordinates.  A cache can be a trinket or logbook in a container.  There are over 500 hidden caches in Janesville parks & trails.  Get outside and explore.  More information at www.geocaching.com.