Tom's Park

Tom's Park is a 10-acre site on the shores Lake Florence that is densely wooded, has some old-growth trees and at one time had a bald eagle's nest.  

Still under development, this park has 2 trails roughed out to the water. One trail will be a people-only trail, which is currently the left-side trail.

The other trail - currently the right-side trail - offers lake access for dogs. It's going to take time to develop and install amenities, but dog owners are welcome to check it out at this point. The water levels in the lake are pretty low and the bank is steeply sloped, but we are actively planning for how to offer better access for dogs in the coming season.

Please note, there will be NO SWIMMING in the dog area, for the same reason we don’t allow dogs at the Old Swimming Hole – it’s a public health concern to mix water recreation areas with the potential presence of dog waste.

HISTORY

This park property was a  gift of anonymous donors in 2009, and was  named in honor of Tom White, a beloved islander who was passionate about conservation and growing our parks. 

Due to an active eagle's nest at the time, the land was placed under a restrictive Conservation Easement, which prevented the Park and Recreation District from developing it as a typical park. After a decade of the nest being vacant and diligent work by the Park Board, we received permission to develop rough trails in the summer of 2019.