WHY OHIOPYLE
STATE PARK?
ONE OF PENNSYLVANIA'S MOST REMARKABLE
OUTDOOR DESTINATIONS
Not Just Another State Park
Pennsylvania has no shortage of beautiful state parks.
So what makes Ohiopyle State Park different?
Maybe it is the Youghiogheny River rushing through a deep mountain gorge. Maybe it is standing beside a waterfall one minute and walking beneath towering trees the next. Maybe it is riding a bicycle across the river, hiking to a scenic overlook or trading dry land for a raft and experiencing the Yough firsthand.
The truth is, there isn't just one reason.
Spread across approximately 20,500 acres in Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands, Ohiopyle State Park brings together an unusual concentration of waterfalls, whitewater, trails, forests, overlooks and outdoor experiences.
And right in the middle of it all sits the little borough of Ohiopyle.
You don't necessarily have to choose between sightseeing and adventure here.
At Ohiopyle, you can have a little—or a lot—of both.
The Youghiogheny River Is at
the Center of Everything
To understand Ohiopyle State Park, start with the river.
The Youghiogheny River—almost universally shortened to the Yough around here—flows directly through the heart of the park and the Youghiogheny River Gorge.
The river is much more than a scenic backdrop. It is the natural feature around which much of the Ohiopyle experience revolves.
The Yough helped shape the gorge and landscape visitors see today. It creates Ohiopyle Falls right beside town. Its horseshoe bend wraps around Ferncliff Peninsula. And its rapids helped establish Ohiopyle as one of the East's best-known whitewater destinations.
Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources describes the Yough at Ohiopyle as providing some of the best whitewater boating in the eastern United States.
But experiencing the river doesn't have to mean tackling the biggest rapids.
Different sections of the Yough offer different experiences, from more approachable stretches of river to the Class III and IV whitewater for which the Lower Yough is famous.
For many visitors, getting onto the river becomes one of the experiences they remember most about Ohiopyle.
Explore Whitewater Rafting in Ohiopyle with White Water Adventurers
You Don't Come to Ohiopyle
to See Just One Thing
Some parks are known for one signature attraction.
Ohiopyle has a harder time picking just one.
Ohiopyle Falls
Right beside downtown Ohiopyle, the Youghiogheny River drops over the broad rock ledges of Ohiopyle Falls.
Part of what makes the falls so remarkable is their accessibility. You don't have to hike for hours into the backcountry to find them. One of the park's signature natural attractions is right beside the community at its center.
The wide waterfall also provides a very different experience from some of Ohiopyle's smaller woodland falls.
MEADOW RUN NATURAL WATERSLIDES
One of the park's more unusual features is found along Meadow Run.
Here, years of rushing water have carved smooth channels through sandstone, creating what are commonly called the Meadow Run Natural Waterslides.
During appropriate water conditions, visitors often slide through the natural channels carved into the rock.
The result is something that feels less like a traditional park attraction and more like a natural playground shaped entirely by water.
Cucumber Falls
A short distance away is Cucumber Falls, a roughly 30-foot bridal veil waterfall surrounded by forest.
Where Ohiopyle Falls is broad and powerful, Cucumber Falls is narrower and more intimate. Water drops from Cucumber Run over a sandstone ledge into the rocky stream below, creating one of the most recognizable scenes in Ohiopyle State Park.
It is also relatively easy to reach, making it possible to see two dramatically different waterfalls without spending an entire day hiking between them.
BAUGHMAN ROCK OVERLOOK
Not every memorable Ohiopyle experience happens beside the water.
Baughman Rock Overlook provides one of the park's broadest views across the Youghiogheny River Gorge and surrounding Laurel Highlands.
From the overlook, the scale of the landscape becomes much easier to understand. Forested ridges stretch into the distance while the river valley cuts through the mountains below.
It is particularly striking during fall foliage season, although the view changes dramatically throughout the year.
Ferncliff: A National Natural Landmark Hiding in Plain Sight
One of Ohiopyle State Park's most interesting places is easy to walk past without realizing just how unusual it is.
