Dane County Parks

Activities Requiring Permits

Visiting and hiking in Dane County Parks is free. Some activities require a permit. Permits may be purchased online or by contacting the Dane County Parks Office at (608) 224-3730. Some permits may be purchased at parks or trailheads through electronic pay stations.

The activities listed on this page require a permit. To learn how to display each permit, visit the How to Display Permits webpage.

Activities that Require a Permit

Click on the links below for additional information about each activity.

Aeromodeling Field Use
Alcohol Permit - required for groups of 25+ (can be purchased as part of camping/shelter reservation)
Archery Hunting (Limited Access) - available only through seasonal lottery process
Biking or Inline Skating on the Capital City Trail
Disc Golf Course Use
Dog Permit for having a dog in the Dane County Park System, note that camper reservations in a campground include a complimentary daily dog permit good for the duration of the stay
Exclusive use of facilities, ex. Camping, Shelters, Lussier Family Heritage Center
Lake Access Parking Lots - required when parking or loading/unloading a boat
Metal Detecting
Special Events - may be requested online
Star Gazing
Trail Use for Horse, Mtn. Bike, and Groomed Cross-country Skiing
Tenney Lock Passage

The following permits cannot be purchase online. Please contact the Dane County Parks Office at (608) 224-3730 to obtain one of these permits:

Research and Collection Permit (PDF)
Public meetings, assemblies, tournaments, entertainment
Selling or offering for sale anything in the park
Landing aircraft or dropping any objects from the air
Mooring a boat for more than two days
After hours use of the parks for non-camping visitors (10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. unless otherwise posted)

Purchase Permits Online

Where to Purchase Permits

How to Display Permits

Activities that Do Not Require a Permit

Geocaching no longer requires a Dane County Parks permit. For specific rules concerning requirements for use in Dane County Parks, please visit the Dane County Parks Geocache Information at the Wisconsin Geocaching Association website.

Snowshoeing does not require a permit and is allowed throughout Dane County Parks except on designated cross-county ski trails. On-leash dogs with permits are welcome to accompany snowshoers as long as they have a valid dog permit.