Mohican State Park

Mohican State Park
Clear Fork Gorge as seen from the park overlook
Mohican State Park Location in Ohio Mohican State Park Mohican State Park (the United States)
Location	Ashland County, Ohio, United States
Coordinates	40°37′08″N 82°15′57″W
Area	1,110 acres (450 ha)
Elevation	991 ft (302 m)
Established	1949
Administered by	Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Designation	Ohio state park
Website	Mohican State Park

Mohican State Park is a 1,110-acre (450 ha) public recreation area located on the south shore of Pleasant Hill Lake, five miles (8.0 km) south of Loudonville in Ashland County, Ohio, United States. The state park is located along Ohio SR 3 and Ohio SR 97 and is surrounded by the 4,525-acre (1,831 ha) Mohican-Memorial State Forest. The Clear Fork of the Mohican River flows through the park carving a narrow gorge and joins the Black Fork about a half-mile east of the park to form the Mohican River. The park is open for year-round recreation including camping, hiking, boating, mountain biking, fishing, and picnicking.

History

Mohican State Park was originally called Clear Fork State Park when the Ohio Department of Natural Resources was created in 1949 and the park was created from Ohio Division of Forestry lands. In 1966, the name of the park was changed to Mohican to alleviate confusion between Clear Fork Reservoir in Mansfield, Ohio and the state park.

Activities

Hiking

There are 13 miles (21 km) of hiking trails in Mohican State Park, plus an additional 32 miles (51 km) of hiking trails in the adjacent State Forest. The designated mountain bike trails and bridle paths are also available for the hiker to use.

Mountain biking

A cyclist rides a trail in Mohican State Park

An 8.5-mile (13.7 km) mountain bike trail that passes through Mohican State Park and the state forest was opened to the public in 2005. The trail was created through a partnership between the Mohican/Malabar Bike Club and ODNR. Since then, work has continued to expand the mountain bike trail to a total of 24.5 miles (39.4 km). The trail is open to mountain bike riders and hikers. Each June the park is home to the Mohican MTB 100 race. The park offers trails of varying difficulty.

Naturalist programs

From Memorial Day Weekend through the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend, the park offers daily naturalist activities for its camping and cottage visitors as well as the general public. Activities include movies at the Class A Campground amphitheater on weekends, nature hikes, family games, and grist mill tours. In addition, the Junior Naturalist program is offered for kids from ages 7 through 14. A restored cabin served as the park Nature Center and was located in the Class A Campground. It was moved to the space where the game room used to reside.

Camping

There are three separate camping areas at Mohican State Park: the Class A Campground, the Class B Campground, and the Group Camp Area. Several types of cabins are located near the Class A Campground. There is also the Mohican Resort and Conference Center, built in 1974 and operated by Xanterra Parks and Resorts.

External links

• Mohican State Park Ohio Department of Natural Resources
• Mohican State Park Map Ohio Department of Natural Resources
• Mohican State Park Lodge and Conference Center Xanterra Parks & Resorts