Medford: City Park, Riverwalk, and Trails

Medford combines extensive outdoor activities with peaceful walking paths, cycling routes, and insights into regional history. A notable starting point for planning your trip is Medford City Park: founded in 1890, it covers 100 acres. Other highlights include the Riverwalk along the Black River, the 26-mile Pine Line Trail, and a market offering local produce and handmade goods. Depending on whether you prefer to spend your time in the park, on the trails, or exploring regional culture, you can prioritize different things when choosing a vacation rental in Medford.

Medford City Park: plenty of space for a range of activities

City Park brings together opportunities for recreation and relaxation. It has a zero-entry outdoor pool with changing rooms, playgrounds including an inclusive playground, and tennis and basketball courts. Softball fields with a concession stand add to the sports facilities. If you’d prefer a less active day, the park also offers shelters for rent, public restrooms, and campsites. There’s also a skate park.

For families, the different areas can shape how you spend the day: you can tailor your visit to your companions’ interests, whether that means the playground, swimming, or sports facilities. Its founding in 1890 also gives it a long history within Medford.

Walk along the Riverwalk or explore the Pine Line Trail

The Riverwalk runs mostly through Medford along the Black River and offers a pleasant walk around the mill pond. Scenic overlooks, benches, picnic areas, and covered bridges are among the features along the route. You can make this a walking outing and plan breaks at the designated seating and picnic areas along the way. The covered bridges are a distinctive feature of the Riverwalk, and the overlooks offer additional places to stop.

For a longer outing, consider the Pine Line Trail: the trail is 26 miles long and intended for cycling and walking. You can access the trail and its trailhead on Allman Street, on the north side of Medford. This makes it clearly different from a walk around the mill pond. If you’d like to include cycling or a longer walk in your trip, the Pine Line Trail is a specific point to consider when choosing your destination and vacation rental. For another activity, the Simek Recreation Center offers recreational ice skating.

Local produce and insights into history

The Medford Downtown Farmers Market is held on Saturdays at the intersection of Highway 13 and Highway 64, and on Tuesdays on Whelen Avenue in Medford. It offers fresh local produce, quality meats, baked goods, jellies, and plants, as well as a wide selection of handmade goods. The two market days and locations provide specific details to help you plan when and where to visit. In addition to food, you can also browse plants and handmade goods.

In the wider travel area, the Taylor County Historical Museum features exhibits on the dairy industry, agriculture, domestic life, and the military, as well as a large collection of taxidermied animals from the region. In addition to the main museum, the Taylor County Historical Society maintains a print shop with numerous printing presses, a one-room rural schoolhouse fully furnished with school materials from the turn of the century, and a log cabin. The cabin contains artifacts that may have been used during the settlement of Taylor County. These sites add regional history to the outdoor options; the artifacts’ possible origins are explicitly presented as a possibility.

For the broader travel guide: Taylor.