Camping at Mohawk State Park

You may remember that last year around this time, I posted about a short camping trip at the DAR State Forest in Goshen.  This past weekend for our annual camping trip, Mr Madley and I spent a few days in the Mohawk Trail State Forest.  (See his post about the trip here -- he has some great pictures and more detail about some of the hikes, too.)

The camp was lovely, and our site (CF22) was situated right on the Cold River, which allowed for wading, splashing, submerging, as well as for those relaxing sounds of running water, despite the fact that there was a nearby pool in the river that was a popular place for people to swim and play.

 

Our site was one of the no-vehicle sites, which means that cars are parked somewhere else and gear is toted in.  We were happy that there was a handcart to truck some of our gear, but not quite so happy that we had to carry things up and down a hill to get there.

The sites at MSP were odd because there was no brush separating the spaces and lending the appearance of privacy.  The sites were quite open, though there were a number of tall, thin trees in each; those provided great kindling from fallen sticks, as well as places to tie up tarps and hammocks and such.

There were a number of beautiful trails in the park -- going up mountains, following the Deerfield River, meandering through meadows and forests.  We hiked twice in two days and were awestruck at the beauty (as we often are -- isn't nature amazing?).

The hiking trails had historic landmarks and items labeled, and those made the hiking even more fun.  Someone once had a farm within the bounds of the state forest.  It must have been a beautiful place to farm, though very rocky.

The facilities of the park were nice. The bathrooms were well kept up, there were multiple places to get running water, there were showers, and the toilets flushed (I LOVE flushing toilets, even though they are not always as environmentally friendly as composting toilets).  There were dumpsters at the headquarters and each camp site had a bear locker (!) to store food and trash in.  Firewood had to be purchased for $5 a bundle; ice was not available.

One of my favourite things about camping is the food.  I love coming up with food to cook over a fire, or even a small portable camp stove (one of which we purchased this year from Sam's especially for this trip).  My food delight of this trip was cherry pie.  I remember making these when I was a kid and vacationing with my parents and sibs.  I bought a pie iron (also from Sam's) and took along some bread, margarine, and cherry pie filling.  The result was a tasty, crisp, hot cherry pie.  Yummy!  I can't wait to make more!

We live in a beautiful state.  Even if you don't enjoy camping, get out to one of the state parks and take a hike.  You won't regret it.