This trip was memorable for so many reasons but the Chestnuts really make this park stand out. The park has several Chestnut trees which is usually a rare find these days. Later on, I found a sign explaining why the park had so many Chestnut trees. They are working to bring them back. We used our grubstick to roast them over the open fire. Many of us fondly think of the Christmas song but how often have you roasted your own Chestnuts while camping?
The tent sites (short walk from parking lot) and one car per tent site. Our site was not the traditional walk up/park camp site. It was a nice change of pace. More space and great neighbors.
The camp store at this park had a lot of great things such as corn hole outside, a mining activity for the family, trikes you could rent, and most importantly ice cream.
The camp store is right across from the pool. The pool is currently closed but not many state parks in Ohio have a pool right in the camp ground area. This is a rare treat. The pool had the traditional pool, kiddo pool, and small splash pad. You could also see where they had installed a curb cut for those in wheel chairs or needing ramps. No pool lift that I could see to help someone lower in and out of the pool. This may be put away for the season so call to find out. They also had a ramp installed that led up to the pool. One side the old steps and the other side a new ADA ramp.
The fire wood was in a white bag and that made it easy to move and kept the car clean which I appreciated. They also had bait so if you wanted to walk behind the pool and continue to the river it wouldn't be far to go fishing.
The shower house by us did not have an ADA bathroom and I didn't get a chance to look for the ADA shower.
Behind the campsites (our section) you could grab a short trail to the river. This was a lovely surprise as I followed a foot path. We opted not to do the overlook hike to the gorge as we had fellow campers with us that couldn't do a long hike for safety reasons. It as a nice surprise to learn that one could also drive to the overlook if they need to and all parties could enjoy the view together. Two different ways to get to the same place which means if you need to split up your campers based on physical skills then you could do so and then eat at the shelter together.
The camp ground has been FULL several times this season so make sure you make your reservations. This park also has a way for you to put on and take out of the river. You will see folks walking around with their inner tubes as they will float down the small section.
We also drove 10 miles away to the Mohican Lodge to treat ourselves to some food and an OSU Football game at the bar downstairs. The bar has a great back patio and view of the lake. It too has a variety of games in the back patio. They were awesome and turned on the closed caption feature for us. Those of us that wanted to watched the game and others were able to play various games at the lodge (Ping pong, pool, read a book by the fire, go see the owls on site, and more).
The pool at the lodge is being redone at the moment. I may try to upload that information later. So look for it to be new and improved. The pool also has a sauna for those that need some help to warm up/relax tight muscles. Usually, you can get a day pass for the lodge pool even when you are staying at the camp sites. This is a small fee but well worth it.
While we were at the lodge an outside non-profit group was there with 2 owls. We hope to drive up to Mansfield sometime to explore their property (90 acres) with birds they have rescued or are helping. https://www.ohiobirdsanctuary.com/ they come to the lodge usually on Sat evening at 7 PM.
For those who are a fan of Shawshank Redemption the movie you are an easy day trip away from the Mansfield Reformatory. https://www.mrps.org/explore/tours
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