Ohiopyle



Ohiopyle is a lovely resort town along the Youghiogheny (yaw-ki-GAY-nee, ) River in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. The town is surrounded by the Ohiopyle State Park, with its beautiful scenery and many recreational opportunities.

Get in
Ohiopyle is along PA 381, about 6 miles north of US 40 at Farmington, and around 20 miles south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It's a scenic and winding route, due to the hilly terrain.

Get around
Ohiopyle proper is a small enough town that's easy enough to get around just by walking, and most of the scenic attractions and the campground are accessible by hiking trails. However, you'll probably need a car just to get here in the first place and to get to most of outlying attractions. The roads are often narrow and winding.

Do

 * There are a good variety of trails in the park suitable for hiking and biking, ranging in difficulty and length. The main trail through the park is the Youghiogheny River Trail, a nice, flat trail that's part of the Pennsylvania-Maryland Great Allegheny Passage trail. The trail runs along (and at times over) the river and is ideal for biking, hiking, and jogging. You can access the trail from the visitor's center at the north end of town.
 * The Youghiogheny River has some of the best whitewater boating in the area, with great rapids for canoeing, kayaking, and whitewater rafting. There are two stretches of river good for boating: the Middle Yough, which has mostly class I and II rapids; you put in near the town of Confluence several miles to the east and take out just north of town. Then there's the Lower Yough, with mostly class III and IV rapids; you put in just below the Ohiopyle Falls in town and take out either just after rounding around the peninsula (about a mile) or continue another several miles to Bruner Run.
 * The Meadow Run Waterslides just south of town (at PA 381 and SR 2019 intersection) are a popular attraction for local teenagers, with the current moving fast through some slick rock "slides". For the less adventurous, the slides and adjoining rock formations are quite scenic.
 * The Youghiogheny River also offers some good fishing areas, with stocked trout along the entire section of the river within the park. The park is also open to hunting, with good opportunities for deer, turkey, grouse, rabbit, squirrel and other small game.
 * During the winter, the park has a number of great cross-country skiing trails. The Surgarloaf Snowmobile & Mountain Bike Area along SR 2012 east of town has plenty of great trails for snowmobiling and a sledding area.

Eat
If you are not opposed to traveling about 10 miles over the mountain to Confluence, there is a wonderful cafe called The River's Edge. A delightful place to relax and enjoy a great meal while also enjoying beautiful Yough! Prices are not bad and the food is great!

Stay safe
Caution is always needed when swimming, boating, or rafting in a river. The Youghiogheny River is no exception. Care must especially be taken when near the falls. The most popular swimming are in the park is located within a quarter mile of the falls, so swimming here while the river is high can be rather dangerous if proper precautions are not taken.