Memorial Park on the north side of Appleton WI has a trail called the Appleton Memorial Loop. When my daughter was in martial arts I would walk through this park while waiting for her class to get over. With a paved path that is marked in the link, there are also other paths to walk in this park.
Key Features
- Length: 0.9 miles
- Terrain: Paved
- Amenities: Benches, picnic tables, water fountains
- Points of interest: Baseball fields, pavilion, playground, community garden, Scheig Center, open grass space, fishing pond, nature walk
Review
Appleton’s Memorial Park is just south of Highway 41 on Ballard Road. The park is bordered by Capital Drive on the north and Northland Avenue on the south. Witzke Boulevard connects Capital and Ballard with the only entrances.
The north east section of the park is reserved for softball and little league diamonds. On the south side, small ponds and a stream which is more of a drainage ditch for the neighborhood, lead to a good size water retention pond. One of the ponds in the center of the park has been established as a fishing pond. The Appleton Family Ice Center and an archery range are just off Witzke Boulevard as it connects to Ballard Road.
This park gives Appleton residents many things to do. But what I want to talk about is the trail. If you start in the parking lot of the Appleton Family Ice Center, the trail crosses the stream south. A playground my three children have enjoyed over the years boarders the west side of the trail south of the stream. Soccer fields are on the other side of the playground.
The fishing pond lies right next to the trail as it approaches the picnicking pavilion. A hill side amphitheater lies next to the pavilion. The path starts arching west and back north toward to the Shieg Center and Gardens. The path connects and then passes through the parking lot for the gardens.
The trail crosses Witzke Boulevard and goes into the western parking lots for the baseball fields. An east west path leads from the parking lot to a concession stand in the baseball fields. Then the trail turns south to the east parking lots for the baseball fields before continuing back across Witzke Boulevard to the Appleton Family Ice Center parking lot.
And that is the extent of the path. At least its the extent of the official path. A side walk also follows Witzke Boulevard and near the gardens a mowed path follows the north side of the stream to connect the west side neighborhood to the park.
But the part of this park I am most familiar with is the south side of the park. From the Shieg Center and Gardens to the fishing pond is a series of shallow ponds that line the southern side of the official path. On the other side of these ponds is a field of native plants with walking paths mowed through out. You can follow this spiderweb of paths south to Northland Avenue and they wined through out this area from the retention pond in the east to the western edge of the park.
There is not much to this official trail. And if I did not have fond memories of this trail I probably would not have reviewed it. You’re not going to be challenged by this trail. There are no hills or valleys and not much to see beyond the normal trees seen in any other park. The Shieg Center Gardens have beautiful flowers during the summer and are a great place to have an outdoor event.
Let me know in the comments if you have been to this park and walked the trails and paths. Thanks again for reading and enjoying my photos.
Like this trail. I’ve never laughed more then when my daughter and I walked it in the fall a couple years ago, reading and acting out the Fall Mixed Up book. Fun place to walk with your family.