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San Damiano Park

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San Damiano Park

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San Damiano Park

Name: San Damiano Park
Rating: 2

Recommended by 1 cyclists

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Location: Monona, Dane County, Wisconsin, United States

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Top cycling routes to San Damiano Park

4.5

(26)

276

riders

1. Monona Terrace Rooftop – Yahara River loop from Schenk's Corners

22.1km

01:17

80m

Easy bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

4.3

(23)

142

riders

2. Capital City State Trail – Glenway Woods loop from East Buckeye

47.9km

02:46

210m

Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Moderate

4.7

(26)

237

riders

3. Paunack Park on Lake Monona – Monona Terrace Rooftop loop from Moorland-Rimrock

24.4km

01:24

90m

Easy bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

Tips

UrbanExolorer_Mando

October 9, 2025

San Damiano Park in Monona, Wisconsin is a peaceful 10-acre lakefront property with over 1,000 feet of shoreline on Lake Monona, offering stunning views of the Madison skyline. Once the historic Frank Allis estate and later a Franciscan retreat, it’s now a public park blending nature, history, and quiet relaxation. You’ll find picnic tables, bike racks, and walking paths beneath big old trees, plus a few interpretive signs about its Indigenous and cultural past. The city’s long-term plan includes improved trails, native plantings, and better lake access, but even now it’s a perfect low-key stop for cyclists or anyone wanting a calm scenic break along the lake.

UrbanExolorer_Mando

October 9, 2025

Lake Monona ( mih-NOH-nə) is a freshwater drainage lake in Dane County, Wisconsin, surrounded on three sides by the city of Madison, Wisconsin, and on the south east side by the city of Monona, Wisconsin. It is the second-largest of a chain of four lakes along the Yahara River (also including Mendota, Kegonsa, and Waubesa) in the area and forms the south shore of the isthmus that forms downtown Madison. The name 'Monona' is a word believed to mean 'beautiful', although the lake was originally named by the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) 'Tchee-ho-bo-kee-xa-te-la' or 'Teepee Lake'.

UrbanExolorer_Mando

October 9, 2025

Long before it became the Frank Allis estate, the San Damiano site was a gathering and ceremonial place for Indigenous peoples, especially the Ho-Chunk Nation. The land sits along a natural rise overlooking Lake Monona—part of a sacred landscape once lined with effigy and burial mounds. One of those mounds still remains within the park today, protected and marked off from foot traffic. It stands as a quiet but powerful reminder that this shoreline was not just scenic, but spiritual ground long before Monona existed.

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Details

Informations

Elevation 260 m

Weather

Saturday 6 December

-2°C

-7°C

-- %

If you start your activity now...

Max wind speed: -- km/h

See rides here

Take Me There

Location: Monona, Dane County, Wisconsin, United States

Other Popular Places to Check Out

Yahara River

Bench With View of Lake Monona

Vilas Park Beach

Lake Mendota

Glenway Woods

Lake Wingra

Capital City State Trail

Capital City State Trail at Monona Terrace

Southwest Commuter Path

Monona Terrace Rooftop

Lake Mendota

Edgewood Forest

San Damiano Park

1. Monona Terrace Rooftop – Yahara River loop from Schenk's Corners

2. Capital City State Trail – Glenway Woods loop from East Buckeye

3. Paunack Park on Lake Monona – Monona Terrace Rooftop loop from Moorland-Rimrock

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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