Ohio's Underrated State Park Offers A Unique DIY Tour Of Its Vibrant Fall-Hued Hills

In recent years, Ohio has become the butt of quite a few jokes with people taking to social media to lovingly bash this Midwestern state. However, what you may not know about Ohio is that despite the memes, it actually has a lot to offer especially when it comes to travel. In fact, the Buckeye State contains many underrated destinations like Deer Creek State Park — which is a slice of outdoor paradise – and Cuyahoga National Park which is a great location to check out stunning Midwestern waterfalls and is one of the best national parks in America for viewing fall foliage. But, when it comes to seeing the changing leaves, if you are looking for a unique way to experience autumn in the rolling hills of Ohio, then we recommend heading over to Mohican State Park for a fall foliage tour you can do in your own car.

Located about an hour and 10 minutes north of Columbus, Mohican State Park contains 25 miles of hiking trails and over 1,000 acres of wilderness making it the perfect day trip for nature lovers. Because the forests of Mohican State Park are filled with not only pines but also trees like maples, beech, and sycamores in autumn, the entire forest becomes a stunning array of colorful foliage. While you can hike the trails to take in the crisp autumn air and brilliant fall landscape of Mohican State Park, another way to make sure you see everything the park has to offer is to stop at all the major overlooks and viewing points in the park on your own DIY driving tour.

Mohican State Park has multiple entrances, is easily accessible from both Route 71 and Route 62, and has multiple park roads connecting overlooks and scenic viewpoints making it a great candidate for a DIY driving tour. As one reviewer on TripAdvisor noted, driving through Mohican State Park is a good way to experience it because, "Within less than 10 miles of each other, you can visit the Mohican Lodge & Restaurant, Pleasant Hill & Charles Mill Dams, [and] the historic Mohican covered bridge." If you have time, there are also more beautiful locations in the park that you can add to the list including the Mohican Fire Tower. This fire tower is the second tallest in Ohio standing at an elevation of around 1,360 feet and gets you above the treeline, so you can take in the surrounding views of rolling hills covered in red, yellow, and orange leaves. You can also add in other gorgeous viewing spots like the Clear Fork Gorge, the North Shelterhouse, Discovery Forest, and the Wolf Creek Grist Mill.

Of course, if you want to get the best views of the colorful autumn trees, you need to hit the state park at the correct time. Typically, Mohican State Park sees its best and brightest fall colors in October, with the colors usually peaking around the second week of the month. 

Another great reason to take a day trip to Mohican State Park is that there is plenty to do in the park itself and in the surrounding area. For one, on your DIY driving tour, you could always stop and get out for a quick hike through the beautiful Mohican-Memorial State Forest. The most popular hikes in the park according to AllTrails are the Covered Bridge, Lyons Falls Loop, and the Gorge Overlook Loop. You can also explore the park on horseback, mountain bike, or via boat by renting a canoe and floating down the Mohican River.

If you want to make your visit to Mohican State Park more than a day trip, then consider booking a six-person lakeside cabin, or you can reserve a campsite in the park. If you'd like to stay in a hotel, you can stay at the onsite Mohican Lodge or head to the nearby town of Loudonville where you can book a room at a reliable chain hotel or go for something more interesting like Landoll's Mohican Castle or a whimsical cottage on a pond at Spruce Hill Inn.

If you are in a Halloween mood, head to the nearby town of Perrysville to check out the Mohican Haunted Schoolhouse. Mohican State Park is also located on the border of Holmes County which contains a large Amish community that offers plenty of interesting things to do from shopping for handmade furniture to arts and crafts.