mayo river state park

This is a really pretty state park, though with limited use by a tourist as it does not currently have camping. I understand that they are working towards adding camping but it isn't available at this point. There is a real draw here for the history and architecture buff because the restored picnic shelter was designed in 1948 by the architect Antonin Raymond, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. The picnic shelter sits next to a small, clear fishing pond that has bluegill, channel cat, and largemouth bass. There is a fish cleaning station nearby.

Fishing, hiking, birding, and photography all in one place. The trail was well marked, and turtles in the pond were fun to watch. There were two shelters with well maintained facilities. We enjoyed the day.

While we appreciate having Mayo River State Park up the road from us, it really isn't much of a park. There is a large shelter house that is nice for summertime get-togethers and such, but the parking lot is pretty small. If there is a large event going on, it can be difficult to find a place to leave your vehicle if you are there to fish or hike. There are a couple of small trails, but no great views. We've been up there probably 8-10 times in the past three years, and not seen any wildlife at all. I wouldn't make an out-of-the-way effort to visit this particular park, but it'll do for a local outing.

You would think a park by the name of Mayo River State Park would be situated on the "river".Well, it's not.I'm really hard pressed to give this State Park 3 stars.....more like 2.5.I would agree that the picnicking areas and the shelter are nice but that's where it ends. Nothing here that you couldn't do in your own back yard unless you have a really large group and a really small yard.The two "ponds" are nothing more than retention ponds serving as catch basins for drainage from the upper and lower parking lots and if there are any fish in them, I'm sure they are suffering.We hiked both of the loop trails at one time by making a figure 8. I will say that they are marked much better than some other State Park trails, but there is absolutely NOTHING to see except TREES along the trail and the odd tree rat and deer. Lots of tree roots, slippery rocks and missed small stumps along the way that could trip you up if you're not watching your step. Don't expect any kind of "views" or anything of that sort.All in all, it was a disappointment for us hikers.

we hiked and wonderful picnic areas. watched alot of people fishing in the upper pond, the lower pond tends to be muddy. We had a very nice time here and would go back more often if we werent always going somewhere else.

If you like hiking, nice shelters for all types of get-togethers, restrooms, open areas for ballgames, etc., then you would love visiting Mayo River State Park. Great for small groups or large!