Places to play following the late winter storm

mpcityblog.com. The rink is free and maintained by the Mount Pleasant Parks and Recreation. People who want to use it need to bring their own skates.

When the weather warms up, walking trails, sports courts, outdoor fitness equipment and more are also open for the Mount Pleasant community.

Chippewa Watershed Conservatory

The Chippewa Watershed Conservancy (CWC) owns 24 nature preserves that permanently keep over 640 acres of wild lands open to the public for educational and recreational purposes.

According to CWC Executive Director Mike LeValley, the nature preserves are open

24 hours a day, 365 days a year and free, but most of them do not have trails.

The CWC’s preserves have outdoor activities for all, whether in the rain, snow or sunshine, from hiking in the warmer months to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter.

“Bundy Hill … is the highest point in Isabella County; there’s actually about a two-mile hike out there depending on how you do it,” LeValley said. “There’s a view from one point on the hike where you can see about 15 miles.

“It’s actually 500 feet higher than the city of Mount Pleasant and it’s a 170-foot climb from the parking lot to the top of the hill.”

Deerfield Nature Park

Located at 2425 W. Remus Road, Deerfield Nature Park (DNP) is 591 acres of forest and river, according to michigan.org. With groomed trails for cross-country skiing, access to ice fishing, snowshoeing