Myrick Park

Updated September 18, 2025

Myrick Park in La Crosse is a 72-acre riverside green space featuring winding trails, limestone bluffs, and a restored prairie that offers diverse habitats for birdwatching and seasonal wildflowers. Visitors can follow short routes to scenic overlooks above the Mississippi River, explore a historic quarry pond, and find interpretive signs explaining local geology and conservation efforts. The park’s mix of rugged bluffland, open meadow, and mature hardwood forest makes it a compact destination for hiking, photography, and nature study.

Key Highlights

Large wooden playground (Kids Coulee) with slides, swings, towers, and imaginative nooks
Paved, wheelchair-accessible paths from parking to trails and facilities
Boardwalks and gravel paths through Myrick Marsh for easy nature walks
Nature center with hands-on exhibits and rotating educational programs
Picnic areas with tables, shade, and barbecue grills
Public restrooms and seasonal drinking fountains
Kid-friendly hikes with interpretive signs and wildlife viewing
Dog-friendly (leashes required), with waste stations at key points
Free parking, including designated accessible spaces
Quick access to nearby trails that connect toward the La Crosse River Marsh corridor

Location

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Description

Myrick Park in La Crosse, Wisconsin is the kind of place I find myself returning to in every season. Set at 2107 La Crosse St, it’s where the city meets the cattails and open water of Myrick Marsh, with paved paths that slip easily from playground laughter to quiet bird calls. The large wooden play structure—locals know it as Kids Coulee—anchors the park, while the marsh trails and a welcoming nature center make it just as appealing for a peaceful walk as it is for a family outing.

What struck me first was how seamless the park feels. You can park, step onto a smooth path, and within a few minutes you’re out over the marsh on a boardwalk, peering down at turtles sunning on logs. Turn around and you’re back among picnic tables and grills, with kids flying down slides and swings creaking in the background. The park’s location at the base of Grandad Bluff gives it a distinctive sense of place—on clear mornings, the bluff glows pink and gold, reflecting in the marsh water.

Kids Coulee deserves its reputation. The play area is a sprawling wooden “village” with towers, tunnels, and creative corners that invite imagination more than mere climbing. It was originally built by volunteers years ago and refurbished by the community, and it retains that hand-built charm. There’s room for toddlers to explore without getting overwhelmed, and older kids can balance, scramble, and play tag for ages. The ground is mostly wood chips, and some sections have ramps, though there are still steps and narrow passages in places.

The park’s nature center—known as The Nature Place at the Myrick Park Center—adds an educational layer without feeling stuffy. Inside, you’ll find hands-on exhibits about the marsh and Mississippi River ecosystem, and staff or volunteers often run family-friendly programs on weekends. Hours can shift seasonally, so I’ve learned to check posted schedules when I arrive. Even if the building isn’t open, the interpretive signs along the trails help you notice what’s happening under your feet and overhead.

If you enjoy birding, you’ll want to bring binoculars. I’ve watched sandhill cranes stalk the shallows and red-winged blackbirds guard their perches like tiny sentries. In spring, the chorus of peepers and chorus frogs creates a soundtrack you feel more than hear. Late fall brings migrating waterfowl; on a lucky day you might spot a bald eagle cruising the thermals. In winter, the marsh is stark and beautiful, with whispering grasses against pale snow and the occasional fox track crossing the path.

The park is also unusually practical. There are public restrooms, plentiful picnic tables, charcoal grills, water fountains (in warmer months), and a paved network of trails that supports both leisurely strolls and stroller-friendly family walks. Dogs on leash are welcome, and there are bags and bins at trailheads to make cleanup easy. With free parking and an easy-to-reach location near the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, it’s one of the most user-friendly things to do in La Crosse when you want fresh air without a long drive.

Key Features (use bullet points)

• Large wooden playground (Kids Coulee) with slides, swings, towers, and imaginative nooks
• Paved, wheelchair-accessible paths from parking to trails and facilities
• Boardwalks and gravel paths through Myrick Marsh for easy nature walks
• Nature center with hands-on exhibits and rotating educational programs
• Picnic areas with tables, shade, and barbecue grills
• Public restrooms and seasonal drinking fountains
• Kid-friendly hikes with interpretive signs and wildlife viewing
• Dog-friendly (leashes required), with waste stations at key points
• Free parking, including designated accessible spaces
• Quick access to nearby trails that connect toward the La Crosse River Marsh corridor

Best Time to Visit

I’ve visited Myrick Park in every season, and each one offers something distinct:

Spring: This is prime time for migratory birds and frog calls. Expect damp trails in places—sometimes the boardwalk edges can sit just at water level after snowmelt. Morning light over the marsh is especially beautiful, and you’ll catch the first wildflowers along drier margins.