Across the river from downtown Ohiopyle lies the Ferncliff Peninsula Natural Area.
The Youghiogheny River makes a large horseshoe bend around the approximately 100-acre peninsula, nearly surrounding it with water.
Ferncliff has been recognized as a National Natural Landmark, a designation reserved for places that contain outstanding examples of America's natural heritage.
And the story behind Ferncliff is particularly interesting.
The Youghiogheny River flows north toward Ohiopyle from Maryland and West Virginia. As it travels, the river can transport seeds from plants that normally grow farther south and deposit them around Ferncliff.
At the same time, the deep river gorge creates a slightly warmer microclimate than the surrounding area.
Together, those conditions allow some plants to survive at Ferncliff farther north than their normal growing range.
The National Park Service describes the peninsula as an outstanding example of a late-succession forest in the Allegheny Mountains, while DCNR notes the area's unusual collection of rare and interesting plants.
Walk the 1.7-mile Ferncliff Trail and you'll also pass through old-growth forest with towering hemlocks, white pines and large oaks. The trail follows much of the peninsula's edge and passes Ohiopyle Falls, Washington's Overlook and Lovers Leap.
So while Ferncliff is certainly a beautiful place for a walk, it isn't simply another wooded trail.
It is a landscape distinctive enough to receive national recognition.
Choose Your Own Level of Adventure
One of Ohiopyle State Park's greatest strengths is that there isn't one correct way to experience it.
You don't have to be an expert hiker.
You don't have to be a whitewater paddler.
And you certainly don't have to spend the entire day doing something strenuous.
Want a sightseeing day?
See Ohiopyle Falls, explore town, visit Cucumber Falls and take in the view from Baughman Rock.
Want to stretch your legs?
Walk Ferncliff, follow Meadow Run or explore one of the park's many other trails.
Want to get on two wheels?
Ride a section of the Great Allegheny Passage beside the Youghiogheny River.
Looking for something more challenging?
Ohiopyle State Park offers 79 miles of hiking trails, ranging from short walks to steep, rocky routes through the Laurel Highlands.
And if your idea of adventure involves a paddle, helmet and a few rapids, the Yough is waiting.
That range is important.
A family can come to Ohiopyle for a scenic day outdoors. A couple can spend the weekend hiking and exploring waterfalls. Cyclists can make Ohiopyle a stop on a much longer journey. Experienced outdoor enthusiasts can seek out more challenging trails and whitewater.
Very different visitors can find very different adventures in the same park.
One of America's Great Rail-Trails Runs Right Through Ohiopyle
The river isn't the only major route passing through Ohiopyle State Park.
So does the Great Allegheny Passage.
Better known as the GAP, the trail stretches approximately 150 miles between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Cumberland, Maryland. From Cumberland, cyclists can connect with the C&O Canal Towpath and continue all the way to Washington, DC.
And Ohiopyle isn't simply somewhere near the GAP.
Twenty-seven miles of the Great Allegheny Passage are located within Ohiopyle State Park, and the trail passes directly through Ohiopyle.
The relatively level, crushed-limestone trail follows a former railroad corridor through the park, providing a much different experience from Ohiopyle's steeper mountain hiking trails.
In Ohiopyle, the trail also crosses the Youghiogheny River on two impressive bridges.
The curving Ohiopyle Low Bridge carries the GAP approximately 30 feet above the river and provides views toward Ohiopyle, Ohiopyle Falls and Ferncliff Peninsula.
Not far away, the Ohiopyle High Bridge crosses the Yough again, this time approximately 115 feet above the river. From the bridge, visitors can sometimes watch rafters navigating the whitewater far below.
You don't have to be riding from Pittsburgh to Cumberland to enjoy it.
Start in Ohiopyle and ride for an hour.
Take a longer ride beside the Yough.
Walk across the bridges simply for the views.
Or make Ohiopyle part of a multi-day GAP adventure.
A State Park With a Town at Its Heart
This may be one of the most distinctive things about Ohiopyle State Park.
There is a town inside it.
The Borough of Ohiopyle sits within the state park, right beside the Youghiogheny River.
