A famous Lancaster landmark is Mount Pleasant, a 250-foot high sandstone bluff called "Standing Stone" by earlier Native American peoples. It is located in Rising Park, a large city park on the city's north side. It is possible to climb to the top of Mount Pleasant by following a short marked trail from the park through the woods that cover the bluff's other sides. There is also a cave known unofficially as "Devils Kitchen" in the front in which braver people are willing to climb about 20 feet using only shallow "bear claws". Experienced rock climbers have climbed the sandstone face of the bluff many times as well. Once one has reached the top, there is a lookout area from which one can see over great distances, and take in not just a panoramic view of the nearby Fairfield County fairgrounds and much of the city of Lancaster, but the changing landscape of Central Ohio as well-from the relatively flat farmlands north of Lancaster to the wooded hills lying south of the city.
Rising Park
203 E Fair Ave
Lancaster, OH 43130
Park Hours
This park opens at sunrise and closes at sunset.