Andrew Kasper
Tall prairie flowers tower over the adjacent vegetation to compete for sunlight in the northern sector of Pheasant Branch Conservancy.
"People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home," said Ukrainian philosopher Dagobert D. Runes. Although the people of Middleton are not evidently anymore fascinating than your average Madisonian, the often overlooked campground of Mendota County Park and the easily ignored acres of Pheasant Branch Conservancy are well worth the trip to the north side of Lake Mendota. It would be a shame for anyone living in the Madison area to let these two homey spots go unexplored.
Mendota County Park is a quaint retreat just outside of a bustling urban area. Fishermen gather at the park's shoreline alongside flocks of geese on their biannual migrations. Family and friends congregate in small and large groups to fill the still, outdoor air with chatter and laughter over simmering outdoor grills. The campground is often bustling on the weekends with travelers stopping for the night, long term RV'ers, and even local Middleton residents who come to leave the chores and preoccupations at home for a few days. Mendota County Park's social atmosphere is juxtaposed with the tranquility of its sister park, Pheasant Branch Conservancy, less than a mile away. There, the only chatter is that of the birds and the only bustling is that of the swaying marsh grass caught in an August wind. Together, the two parks compliment each other and make for the perfect close-to-home destination combination.
Diversion: Mendota County Park offers a peaceful shoreline with a beach area, volleyball, basketball, and tennis courts, as well as horseshoe pits, picnic sites and a quiet campground shaded by old, imposing trees that save you from the summer's sun. The best thing to do in the park during the day is hang out with friends, read a book under a tree or work on your tan in the sand. At night, reflect around a campfire ($3 bundles of wood are available at the park) with your traveling companions.
Though Mendota Park does not offer much in the area of hiking, Pheasant Branch Conservancy just down the road (about a mile west on Century Avenue) has miles of trails that penetrate a diverse landscape of woods, marshland, oak savannah and prairie, and will keep a wayfaring wanderer content for the better half of a day. There is a gravel bike path that circumnavigates the perimeter of Pheasant Branch. Not all the trails in the park allow bike access, but there are bike racks available along the gravel path where you can leave your bike and go for a short jaunt on a hiking trail. The best route to follow is the gravel path that enters the conservancy off of Century Avenue across from the PDQ and heads north to the northern boundary. Once you leave the woods and enter the prairie, follow the path to the base of the big hill scattered with oak trees. A hike to the top of the hill will give you one of the best views in Madison. Upon your return grab an affordable, but very nice, meal at Gino's on Century Avenue next to the PDQ.
Trail Maps of Pheasant Branch are scattered at kiosks throughout the park and can be found at the Mendota County Park office or HERE.
Route: There are three main options for reaching Mendota County Park and Pheasant Branch Conservancy, car free. The water route is straightforward and, if leaving from the Memorial Union, will have you at Mendota Park within several hours. The bike route is about 7 miles one-way and involves navigating between city streets and bike paths. The bike option allows for the most convenient travel from the campground to other places in the vicinity. You can also take a Madison Metro bus from the downtown area out to the park.
Directions by Bike: The bike route leaving from the Memorial Union and heads down Lake Shore Path out to the University Hospital. Take a left before Picnic Point, bike past the U-bay fields and enter the Shorewood Neighborhood. All roads lead to Shorewood Boulevard. Take a left on Shorewood Boulevard and then a right on the bike path that goes behind the Copps grocery store and along Locust Drive. Follow this bike path along the Blackhawk golf course and then University Avenue. Take a right when you reach Spring Harbor Drive. Soon after, take a left on Lake Mendota Drive, and then a left on Baker Avenue where you will re-unite with University Avenue and the bike path will re-appear. Follow the bike path when it turns right at Allen Boulevard. About halfway down Allen Boulevard the path will end again. From here you have to ride in the road until Century Avenue where you will take a right (left to go to Pheasant Branch Conservancy) and continue in the road or on the sidewalk until the entrance to the campground on your right just after the County Q intersection.
Directions by Water: The paddling route is quite easy. If you leave from the Memorial Union aim for Picnic Point. Round the point and aim for the north shore of the large bay to your left. There is no dock at the park, but there is a boat ramp and a channeled inlet you can dock at.
Directions by Bus: On weekdays, you can take route 70 or 72 from University Avenue all the way to where County Q intersects with county highway M. The Campground is up the road on M. On weekends, you must take route 8 to where Capital Avenue intersects with University Avenue and then transfer to route 78 which you will take to the County Q intersection. Check Madison Metro's site map for specific times and bus stops.
Gear: If you're cycling, strap as much as you can to your bike rack and pack the rest in your panniers. If you don't have a rack or panniers you will have put your gear in a large backpack or a pull-along trailer, such as the ones typically used to haul small children. If you don't have a rack or panniers, and you already have kids in your bike trailer, you will be forced to use a large backpack (or leave the kids with a relative). But, keep in mind: the less gear you carry on your person, such as in a backpack, the more enjoyable your ride will be. For canoeing or kayaking common sense applies: put all your gear in the boat, prepared for the wettest scenario. For the Metro it's just riding the bus: backpacks, duffle bags, baskets or whatever you can haul.
Accommodations: Camping is $23 per night (A little steep for a tent camper, but the sites all have electrical hook-ups and are geared for RV'ers). There are showers and flush toilets, and a PDQ across the road should have anything you might have forgotten.
Conservation history: In 1832, a surveyor passed through the area that is now the Pheasant Branch Conservancy and jotted down a few quick notes that he thought adequately summarized the landscape. He wrote: "marshy" and "second-rate". Although for years Native Americans had lived in that same area utilizing the land for its abundance of fresh water, fish, game, and even spiritual qualities, for early 19th century pioneers it was deemed less-than desirable. Until the 1960's that classification persisted and the Pheasant Branch marsh narrowly missed being "improved" into sub-division with a marina. Today, it exists as one of the finest landmarks in the Madison area and you would be hard pressed to find someone hiking its trails that would recommend a housing development or describe the conservancy as "second-rate".
