Parks & Recreation
The City park system includes Portage Park, Bass Brook Wildlife Management Area, Blackwater Environmental Area, Tioga Beach, and Tioga Recreation Area.
Each facility offers different amenities.
Portage Park offers athletic fields with a concession stand, an outdoor skating rink, a multi-age playground, and a half-mile paved walking trail around the perimeter of the park which is groomed for skiing and walking in the winter.
Bass Brook Wildlife Management Area is connected to Portage Park and is approximately 313 acres with 4,460 feet of Mississippi River frontage. Birdwatchers, hikers and skiers enjoy the area. The City grooms the ski trails during the winter months. This area can be accessed at Portage Park by the warming house and at the corner of Lake Street and County Road 63.
Blackwater Environmental Area is a hiking and skiing attraction. Trails are groomed in the winter and open for hiking and walking in the summer. The southern-most trail (Zeke’s Return) is a loop that accommodates multi-use all year long.
Tioga Beach offers a beautiful setting for swimming, picnicking and fishing off the pier, all of which are handicap accessible. There are two pavilions at the beach. Reservations for the Tioga pavilions are done through City Hall staff, not the Parks Department.
Tioga Recreation Area is a world-class mountain biking destination. There are over 25 miles of professionally built single-track trails that twist through the old mining landscape and offer beginner to advanced skill trails. At the trailhead you will find a pavilion and changing stations. Connected to Tioga Rec is the Tioga Mine Pit lake with swimming and fishing. It’s also within walking distance to Tioga Beach with a trail connecting the two. In the winter Tioga Rec is a popular place for biking and snowshoeing; trails are groomed for those uses.
