"Hiking is not escapism; It's realism. The people who choose to spend time outdoors are not running away from anything: We are returning to where we belong." –Anonymous
We're having fun exploring our new state. We've had Ohioplye on our list of places to visit for a while. It's a small mountain town that serves as the gateway to Ohiopyle State Park, one of Pennsylvania's most beautiful natural areas filled with waterfalls, hiking trails, scenic vistas and outdoor recreation spots. The town sits on the Youghiogheny River, in southeastern Pennsylvania. It's a great place to tackle some of the best whitewater rafting on the east coast or view the Ohiopyle Falls. We didn't do any rafting this time but we did chase waterfalls, took in some wonderful views and did a little hiking.
The name Ohiopyle comes from the Native American phrase ahi opihəle, which means "it turns very white". This translation describes the frothy, rushing white water of the Youghiogheny River as it cascades over the rocky Ohiopyle Falls.
This was a last minute trip...planned around the weather. So our choice of somewhere to stay was limited. We found a little cabin just outside of town. Nothing fancy but it served the purpose.
Our little outside kitchen.
We spent our time in the park hiking and seeking out waterfalls. We enjoy hiking but our favorite places to hike include water…especially waterfalls. We found some great falls on this trip. We began our day by hiking the Jonathan Run Trail to Jonathan Run Falls and then took a short spur over to Sugar Run Falls. A total of four miles out and back. To get to the best views of the falls we had to scramble down to the bottom. Well worth the effort. For those who might not know, a run is a term used in Pennsylvania to refer to a small creek or stream. On our way back to town we stop by Cucumber Falls. It's a very impressive waterfall that is easily accessible from the parking lot. After a busy morning we had lunch at the Twisted Spoke and relaxed before our afternoon adventures.
The trail to Jonathan Run Falls was a bit muddy from all the rain we had last night.
Jonathan Run is a multi-tiered waterfall that tumbles over a series of rocky ledges, creating several smaller drops surrounded by dense forest and massive sandstone boulders. (This was a bright sunny morning.)
This area is so damp and dark...full of all kinds of beautiful fungus.
Sugar Run Falls
Sugar Run
Cucumber Falls is 36' waterfall tumbles over a wide sandstone ledge on Cucumber Run.
Looking down Cucumber Run from the waterfall.
Ohiopyle is a very small but cute little town.
This bridge is part of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). It's an multiuse trail that runs from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C.
Ohiopyle Falls is a 20-foot-tall waterfall that thunders across the Youghiogheny River just steps from downtown Ohiopyle.
Meadow Run Natural Waterslides is one of Ohiopyle State Park’s most unusual attractions. Over thousands of years, Meadow Run carved smooth channels and chutes into the sandstone, creating a natural rock waterslide. The water level was too high this week for anyone to get into the water.
Baughman Rock Overlook is one of the most spectacular views in Ohiopyle State Park. This massive rocky outcrop overlooks the Youghiogheny River Gorge.
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