View Full Version : Mohican Outdoor Center
Haven't seen a thread including this sorta stuff, posting it for archival reasons in case anybody's interested... I'm staying at Mohican this weekend doin' dayhikes out of there... this was sent to me in my confirmation email as I reserved the Stone House:
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The Stone House is one of the few remaining original Camp Mohican structures built in 1928 and was used for years as a shower house for the north end of camp. The Mohican staff salvaged this building in 2002 adding the two bunk rooms and a new roof and final upgrades were made recently to open to the public.
The Stone House sleeps 6 people with 3 bunks in 2 rooms, is heated by a wood stove, and has electricity. As water is turned off to the north end of camp in the winter, there is obviously no plumbing so folks can make use of either nearby outdoor privies or the bathrooms (and showers) in the Visitor Center about ½ mile away. Potable water is supplied for cooking purposes as there is a kitchen with a 4 burner kitchen range, refrigerator, micro-wave, outside barbeque grill, as well as pots, pans and utensils for cooking.
You will need to bring your own bedding, pillow cases and towels. Upon departure we ask all to help out by cleaning up after themselves and leave common areas, bathrooms, kitchens, etc. as they were when you arrived. Also please carry out any leftover food supplies. There is a dumpster and recycling area across from the Visitor Center. Plastic, glass and tin can recycled and comingled, at the time cardboard can not be recycled.
The Phoenix
11-24-2009, 14:42
AT hikers camp there for free... it's a nice place... with a nice caretaker... he made us pop corn and we watched a movie with the guy. I didn't stay in a cabin... but I thought it was a rock solid place for thru-hiker's to kick it... either to celebrate getting done with the major rocks or getting ready to enter the major rocks depending on which way you are headed.
This is a great place. I saw a rattlesnake down by the large outdoor fireplace and saw the largest black bear I have ever seen in the wild (and I have seen quite a few over the years) on the hike north out of there a couple of years ago.
paintplongo
11-24-2009, 15:20
I loved that place, far better for the money then most hostels...
I also saw my only bear on the AT just north of that...No rattlers yet !!!! still looking.
I'll be staying here soon - on the first free non-broiling weekend.
Minnitonka
05-28-2012, 20:13
Didnt stay there,( We camped at a site nearby on the AT) but we stopped by the center. The care taker was helpfukl and informative.
Its not free for thru hikers - its $11, or $9 if you are an AMC member. Showers are an additional $5.
Thought it is still free for Thru's to camp. Member rates to stay in cabins. & I think I heard that Stone House was closed because of snakes.
All the thru hikers I ran into Saturday, just north of Mohican were complaining, because they too thought it was supposed to be free.
When I was there in 03 it was great. When I came back in 2010, it was awful... only one person working the whole place. No food. Lost my mail drop. Definitely not free! I was very disappointed. But I did see a mama bear and her cubs when I left the next morning.
peakbagger
06-15-2012, 07:17
The decline in the facility may be related to AMC's shift to only spending money to upgrade facilitites they own the land under. Also the Maine project in the 100 mile wilderness is pretty much sucking them dry.
trainhopper
08-31-2012, 01:36
The key to the MOC is knowing what its good for. I just did a section this week with a friend of mine who is a Sobo hiker. We were excited when we read in the thru hikers companion that thru hikers camp free and there was a deli with refreshments. As soon as we got there we bought cold drinks along with some candy bars. Considering the location it is hard to say no to cold drinks and candy. For a can of soda, a vitamin water, a snickers bar, and peanut m&ms I paid $6. I thought this was a fair price and would have paid more to get soda with the nearest town miles in either direction. It was around 5pm and rather push on we decided to camp here for the night. We asked about our free camp site when they informed us thru hikers must pay $9 per person($2 less than a regular person). The lady at the desk mentioned that most hikers expect it to be free. She said it never has been and they don't know how the guide got the information that it was. It was at the beginning of my section which I viewed as a vacation so I didn't think twice and paid for both me and my friend to camp. After setting up my buddy let his appetite get to him and he went for a deli sandwich. I was skeptical because the only indication of a deli was a dry erase board with 3 options. The kid then went into the back and made a roast beef sandwich on the small pieces of white bread you would buy in a loaf at the grocery store. The sandwich came with about 10 potato chips and cost more than $7. He ate it quickly and said it was okay, but admitted it was a rip off and bad decision.
Looking back now that my hike is complete I wish we only stopped for a short break. It would be a great place to stop for lunch. You could supplement a soda and candy bar with your lunch while sitting on the porch and relaxing. Then you could fill your water from the tap across from the office. Even if you get to MOC in the late afternoon like we did there are plenty of places to stealth camp for free. There are even tent sites made for hikers in Worthington state forest just five more miles south.
The moral of my long winded story is MOC is a great stop to get refreshments and relax. Just don't get sucked into paying for tenting or the deli.
I didn't care much for it. The guy was friendly enough, but I paid for a cabin, and they stuck me in one with another guy who was car camping. Very strange guy, who was kinda weird in a creepy way. He complained when another hiker I had met previously got in late (around 9:30) on a rainy night and I let him cook his dinner in our kitchen before he went out to set up his tent.
Wasn't a very enjoyable evening. I thought for the money I paid, and the fact that you had to clean, mop, remove all the trash yourself in the AM, that I should have had my own cabin. Plus, all the screens were torn out of the windows, so it was mosquito heaven - tent would have been better. If I ever hike this section again - not likely - I'll avoid MOC.
The sandwich was really expensive (small portion) but tasty.