nolte state park

There's nothing "bad" about this park, but it seems more like city park material than something worthy of the "brand" of being a state park.The lakeshore is rather steep and rocky. There's a trail along the lake but it's nothing great and you can hear traffic on much of it. The park is fairly small.Discover Pass is required . . .or alternatively you can pay the daily fee ($10 as of this writing) . . .if you pay the daily fee, be sure to have the exact amount in cash, or you can write a check (it's one of those self-pay systems where you put money or a check in an envelope and detach a piece of paper to put on your dashboard).Dogs are required to be on-leash. However, during our visit in October, there were few visitors but among those who were there, several let their dogs off-leash, including to go swimming; they were harmless, causing trouble for nobody, and nobody seemed to mind, though who knows if an overzealous ranger, if present, would have broken out the citation book.In short: I suspect this park caters primarily to locals. There's really no reason to come a long distance to visit.

There is just about something for everyone at this park. Beautiful trails in the woods and around the lake, a nice grassy picnic area, swimming beach (no lifeguard though), big toys and a great clearing in the woods for large parties. This is also a great photographic spot, particularly in the fall. My daughter had pre-wedding pictures taken here recently and they turned out gorgeous with the mist hovering over the lake and the fall leaves. Just make sure you have a Discover Pass! Or you can pay by the day. This park is well maintained.