Summer: Families dominate the playground, and the park becomes a hub for picnics and kids’ birthday parties. It’s a good idea to arrive early if you prefer a quiet walk. Late afternoon breezes can keep mosquitoes at bay, but I always pack bug spray for the marshy sections.

Fall: My favorite time. The cattails turn bronze, sumac pops crimson, and the reflection of Grandad Bluff in the water is postcard-worthy. You’ll see flocks of geese and ducks on the move and enjoy comfortably cool temps for longer walks.

Winter: The park quiets down, but a bluebird-sky day after fresh snow is hard to beat. You’ll often find snowshoe tracks winding out into the marsh and occasional ski tracks along the wider paths. The boardwalk can be slick and isn’t always cleared, so footwear with good traction is essential.

For photography and wildlife viewing year-round, aim for sunrise or the last hour of daylight. On a full moon evening, watching the moon lift over the bluff from the marsh edge is a subtle but memorable treat.

How to Get There

Myrick Park is easy to reach at 2107 La Crosse St in La Crosse, minutes from downtown and close to the UW–La Crosse campus. If you’re coming from the city center, head east on La Crosse Street; the park entrance is signed on your right just past the marsh and Myrick Park Center. From the I-90 corridor, follow WI-16 toward La Crosse (it turns into La Crosse Street) and watch for the entrance on the left as you near campus.

There’s a large, free parking lot with accessible spaces near the playground and nature center. The paved path from the lot leads directly to restrooms, picnic areas, and the main trailheads—so unloading strollers or gear is straightforward.

By bike, it’s a smooth ride from downtown via local streets and the marsh-side paths, and you’ll find bike racks close to the play area. Local buses run along La Crosse Street; if you go that route, it’s a short, flat walk into the park from the nearest stops.

Tips for Visiting

After a handful of visits in different weather, I’ve picked up a few practical notes that make a day at Myrick Park even better:

• Pack for the marsh: Even on sunny days, the boardwalk can be damp. Closed-toe shoes are more comfortable, and quick-dry layers help if you’re lingering near the water.
• Bring binoculars: For casual birders, the marsh is generous. I’ve spotted sandhill cranes, great egrets, herons, and bald eagles without leaving the main paths.
• Mind the bugs: Summer evenings can be buggy near the cattails. A small bottle of repellent makes trail time much more pleasant.
• Start early for playground time: Kids Coulee gets popular on weekends. If your child prefers room to roam, mornings are blissfully calm.
• Plan a picnic: The grills and picnic tables sit in easy reach of the playground, so you can cook while keeping an eye on the action. Bring charcoal and a lighter—grills are first-come, first-served.
• Check the nature center hours: The Nature Place is worth a stop for hands-on learning. Hours and programs vary by season; posted signs outside the building are helpful.
• Stay on designated paths: The marsh is fragile (and can be mucky). Boardwalks and marked trails keep you dry and protect nesting birds and other wildlife.
• Dog etiquette: Leashes are required, and there are waste stations at the main trailheads. If your pup is new to boardwalks, take it slow—the open slats can be a novelty.
• Winter traction: In cold weather, the wood can glaze with ice. Microspikes have saved me from a slip more than once.
• Combine with nearby spots: A classic La Crosse pairing is Myrick Park in the morning, then a short drive up to Grandad Bluff for the overlook. You’ll get two very different perspectives on the same landscape.

One smaller detail I love: the interpretive signs along the marsh trails explain why the water levels change so much and how the marsh filters runoff before it reaches the Mississippi. It makes each visit feel a little different—some days you’ll see open water with rippling reflections; on others, the grasses claim more ground and ducks thread their way through narrow channels.

For families, Myrick Park shines because all the basics are handled gracefully: clean restrooms, flat routes for strollers, easy parking, and a playground that rewards return visits. For travelers passing through La Crosse, it offers a quick, genuine feel for the region’s river-and-bluff landscape without committing to a long hike. And for locals, it’s a reliable, everyday nature fix—sunrise jogs, lunchtime walks, evening dog loops.

Whether you come for a picnic under the trees, a slow lap of the marsh boardwalk, or a run for your kids across the wooden towers of Kids Coulee, Myrick Park is an inviting slice of La Crosse that balances play with quiet, and convenience with real nature. If you’re building a list of things to do in La Crosse, put it high—then let your day unfold at a meandering pace, the way the marsh suggests.