Sanders Park in Mount Pleasant

An 80-acre Racine County Park in the Village of Mount Pleasant. A picturesque loop road with picnic areas surrounds the 33-acre DNR-designated Hardwoods State Natural Area. It has also been inducted into the Old Growth Forest Network. The DNR describes the woodland like this: Sanders Park Hardwoods consists of two slightly elevated swells separated by a shallow swale on an ancient terrace of Lake Michigan. Southern dry-mesic forests occupy the two swells with basswood, white oak, black walnut, red oak, and white ash. An elm-ash forest dominates the swale. The sapling layer is composed of ash, basswood, ironwood, and black cherry.

Wildflowers include showy orchid, yellow lady’s-slipper, false mermaid, false Solomon’s seal, Trillium, sharp-lobed hepatica, spring-beauty, wild geranium, blue cohosh, and the introduced helleborine orchid. Ferns of interest are ostrich, rattlesnake, rusty woodsia, and ebony spleenwort. Breeding birds include great-crested flycatcher, eastern wood pewee, red-eyed vireo, mourning warbler, and indigo bunting.

 

Amenities include reservable picnic areas and shelters with electricity, a primitive campground, restrooms and pit toilets, baseball field, and playground.

 

Hunting is not permitted. For more information and to make reservations, go to the Racine County Parks Department website.

For a park map, click here.

 

Gallery (click to enlarge)