Ohiopyle State Park

The Youghiogheny River, known to nearly everyone here as the Yough, rises to the south and cuts north through the Laurel Highlands, carving the deep, forested gorge that the park protects. At Ohiopyle the river drops over its wide falls and then races through a series of rapids, dropping steeply enough to create the whitewater that made the park famous among paddlers.

The river's name comes from a Lenape word, and this country was part of the ancestral homeland of the Lenape people, whose descendant nations continue elsewhere today. The gorge later saw the passage of a young George Washington, who scouted the Youghiogheny in the 1750s hoping it might offer a water route west, only to be turned back by its falls and rapids, the very features that draw visitors now.

Rafting is the signature Ohiopyle experience. Licensed outfitters run trips on several sections of the Yough, from gentler family stretches to the challenging rapids of the Lower Yough, one of the most heavily paddled whitewater runs in the country. For those who would rather stay dry, overlooks put the roar of Ohiopyle Falls close at hand.

A short walk away, Meadow Run offers one of the park's most beloved features, a set of natural waterslides where smooth, water-worn rock forms chutes that carry swimmers down the current on a hot day. Cucumber Falls, a graceful woodland waterfall you can walk behind, adds another gem, and the whole gorge is threaded with hiking trails leading to overlooks and quiet corners.

The Great Allegheny Passage, a long rail trail linking Pittsburgh to the wider Chesapeake and Ohio towpath, runs flat and smooth right through Ohiopyle, making the park a favorite base for bicycling along the river. Hiking trails climb the gorge walls to overlooks and drop to waterfalls and swimming holes, so there is walking to suit every level.

Just outside the park stand two extraordinary works by Frank Lloyd Wright. Fallingwater, cantilevered dramatically over a waterfall on Bear Run, is one of the most famous houses in the world, and nearby Kentuck Knob is another Wright design set into the hillside. Together with the park, they make the Laurel Highlands a rare place where wild nature and landmark architecture sit side by side.

Summer is the peak, when the outfitters run their busiest, the natural waterslides fill with swimmers, and the trails and rail trail draw hikers and cyclists. Warm-weather weekends bring crowds to the little town, so early starts pay off.

Fall is spectacular, the gorge ablaze with color and the biking and hiking at their finest, and the rafting season often runs strong on autumn water releases. Spring brings high, powerful flows and the fullest waterfalls. Winter quiets the park to a snowy stillness, still open for those who want a cold, dramatic walk to the frozen edges of the falls.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.