Homestead Parklands County Park — Attraction in Town of Saint Joseph

I’ve visited Perch Lake in Hudson, WI multiple times in the past and always appreciated its peaceful scenery and convenient kayak rental setup. Unfortunately, this year’s experience was deeply frustrating due to a major overhaul in how rentals are managed.

In previous years, you could simply show up and pay for a kayak rental with cash or card directly at the site. It was easy and accessible for everyone. However, this season they’ve switched to an entirely online system using a third-party app to reserve and pay for kayak rentals. While modernization can be helpful, this change has been poorly implemented.

First, the application is glitchy and unreliable. It’s new software, and it clearly hasn’t been fully tested in real-world conditions. When we arrived, the QR code provided didn’t work properly, and the app either failed to load or froze entirely.

Second, cell service at Perch Lake is almost nonexistent, and unfortunately, the new rental system relies entirely on having a stable internet or data connection to complete your booking. This renders the entire system virtually unusable for most people once they’re on site. There’s no Wi-Fi available, and without service, you’re left completely stuck.

What made the situation worse was the lack of any backup plan or helpful staff. There was no one available who could offer a solution, and there were no alternative methods to rent — no kiosk, no manual payment option, not even a staff member to take a reservation in person. We were essentially told “there’s nothing we can do.”

It’s disappointing to see such a beautiful location become less accessible due to poor planning and lack of customer support. Until the park improves their rental process — either by adding in-person payment options again, providing stronger connectivity, or at the very least having trained, helpful staff on site — I wouldn’t recommend relying on them for kayak rentals.

We ended up leaving without being able to enjoy the lake, which was a...

Been here a couple of time, FYI there is some construction going on so expect detours as of 08/2021, The lake itself is very nice. You can have dogs as long as it's leashed and they also rent out paddleboats, kayaks, etc. nice location to be with the family. Also, there is very limited parking close to the lake in regards to where they rent the paddleboats, there is a section where you can unload but you have to park on top of the hill if you can't find...

This is a wonderful park area with plenty of paved and unpaved trails to explore. You can walk along the scenic lake, fish off of the multiple docks, or rent a kayak or canoe. As you enter the park area there is a super cute paved trail loop that has a handful of little houses that you can stop and read in. They have books at each of the houses, such a fun idea. There is a boat landing and vehicle parking down...