Mohican+State+Park+Gorge+Overlook

Also, see Mohican State Park, Mohican Important Bird Area, and Mohican Birding Drive
 * =Birding in Ohio=

Ashland County
=Mohican State Park= =Gorge Overlook= Loudonville, Ohio 44842 Mohican State Park website Mohican State Park map

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Mohican SP--Gorge Overlook
Coordinates: 40.610043, -82.2857952 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About Mohican State Park--Gorge Overlook
The Gorge Overlook is a national Natural Scenic Landmark designated by the National Park Service. Enjoy the view from 2 Overlook areas over the 400-foot gorge.

The Overlook Shelter is located in the most popular scenic area of the park. This shelter does not have electricity and has a pit latrine nearby. The shelter can hold 50 people comfortably.

About Mohican State Park
Mohican State Park and the adjacent State Forest are located in the heart of Mohican Country...Ohio's great vacation region. The park is comprised of 1,110 acres with 5 miles of the scenic Clear Fork Branch of the Mohican River running through it. The recreational opportunities available to the park visitor include fishing, hiking, picnicking, camping, cottages and a resort lodge.The Mohican Memorial State Forest surrounds the park with 4,795 acres. Hunting, hiking, and bridle trails are available to the forest visitor.

Mohican State Park is located in southern Ashland County bordered by OH-3 and OH-97, close to Loudonville, Ohio. The park can be easily accessed from I-71.

The scenic beauty and natural features of the Mohican region can be attributed to events that occurred over 14,000 years ago during the ice age in Ohio. The last glacier to enter Ohio, the Wisconsinan, ended its advance in the Mohican region forming a glacial boundary. Several moraines, linear ridges of soil and rock till deposited along the ice edge, are evident in the area.

The erosional forces of glacial meltwaters hastened the carving of the narrow gorge of the Clear Fork of the Mohican River. This gorge cuts into the sandstone bedrock exposing huge outcroppings and creating steep cliff walls. The gorge is more than one thousand feet wide at the top and over three hundred feet deep. The striking Clear Fork Gorge with its towering hemlocks and stands of old-growth white pine are of national significance. The National Park Service has thus dedicated the area as a Registered National Natural Landmark.

The Mohican-Memorial State Forest surrounds the park and contains great plant and animal diversity. Ridge tops contain stands of white, red and black oaks, red maple and white pine. Beech, ash, and tulip can be found in the middle and lower slopes with hemlock and yellow birch. The bottomlands contain sycamore, willow, buckeye, hawthorn and dogwood. The diversity of ferns in this region is astounding with as many as fifteen different species identified, including the rare walking fern.

Mohican is home to numerous mammals including raccoon, white-tail deer, skunk, opossum, and red fox. Reptiles such as the box turtle, black ratsnake, and the venomous copperhead are present in the area. Dusky salamanders, American toads, and the gray tree frog are samples of local amphibians. The wild turkey has made a tremendous comeback in Ohio after being totally extirpated at one time. Significant numbers of this magnificent bird can be found in the surrounding forest. Bald eagles are occasionally sighted in the area.

Of particular interest is the abundance of nesting warblers in the Clear Fork Gorge. More than fifteen species including Northern Parula, Hooded, Cerulean and American Redstart nest here during spring and summer. From Mohican State Park website

Blue-headed Vireo Photo by Joseph Boros

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|| L673090 US US-OH US-OH-005 40.610043 -82.2857952 Mohican SP--Gorge Overlook