Mushroom Park

Overview

Mushroom Park is a lovely 1.5 acre neighborhood park between Waltham Drive and Saxon Street off of Scio Church Road in the southwest corner of the city. View the Ann Arbor Parks and Nature Areas map for location context. The park features a paved path through grassy green berms and trees including the city's second largest White Oak. This path receives winter snow clearing. The playground is nestled among the berms, and among them are a few small painted concrete mushrooms, the namesake of the park. The park also contains benches and picnic tables.

Park Notices

Unless otherwise posted per City Council resolution, when a park is closed, no person shall remain in or enter it other than to quietly sit or walk.

Refer to Chapter 39 of the City of Ann Arbor Code of Ordinances for park regulations and rules.

Park Hours

6 a.m. – Midnight

Amenities

Paved Path

Playground

Landfill Bin

Picnic Tables

Access and Parking

There are entrances on Saxon Street on the west side of the park by the playground and on Waltham Drive on the east side of the park. There is street parking on both streets. Both entrances connect to neighborhood sidewalks and are connected by a paved path through the park.

The park is accessible by foot and bicycle using the neighborhood streets around the park. Nearby Scio Church Road has a sidewalk but no bike lakes.

Public Transportation

The nearest bus stop is only 300 feet from the park. Visit TheRide for schedule and route details or check out the parks ride guide.

Park Maps

Open the Park Tracker - See your location while in the park Open the Park Finder - Discover more Ann Arbor parks

History

Ann Arbor's city parks sit on the ancestral and traditional homelands of several indigenous Native peoples. Read a land acknowledgement from the city and learn more about the early history of the land here.

The land for the park was acquired in 1961 from the developer of the surrounding subdivision. The park used to be known as Vernon Downs Playlot, after the name of the subdivision. In 1975, Girl Scout Troop #190 petitioned the city to rename the park to Mushroom Park. They were inspired by the concrete climbing structures in the park that were shaped like mushrooms, which were built in 1962. They argued that "Vernon Downs" was not a commonly used name and that children had already been calling it Mushroom Park. George Owers, the park system superintendent, recommended to Ann Arbor City Council that the name be changed. Council voted unanimously to approve changing the name to Mushroom Park. The mushrooms still stand in the park to this day, having been colorfully painted by neighborhood residents.

Volunteer in the parks

Looking to make an impact in a park or nature area? Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation provides volunteer opportunities for almost every interest, ability, and commitment level.

Learn more about volunteer opportunities

Park Finder

Discover parks and find amenities through the City of Ann Arbor Park Finder. This map allows you to search park names or search by amenity type or keyword.

View the Park Finder

A2Fix It - Service request tool

A2 Fix It is an online system you can use to report any maintenance issues or other problems during your park visit. When reporting an issue in a park please include detailed location information in the "details and description" section near the end of the request process. Pictures that provide location context are very helpful.

Submit a request