Camping Mohican State Park and Exploring Lyons Falls Trail

Upon reaching the North Entrance of Mohican State Park you'll find yourself in the Mohican River Valley surrounded by nearby hills. You'll check in with a ranger at the gate or be directed to the camp store just down the road when unmanned. If traveling with kids you'll be enticed to purchase an eight dollar bag of dirt seeded with arrowheads or gems for them to sift through in the sluice adjacent to the camp store. The typical assortment of mixed use pads are available for tents, trailers, and RVs but for tent campers I'll recommend one of the walk-in sites W1-W10. Each site has a reserved parking spot ranging from a few steps to roughly 100 yards away and they're nestled in a clearing away from the rest of the campground. Sites 5 through 10 each have their own private path through the brush to the river just a few yards away. At each site you'll find a picnic table, fire ring, and nothing else. While well shaded, there isn't much in the way of trees useful for stringing up a tarp, lantern, clothesline, or the like. That being said some ingenuity and extra lengths of rope will go a long way. The rest of the campground is nice if not a bit crowded and the walk-in sites offer some solace from the hum of generators and the usual din associated with folks enjoying their RVs.

Once camp is set, you'll drive back out of the main gate, head south on Route 3 across the river and take the almost immediate right turn onto Route 97 heading into the South Entrance. A few miles down the road you'll follow signs towards the covered bridge and park on driver's right just short of the bridge. Check out the bridge, use the vaults to the right just across the bridge if needed, and find your way back to the trailhead just across the road from your parked vehicle.

This hike along Lyons Falls Trail is roughly three miles, mild for the most part but does cover some elevation as you traverse the gorge above the Mohican River. Some parts are rough and white blazes keep you on the trail. There is a point roughly a mile in where the trail makes a turn away from the river that is not well marked. A few steps further you'll find that the trail becomes incredibly steep and rough. Turning back will reveal the white blazes that were not visible and you'll easily backtrack a few feet to the turn you missed. Continuing forward will reveal an amazing cliff band overlooking the river that is well worth the effort. Keep kids safe and close and they'll love what's to be found a short scramble uphill. Facing the cliff, head to your left and you'll be back on the trail following the white blazes in short order.

There are spurs leading off the main trail towards both Little and Big Lyons Falls. Flow over the falls will vary with season and rainfall but the minimal added distance is worth the gamble. Upon reaching the dam you'll find restrooms and picnic areas. A hairpin turn to the right will lead down a lengthy set of stairs cut into the downriver side of the dam and the trail begins the return on the opposite side of the river. This Pleasant Hill portion of the trail is very flat and hugs the riverbank for 3/4 before leaving you back at your vehicle.

Mohican State Park offers a diverse selection of hiking, snowmobiling, mountain biking, and bridle trails in addition to miles of cycle worthy roads.

Cell coverage on AT&T is dependable in camp but non existent for the majority of the Lyons Falls Trail, so regardless of your carrier be sure to download the trail map or pack a paper one before heading out.