Pope Farm Conservancy

One of the best places in the greater Madison area for a walk outside. Sunflowers in August are the most typical attraction, but it is a great year-round visit.

Very nice place to take a walk, run on grass trails at all times and there are picnic tables. Good place to do bird watching. Crops are rotated every year. This place is very popular when there are sunflower fields.

Most of the reviews here will highlight Pope Farm Park's beautiful walking paths, or fields of sunflowers, or birdwatching, or any of the variety of other natural out-of-doors experiences that can be had here. I'll focus on the beautiful eastern horizon and potential unobstructed view you can get of the sun or moon rising above the city of Madison, WI. I've included just a few photos here taken with telephoto lenses of the sun and moon rising over the skyline, including the capitol dome. Note: it takes a lot of careful planning to obtain a shot like this. You won't just luck into these shots. Enjoy the views from Pope Farm Park!

The website said "no sunflowers in 2022". I guess it should say "we stopped sunflowers since 2022" Pretty view over corn fields. A self-guided booklet is available at the main entrance

A really great park very clean and amazing views

Beautiful prairie plantings, nice trails, cool interpretive signs. Great spot for a morning walk

Beautiful trails of varying lengths and views! Perfect place to see the sunrise or sunset. I like going there to see beautiful fall foliage and have also been there in the summer to see the sunflowers. It can get pretty windy so bring an extra layer if you tend to get cold.

Pope Farm is the newest elementary school in the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District. It is full of light and inspiration with many collaborative learning spaces. It fits well within the conservancy ecosystem while having state of the art systems for learning and energy management.

I read about Sunflower Days in a recent summer piece on Madison, and was happy that my Madison visit coincided with opening weekend of this year's sunflower bloom. The sunflower bloom is definitely worth the trip and parking lot traffic and walk up the hill- it's simply amazing. Over 500,000 sunflowers will bloom in a one week period! There's a bit of an uphill climb to get from the parking areas to the sunflowers and the farmland, so expect that. This is a free event, so feel free to donate to the conservancy, cheapskates! There's as much or as little walking here as you want. Get a few pics of the sunflowers and go home, or walk around the whole sun field, walk past the oak savannah and prairie, or walk around the whole farm (which is quite a hike)! Bring water, bring a blanket, bring a picnic!

I cannot believe I didn't know this hidden gem existed. Their sunflower days are absolutely stunning! It's definitely an attraction close to Madison that's not to be missed. To be honest, I have only ever been to the Pope Farm Conservancy for the sunflowers. But it seems like a beautiful place to stop year round for a hike or to cross country ski. It gets crowded during their sunflower days, so it's best to go during off hours. The Conservancy does an excellent job marking off parking spots and directing traffic. They have plenty of volunteers to answer questions and everything appears to be very well run and organized. People come to take family photos, have a picnic, or just go for a nice stroll to watch the sunset over a beautiful field of sunflowers. However, leave your dog at home because pets are not allowed. The sunflower days attraction is free however donations are accepted. Definitely worth a trip to the far west side of Madison.

Free, just minutes outside of Madison, and having all the sunflowers your heart could desire. This farm is a lovely spot during Sunflower Days when thousands of sunflowers are in bloom. There are a couple of parking areas for your convenience and plenty of volunteers around to guide you into your spot an along the route next to the field. There are also shadier areas with some lovely views and wildflower growth bordering the sunflowers. Photos are encouraged, though do be sure not to touch the flowers. We went on what was likely one of the busiest days of the Conservancy's year, so I'm looking forward to returning when there aren't hundreds of other people clamoring for their own shot of the golden beauties.

This experience is magical. If you missed it this year, well, shame on you. Make sure you prioritize it next year. Go early in the morning. No, really: EARLY. Like as soon as the sun comes up. If you wait any longer, the kids and the strollers and the professional photographers taking engagement/family/wedding/child pictures will descend and you'll have to share the magic with the hordes. So go early and soak this in. It's incredible. And then make a donation to Pope Farm Conservancy to help them keep it going.

Went here for the yearly walking tour and had a really pleasant experience. The sunflowers were gorgeous. The views would only be better if nobody was allowed to build houses nearby. It's a great place to learn about Wisconsin's interesting geological history (it's right at the terminal moraine from the ice age), the Native Americans that lived here and the German settlers of the 1800s as well as about farming and the Pope family's great love of the land. If you come just to walk around, there are informational signs around to read. This would be a great place to take a walk or have a picnic on a sunny day!

My fiancee and I recently visited this place for our engagement photos. The sunflowers haven't fully bloomed yet, but the cornstalks were up and running! It's got a beautiful backdrop for photos and a relaxing atmosphere for just hanging out and reading a book under the shaded tree by the rock wall. I'm excited to see the sunflowers in full bloom this summer.