That changes the experience in ways that are easy to appreciate once you're here.
You can finish a bike ride and walk into town for something to eat.
You can meet a rafting outfitter, spend the morning on the river and return to the center of Ohiopyle.
You can see Ohiopyle Falls, cross the river to Ferncliff, access the Great Allegheny Passage and explore the community without feeling as though you're moving between completely separate destinations.
The line between visiting Ohiopyle State Park and visiting Ohiopyle can sometimes feel almost invisible.
But they aren't quite the same thing.
The state park protects much of the extraordinary landscape and provides many of the outdoor experiences that draw people here.
The town gives the destination a center.
And the greater Ohiopyle area extends beyond both, with lodging, dining, historic attractions and other places to explore throughout the surrounding Laurel Highlands.
Together, they create something that feels very different from simply driving into a park, seeing an attraction and driving back out again.
Wildlife and Wild Places
With thousands of acres of forest, streams and river habitat, Ohiopyle is also an important place for wildlife.
Ohiopyle State Park has been designated both an Important Bird Area and an Important Mammal Area.
White-tailed deer are common throughout the region, while the park also provides habitat for black bears, bobcats, fishers and river otters.
Look toward the river and you may spot kingfishers, mergansers or osprey. Bald eagles are also occasional visitors.
Of course, wildlife is exactly that—wild. Sightings are never guaranteed, and animals should always be observed from a safe and respectful distance.
But their presence is another reminder that Ohiopyle isn't simply an outdoor recreation area.
It is also thousands of acres of protected habitat.
MORE THAN A SUMMER DESTINATION
There isn't really just one version of Ohiopyle State Park.
Spring
Melting snow and seasonal rain bring energy back to the streams and waterfalls, while wildflowers begin appearing throughout the forests.
For visitors who come to Ohiopyle for moving water, spring can be an especially dramatic time to see the landscape.
Fall
Then the mountains change color.
Forests surrounding the Youghiogheny River Gorge turn shades of yellow, orange and red, transforming familiar overlooks, waterfalls and trails.
Fall is more than an encore to summer in Ohiopyle. It is one of the destination's signature seasons.
Summer
Summer puts outdoor recreation front and center.
Longer days mean more time for rafting, biking, hiking, waterfall stops and exploring the park. It's the season when Ohiopyle is at its busiest—and when the range of outdoor experiences becomes particularly apparent.
Winter
Winter reveals another side of the park entirely.
Leaves disappear from the forest canopy, familiar views open up and snowfall can transform the river gorge, waterfalls and trails.
The pace is quieter.
The landscape is different.
And Ohiopyle can feel like an entirely different destination from the place visitors experience in July.
So, Is Ohiopyle State Park Worth Visiting?
If you're simply looking for somewhere to have a picnic or take a walk in the woods, Pennsylvania gives you plenty of choices.
Ohiopyle can certainly give you those things.
But that's not what makes it special.
What makes Ohiopyle different is how much comes together in one place.
The Youghiogheny River rushing through the mountains.
Some of the best-known whitewater in the eastern United States.
Ohiopyle Falls right beside town.
Cucumber Falls tucked into the forest.
Natural waterslides carved into the rock at Meadow Run.
The deepest gorge in Pennsylvania.
A National Natural Landmark at Ferncliff.
Seventy-nine miles of hiking trails.
Twenty-seven miles of the Great Allegheny Passage.
And a small mountain town sitting right in the middle of it.
You can spend a few hours seeing some of the highlights.
You can spend a day chasing waterfalls.
You can come to bike, hike or raft.
Or you can stay for several days and discover just how much you didn't get to the day before.
That's the thing about Ohiopyle State Park.
There is always another trail to follow, another view around the bend and another reason to come back.
Plan Your Visit to Ohiopyle State Park
Ready to see it for yourself?
For current park maps, trail information, regulations, alerts and official visitor information, visit the official Ohiopyle State Park website from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Planning to spend more than a day exploring Ohiopyle and the Laurel Highlands?
And if getting onto the Youghiogheny River is part of your Ohiopyle adventure: