Mohican State Park is located about ½ way between Cleveland and Columbus in Ohio, near Loudonville.

Site Review:

There are a variety of sites at Mohican State Park in 2 campground areas.

• Campground A (the main campground) offers sites that are more open with less privacy. Some sites are treed and offer a view of the river. Some are full service, some are pull-thru and some are rustic.
• Campground B is rustic.

Our site was site 86 in campground A. It was: 

•  flat
• spacious 
• treed
• right on the Mohican River.
• easy access to the pool and the park store

                                                                                                                                                                site 86

There had been a lot of rain in the area for several days prior to our arrival. Some sites were very wet and flooded. The campground had dispensed bales of hay throughout, in an effort to absorb some of the excess water. Site 86 was not too bad, but the even-numbered sites 90-106 were fairly soggy. But again, it should be noted that there had been a lot of rain. I would normally consider these sites to be among the best in the park.

These sites are electric only. There are 33 sites with full hook-up. Odd-numbered sites 27-59 are full hook-up and back onto the forest. The bulk of the sites in the centre of the park are unremarkable and have very little privacy.

Activities:

Hiking:

There are several trails to choose from at Mohican State Park if hiking is an activity you enjoy. The North Rim Trail is accessible from the main campground area.

It should be noted that one trail turns into the next. So if you want to go to Little Lyons Falls

and you are heading out from the campground, you would end up walking the North Rim Trail-Hemlock Gorge Trail-Pleasant Hill Trail- Lyons Falls Trail (for a total distance of approx. 8 miles one way).

You can also take your vehicle to the south entrance of Mohican State Park and drive to the Covered Bridge in order to access the trails in that area, which is what we did.

Biking:

We rode our bikes to the Gorge Overlook. It had one huge hill to climb to get there (the type of hill where having a third lung would have been useful). The road was paved but in relatively poor condition (very cracked and crumbly at the edges) and after all that- the view was underwhelming. The ride down was fun though.

Swimming:

There is a swimming pool for campground use. 

Tubing:

The activity that is unique to the park; is floating on the river. You can use your own inner tubes, air mattresses, even pool noodles or life jackets. There is an entry point and you float with the current to an exit point.

This looked like great fun, but unfortunately, as I said, it had rained a lot and the water was very high and swift. Not many people were floating. I cannot comment first hand as to how deep the water would be on a normal day.

Things to Know:

While there, we had a washout day due to the rain. So we did some last-minute research and discovered that the prison that was used as the movie set for The Shawshank Redemption was open for tours. I love that movie! (“Get busy living, or get busy dying.”) It is the former Ohio State Reformatory. It is located around a half-hour drive away in Mansfield.

Mohican State Park is a great park, especially for the outdoor enthusiast.

The activities on the Mohican River are what primarily bring people to the area. Literally a mile down the road (you could walk or bike it easily) you can rent canoes and kayaks, or book various float trips at Mohican Adventures.

The river course is approximately 7 miles long. If you paddle it takes about 3 hours and if you float it takes about 5 hours. The beauty of booking a float trip; is that it is a one-way trip and part of the package they offer includes a shuttle to pick you up and bring you back. The prices vary but a quick glance left me with the impression that they were reasonable. 

There is a campground with full hookups at Mohican Adventures. It, however, looks like it has a parking lot quality to it.

The campground at Mohican Adventures

IMO:

I would definitely stay at Mohican State Park and travel the very short distance to partake in Mohican Adventure activities, rather than camp there.

There are some other attractions in the area like Malabar Farm which would be interesting on a future visit. I would definitely come back to this area of Ohio.