Mohican State Park

I thought I would get around to posting these photos last week, but the back-to-school preparations just got the best of me. Ah well, if I consider that I’m still four years behind on scrapbooking, then a week doesn’t sound so bad!

Mohican State Park is located in southern Ashland County here in Northeast Ohio. My parents used to take my brother and I canoeing every summer, and Mohican was our favorite destination. The Clear Fork Branch of the Mohican River runs through this region, surrounded by acres of forest perfect for all kinds of outdoor recreaction. You can experience the area a number of ways: camping, hiking, canoeing, driving, horse-back riding, snowmobiling, etc.

We chose to rent a raft so that we could all fit into one vessel. The river is shallow in places and has large boulders throughout, with a steady current, but nothing too adventurous. (We do have a five-year-old, after all.) We did get stuck a few times, but the kids enjoyed getting into the river to pull the raft through the shallows. The kids had a blast and requested several times that we do this every year.
I was concerned about taking the camera along and I wish I had purchased one of those cheap disposable varieties. I decided not to because the picture quality is not very good, but at least I would have had something. Next year, I’m definitely bringing a disposable camera. If it falls in, it won’t be the end of the world.

We stayed the night at the state park lodge. I can’t say enough good things about it. If you are thinking of visiting the area, I can highly recommend it. The rooms were spacious and outfitted with better bedding than I’ve found in some fancy hotels! There were two very clean heated pools, one indoor and one outdoor. There was even a separate kiddie pool. It was also heated and filtered, and Ethan loved that he could play there without worrying he would get in over his head. The main lobby has a large open sitting area with a fireplace and game area where we enjoyed several games of ping pong. The lodge also has a lovely full-service restaurant that overlooks the lake.

We spent the next day doing some hiking in the park. We started out at Pleasant Hill Dam looking out over the lake on one side and the river down below on the other. Then we drove around to the scenic overlook area where we saw some wild turkeys and the park’s Fire Tower. The kids wanted to climb this thing, so I let them go part of the way. The stairs are very steep, and there’s nothing to keep them from falling through under the railing if they should stumble. So I cheerfully said “This is far enough”, and we came back down. From there, we decided to hike to the falls.

There are two ways to hike in to see the falls. One entrance is at the top of Pleasant Hill Dam. The other is down by Clear Fork Covered Bridge. We decided to park at the covered bridge entrance and hike up so that the hike back would be downhill. I’m not sure that was the right choice, because by the time we got to the first set of falls and saw the steep climb to view the others, we were too tired to try it. The trail is pretty rugged over many tree roots and rocky spots. When we finally arrived at Big Lyons Falls, Jeff said “This is it?” The name Big Lyons Falls apparently refers to its height and not the quantity of water coming down.

I thought it was pretty. The kids had fun standing under the trickling water and then we all decided to head back.

Once we made it back to the van, the kids were tired and hungry. We had lunch and then decided the kids were worn out and would not enjoy another hike. Jeff had no interest in a horseback ride, so we packed up, popped a movie into the DVD player and headed home. I can’t wait to go back. :)

For more information on Mohican State Park, visit www.mohicanstatepark.org.