On our way to Cleveland this past summer, we were looking for a spot to break up the drive. After using Google Maps and travel blogs, I discovered Ohiopyle, PA. We found some things to do in Ohiopyle State Park and the sweet little town next to it. This was a lovely stop. (It makes me excited to someday go on an extended road trip around the U.S. – so many small, awesome places that can be discovered by happenstance when the road takes us there. Someday…)
Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, is a small borough (and when I say small, I mean fewer than 100 residents) located in Fayette County, covering just under 0.5 square miles in area. Despite its small size, Ohiopyle has a lot of natural beauty and outdoor recreation opportunities. Ohiopyle State Park, which sits on the Youghiogheny River and spans over 20,000 acres, is right next to the borough of Ohiopyle.
Despite how small Ohiopyle the town is, the park attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year who come for whitewater rafting, hiking, biking, fishing, and camping. The Great Allegheny Passage, a popular 150-mile biking trail that runs from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, also passes through the area, making Ohiopyle a key stop for long-distance cyclists.
Ohiopyle’s significance goes beyond just outdoor adventure—it also has historical and environmental importance. The area played a role in early American industry, with logging and milling operations taking advantage of the river’s power. But as with so many American towns, the place shrank and nearly collapsed when logging and milling were closed down. You can still see remnants of all of this in Ohiopyle today.
A lot of people come here to paddle the “Yough” (said “yahwk”) and to hit the white water. We did something similar on the New River in West Virginia and would have been interested in doing this again. But you really do need a solid chunk of time and a sizeable budget to do that.
You can book guided trips through the Ohiopyle Trading Post. Next time we’re in town I am sure we’ll do that.
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Where to stay in Ohiopyle?
There aren’t many options!
There is one campground in the State Park (Kentuck). But we weren’t in a position to haul gear and camp out this trip.
We ended up snagging a room at the Ohiopyle Suites (or Yough Plaza Motel is another name I’ve seen).
It was basic and not at all luxurious. But it was clean, affordable, and big enough for our needs (we had a two-bedroom suite with a full kitchen). The best part, though, was the location. Ohiopyle isn’t big, but this place was walkable to all the places we wanted to go to – the Visitors Center, the bagels, the natural waterslides, the bike trail, and the bridge to the Ferncliff Nature area.
The rooms do sell out in the peak seasons (again, there isn’t a lot of supply to meet the demand). So if you think you want to do this, book early.
Things to do in Ohiopyle, PA:
The river is interrupted by the Ohiopyle Falls – a powerful waterfall that visitors can enjoy from an observation deck right in the borough of Ohiopyle. That was our very first stop when we arrived. We left the car parked, stretched our legs, and walked to the waterfall viewing location.
We enjoyed the natural waterslides in Ohiopyle State Park.
The access was easy – with a parking lot right on the edge of Ohiopyle on Route 381. Look for signs for Meadow Run. In the summer, when the parking lot fills up, people park at the Ohiopyle Falls lot and walk. (We could have walked there from downtown Ohiopyle, but we had towels, gear, etc.)Â
A set of wooden stairs leads guests down to the water, and then there are many swimming holes and chutes of water to play in. It was a blast for our whole family, a perfect summer adventure.
We did a quick hike to Cucumber Falls, which was beautiful and not too hard to get to.
We did this hike as an out-and-back, catching the trailhead across the road from the parking lot for the waterslides. It was short and had some elevation, but also skirted the river for much of it.
We enjoyed sunning ourselves and splashing around on the banks of the Yough.
We started at the Ohiopyle Falls, looking out using the observation decks, then went into the Visitors Center to learn more about the region.
Eventually, on our hike to Cucumber Falls, we found many spots to sunbathe and scramble on rocks that bordered the river.
We woke up early one day and hiked the Ferncliff Natural Area. To get there, we walked over the Low Bridge and onto the peninsula. Get hiking maps here.
Being up so early in the morning, mist rising off the Yough, was special to me. The hike itself wasn’t hard and didn’t take us too terribly long, but it was peaceful.
With more time, we would have biked. As I mentioned, the Great Alleghany Passage (GAP) trail goes right through Ohiopyle, and it is easily accessible. Given how much we loved biking the C&O (and other family-friendly bike paths), I have no doubt we would have loved this.
Ohiopyle is a borough tucked away in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania that I had never heard of before this trip. Remarkably, it still holds a sense of the undiscovered.
I love hiking winding trails, swimming with my family in a swimming hole in the woods, and exploring charming small towns, so this was a great trip for me. There’s something peaceful and unspoiled about it all. Ohiopyle feels like the kind of place where you can disconnect, breathe deeply, and feel like you’ve stumbled onto something truly special.Â
Other tips on visiting Ohiopyle, PA:
- You can’t really buy groceries or any alcohol to take with you anywhere in town. There is a small grocer’s shop, but it primarily offers baked goods and snacks. So plan ahead.
- Since Ohiopyle is small, there aren’t many food options. We had coffee and bagel breakfast sandwiches one morning at Ohiopyle Coffee Company (yum!) and ate dinner at Twisted Spoke Cafe (tasty and friendly service, but slow due to demand on a summer day).
- Find the official Ohiopyle State Park website at: www.pa.gov.
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