Camp in Native grounds

If you happen to be visiting the Midwestern area of the US, Mohican State Park is well worth a visit.

Located in the state of Ohio, between the cities of Columbus and Cleveland, this wooded, hilly region has something for everyone.

There are plenty of campgrounds in the area, canoes and kayaks for rent and many hotels and motels.

For those who prefer comfort to roughing it out, there's even a state park resort lodge, complete with private room balconies, two huge pools, a game room and a large restaurant looking out to the nearby Pleasant Hill Lake.

Hilly haven

Heading to Mohican State Park from the relatively flat cities of Columbus and Cleveland, one is struck by the change in topography.

The Mohican region is hillier than outlying regions. Added to the hills and forest is a river running through the park.

About 12,000 years ago, during Ohio's Ice Age, the first glacier to enter Ohio, the Wisconsian, carved a narrow gorge through which the Mohican River today runs.

At one time, long before the days of motels, diners, go-cart racing tracks and minigolf, the Mohican region was used as hunting grounds by the Delaware Indians.

In the early 1800s, European immigrants began to settle there and the War of 1812 drove the Native Americans from the region.

Perhaps one of the most famous people to frequent the Mohican area was John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed.

He wandered throughout the countryside, dressed only in a ragged pair of trousers, an old coffee sack for a shirt and his cooking pot on his head as a hat.

It's said Appleseed spent about 50 years of his life nurturing apple trees and planting them throughout much of the US. He would travel hundreds of miles to prune his orchards, which were scattered throughout the wilderness.

Though Mohican is not as wild as during the days of Johnny Appleseed, there is still plenty of wilderness to be found in the region.

The area has a large diversity of trees and plants — white, red and black oaks, red maple and white pine. There are 15 species of ferns, including the rare walking fern.

There are many species of mammals in the Mohican region, such as raccoon, white-tail deer, skunk, possum, squirrel, red fox, wild turkey and bald eagle.

Activities galore

Tourist activities include camping, fishing, hiking, picnicking, snowmobiling and horse riding.

Mohican State Park has 24 miles of hiking trails, along with additional trails for mountain biking and horse riding.

Because of the scenic beauty along the banks of the Mohican River, some of the region's most popular outdoor activities are canoeing, kayaking and tubing (gliding down the river, atop a truck-tyre tube).

For those who want to explore the central Ohio region a bit more, not far from Mohican State Park is Malabar Farm.

This farm was established by Louis Bromfield, a Pulitzer prize-winning author and environmentalist who wanted to create “a place where visitors can explore life on a farm and the beauty of nature''.

Malabar Farm has a youth hostel, a campground and 12 miles of hiking trails. There's also a restaurant that makes use of food grown on the farm.

So the next time you happen to be near Ohio, don't forget to include on your travel itinerary a stop in Mohican Country, where you can experience the beautiful outdoors and also get a taste of Midwestern culture.

— Qani Belul is a UAE-based freelance writer

Go there . . . Mohican State Park . . . From the UAE

From Dubai

Cleveland and Columbus are the closest airports.

Delta flies to Columbus and Cleveland daily via Atlanta. Fare from Dh4,030

— Information courtesy: The Holiday Lounge by Dnata.
Ph: 04 4380454

Make the best of your stay

Mohican Resort and Conference Centre