Friends of Gov Dodge - logo
Home | Join the Friends | DONATE! | Calendar | Going Green | Contact Us | Endowment

Search for Campsite Photos

Welcome

Painted Turtles on Halverson Pond by Jim Frame This is the official website for the Friends of Governor Dodge State Park. Welcome!

Located just north of the city of Dodgeville, Governor Dodge State Park is a great place to visit. Between the prairies, savannahs, forests and marshes there lie two lakes and many rocky out-croppings. Visitors come to camp, hike, bike, ski, ride horse, swim and fish (just to name a few activities). We love this park and would love to share it with you. Please enjoy this website to learn a little more about ourselves and the park.

Supporting Recreation, Education and Environmental Stewardship

We are a group of volunteers who work to benefit Governor Dodge State Park. Our mission is to support recreation, education and environmental stewardship. For more information about our group, please visit Who are the Friends.

Recent News

1/8/10 - Road to Twin Valley Lake Closed
The road to Twin Vally Lake will be closed for the season. There is still access to Stephens' Falls, Meadow Valley Trail head and Twin Valley Campground. Park staff closed the road to the Twin Valley day use area due to unsafe road conditions. Lack of staff and budgetary constraints are the main reasons for the closure. The road is expected to open at the end of the winter season.

1/3/10 - Reminder for hikers
Hikers, please remember that it is illegal to hike, snowshoe or bring pets onto ski trails when they are snow-covered. Footprints cause divets in the snow and detroy groomed skiing lanes which can be dangerous for skiiers. Ski trails in the park include Meadow Valley, Lost Canyon, Mill Creek and Lakeview. There are plenty of opportunities for hiking in the winter. Suggested trails include: Uplands, Pine Cliff, Cox Hollow Campground, Twin Valley Campfground (300 loop) and the Group Camp. Please consider one of these trails when hiking. Thank You!

12/7/09 - Candlelight Ski and the Winter Newsletter
The 2010 Candlight Ski has been scheduled! We will once again host the ski and this year we'd like for you to join us on January 16th, 2010 from 6-9 PM at the Cox Hollow Beach Area. You can read more about it here.

I may have been a little late in posting, but you can now view the Fall/Winter 2009 Newsletter. This installment features an article about the firewood building, recent park and Friends honors and much more! There is also an attached from for new and renewed membership. Please take the time to enjoy these articles.

10/23/09 - Our Friend Duane is selected FWSP Hero of the Year!
At the Annual Friends of Wisconsin State Parks Banquet, our Friend Duane was awarded the Hero of the Year! Duane is best known for his contributions to the firewood effort as well as many other projects. He has been the Friends Treasurer for many years and we are proud to call him a friend. Join us in congratulating him! Other news from the banquet is that Governor Dodge was awarded the FWSP Golden Seal Award for Best Trail Feature (Stephens' Falls). If you don't know much about it, Stephens' Falls can be seen from a short walk down a paved trail and is a great sight any time of the year.

10/2/09 - Candlelight Hike 2009 is Fast Approaching
Join us for a fun day enjoying the fall colors of Governor Dodge State Park. Events include t-shirt painting, a guided naturalist hike and the popular candlelight hike where you can experience the sights and smells of autumn in a new way. Save the date: 10/10/09! Click here for details.

8/5/09 - Smokey Bear's Birthday Party
The Friends are honored to once again host Smokey's birthday party at the amphitheater on August 8 at 7:00 PM. Stop by to join us for fun, celebration and birthday cake! As always check out our Calendar for more events.

6/21/09 - Summer 2009 Newsletter Released
Get it here.

6/3/09 - More Info on the Endowment Fund
This page will give you more information of the endowment fund.

5/21/09 - Friends Sign into Action Endowment Fund
The Friends signed into action the "Friends of Governor Dodge State Park Endowment Fund" today. The Natural Resources Foundation offers management of endowment funds to groups and have agreed to manage a fund for the Friends. This will become a permanent source of funding for the group. We are very excited and proud to be able to provided a long-term fund that will continue to benefit the Friends and Governor Dodge State Park. Stay tuned for a new webpage detailing the fund and how you may be able to contribute.

4/24/09 - "Work Play Earth Day" has been cancelled
Due to expected inclement weather, the volunteer workday on Saturday April 25 has been cancelled. But don't FRET, the Friends of Gov Dodge already have several other workdays scheduled. Please join us on the second Saturday of each month in the summer for "Pitch-In at the Park" events. The dates are 5/9, 6/13, 7/11 and 8/8. Contact Us for more info or see our Calendar.

See our Newsletter for more information.

Upcoming Events

For more info see the Calendar

Interpretive program at Gov Dodge
Interpretive program at Gov Dodge
Friends having a picnic

Home | Join the Friends | DONATE! | Calendar | Going Green | Contact Us | Endowment
This site built and operated by:
Friends of Governor Dodge State Park
*The Friends are a non-profit 501(3)(c) organization, all donations are welcome.
Donate Today!
Contact the Friends:
Info at FriendsofGovDodge.org
Contact the Webmaster:
Webmaster at FriendsofGovDodge.org

All Rights Reserved

Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional
Valid CSS!