The West Bend Riverwalk

The West Bend Riverwalk currently runs a continuous 3.1 miles along the Milwaukee River, beginning at River Road and extending northwest to Roosevelt Drive. The Riverwalk, a project of the City of West Bend Park, Recreation & Forestry Department reflects a commitment to protect land along the Milwaukee River Corridor.

Riverwalk offers environments for people to walk, jog, bike rollerblade, and, in winter to snow-shoe and ski. Riverwalk also offers an opportunity to view the multitude of sculptures which, with the support of the West Bend Friends of Sculpture, Inc., dot the landscape along the corridor.

At Riverside Park, the Riverwalk includes a prairie environment. Heading west, the river landscape changes to reveal glimpses of industrial uses. The next portion of the Riverwalk takes you through West Bend’s Downtown, with brick pathways flanking neighborhood retail to the west and skirting the river on the east.

The end of the Downtown is marked by Washington Street. Across the road is the newest addition to the Riverwalk - a pocket park, formerly the West Bend Plating facility. The site will contain interactive sculptures from internationally known sculptor Brad Goldberg. This park is an excellent example of adaptive reuse of a brownfield as public open space.

North of the pocket park, the pathway skirts light industrial on its west side and hugs the Milwaukee River on its east side. This portion of the Riverwalk connects to Regner Park,, one of the largest parks in West Bend.

Past Regner Park, is the newest phase of the Riverwalk. It is a ½ mile site that was formerly a Dairy Queen, a home, and a construction landfill. Halfway complete, this phase will be finished by summer, 2002. The project was funded with contributions from the City, individuals, the West Bend Rotary Waterways Land Foundation and grants from DNR and DOT. This particular phase has these interesting site amenities:

1. The boardwalk was built with environmentally safe pressure treated lumber supplied by B & H Lumber (arsenic & chromium free)
2. The observation deck and the site amenities (benches and trash receptacles) are made from recycled plastic
3. The large hillside on the west side of the trail was formally a construction dump site

In Spring, 2002, paving the trails, installation of lighting and landscape improvements, and construction of the Upper Overlook will be completed. The City encourages everyone to travel to West Bend and enjoy the Riverwalk….by whatever means they desire!

Contact: Lynda Schmidt, West Bend Park, Recreation Forestry Department at 262.335.5080 (email: lswbprf@ci.wi.us)