The Mohicans - Ohio's Most Extraordinary Treehouse Resort

At The Mohicans Treehouse Resort in rural Ohio, a vintage Airstream hangs 7.5 meters (25 feet) in the air, Pete Nelson-designed cabins perch among century-old pines, and the entire place was built largely by Amish craftsmen using reclaimed barn wood.

Deep in the forested hills of Knox County, an hour south of Cleveland and roughly 90 minutes from Columbus, husband-and-wife team Kevin and Laura Mooney have spent the last decade-plus turning 30 hectares (75 acres) of Mohican River Valley woodland into one of America's most singular places to sleep.

The property sits outside the small town of Loudonville, within reach of Mohican State Park, and is accessible only via winding rural roads, some of them steep enough to warrant a genuine four-wheel-drive recommendation in winter.

The Accidental Treehouse Empire

The Mooneys had been coming to this part of Ohio since they were teenagers, visiting a friend's farm with their children. When the kids grew up and moved away, the land went quiet. Rather than let it sit dormant, the couple decided to build cabins and rent them, drawing on their background as property owners in Cleveland.

Then they got connected with Pete Nelson, the renowned treehouse designer known from the Discovery Channel series "Treehouse Masters." Nelson and his crew, alongside local Amish builders, constructed the first treehouse - the White Oak - beginning May 1, 2012. A second followed, which was filmed for the show. From there, the Mooneys built roughly one treehouse per year, reaching ten completed structures with more underway.

Laura describes her husband Kevin as a visionary who thinks outside the box; she handles the details and ties things together. The combination, she says, is what made it work. The result is a resort with ten finished treehouses, four ground-level cabins named after local rivers (The Mohican, The Killbuck, The Walhonding, and The Kokosing), and two nearby country homes.

Sustainable principles run throughout: passive solar design, radiant heat floors, on-demand hot water, and a deep commitment to reclaimed materials. Kevin reportedly spends significant time scouting rural Ohio for barns and outbuildings slated for demolition, salvaging 100-year-old siding, hand-hewn beams, windows, doors, and ladders. The materials are used largely as-is, finished with polyurethane rather than repainted, so the original colors and textures carry through into each interior.

The Treehouses

Little Red Treehouse

The most storied structure on the property, the Little Red Treehouse has a direct lineage to Pete Nelson's original work on the show. The current version is a redesign of that iconic original, deliberately preserving its red siding and gothic stained glass window. It sits atop a wooded rise with wrap-around deck views and exceptional tree canopy sightlines.

Inside, the design leans contemporary rather than rustic. Open shelving, abundant windows, and upscale finishes sit alongside a one-of-a-kind stone shower with a steam function, radiant heat hickory floors, and two main-floor window seats ideal for reading or watching rain move through the forest. The kitchen is small but properly outfitted.

The sleeping loft, accessed by ladder, holds a king bed.

El Castillo Treehouse

Named for a castle and built to feel like one, El Castillo is the treehouse with the most architectural ambition. Placed between two very tall pine trees, the height of the structure allowed for a genuine two-story design, anchored by a hand-crafted spiral staircase with grapevine railings pulled directly from the surrounding woods.

The cherry octagon ceiling in the loft took triple the normal construction time to complete. Beneath it sits a king bed draped beneath a wrought iron chandelier, red velvet curtains framing the windows. Solid walnut floors run throughout; the bathroom features an authentic stone shower.

On the main level, a queen Murphy bed folds out of the wall when needed, making it one of the more flexible sleeping arrangements on the property. Amish carpenters built it, and the craftsmanship shows in every joint.

Moonlight Treehouse

Described by the resort as their most romantic, the Moonlight Treehouse was constructed using 100-year-old barn siding sourced from one of its Amish designers in the town of Danville, alongside hand-hewn beams. The standing seam metal roof was chosen specifically so you can hear rain falling on it.

Two bedrooms - a queen on the lower level and a queen loft above - make it practical for small groups, though the interior design leans heavily romantic: soft fabrics, warm down comforters, a crystal chandelier in the bathroom, and an oversized stainless steel farmhouse sink with granite counters in the kitchen. A sliding barn door separates the bedroom; an open loft design looks down over the main living area.

The Shed Treehouse

The most ambitious build on the property, according to the resort's own description. Named after a garden café in Portland, Oregon, the Tin Shed is defined by a feature that sets it apart: a full-size garage door on the back wall that opens entirely during warm months, dissolving the boundary between interior and treetop canopy.

The corrugated metal exterior is unapologetically industrial, coordinated with the natural setting rather than softened.

The sleeping loft, reached by ladder, holds two queen beds with an eastern-facing view positioned for sunrise.

The Nest Treehouse

Designed by Roderick Romero, a different treehouse builder from Nelson's circle, The Nest is a single round-room suite connected to the main wedding venue by a long elevated bridge. It functions as the property's de facto honeymoon suite, though it's available to any couple.

The mahogany front door, fabricated in California, has a rounded top and blends with the wood facade. Inside, the round ceiling required an octagonal construction that took triple the usual time - it is finished in black walnut and matched with reclaimed red barn siding on the walls. A wrought iron canopy bed sits at the center. Local grapevines are woven into the deck rails. Of the smaller treehouses, this one has a particularly direct relationship with the surrounding trees and the venue itself.

The Airstream Treehouse

The most immediately striking thing about The Airstream Treehouse - also called the Silver Bullet - is the basic fact of its existence: a vintage 1970s Airstream trailer, completely gutted and retrofitted, lifted by crane 7.5 meters (25 feet) into the air and then had a platform built around it. The Mooneys live-streamed the lift on Facebook.

The interior maintains the narrow, long floorplan of a traditional Airstream but treats it with the same reclaimed barn wood and high-end finishes found elsewhere on the property: marble in the bathroom, granite counters, a cedar-finished rounded ceiling that preserves the Airstream's distinctive shape.

The bathroom is a bump-out addition roughly half the size of the Airstream itself, housing a steam shower. The whole thing has, in Laura's words, a hippie vibe.

Fire Pits and the Hours After Dark

Every treehouse comes with an outdoor fire pit, and in a property with no cable, no satellite, some with no wifi, and limited cell service, the fire pit is where the evening actually happens. Wood sheds at each property keep fuel dry; previous guests sometimes leave wood behind, but the resort recommends bringing your own or buying from the Mohican Market or the Marathon station on State Route 3 in Loudonville.

By the time the sun drops behind the Mohican River Valley ridgeline, the forest settles into something close to genuine quiet. Without reliable wifi at most structures, and with TV limited to whatever DVDs you bring, the pace changes. You sit on the deck. You build a fire. You listen to the trees.