If you are a nature lover and adventurous, OhioPyle State Park is the place which takes you close to the nature and fulfill your love for adventure😊. Ohio Pyle is situated at the south of Laurel ridge and is said to be a gateway to Laurel Highlands. Laurel highlands is a place in Pennsylvania where you will find beautiful mountains and scenic vistas. The best thing for us is that this place is only 1 hour away from our place. Ohiopyle State Park offers a lot of great things and activities to do which includes hiking, white water rafting, nature photography, serene waterfalls, camping, biking and so much more👍. The river which flows through the park is called Youghiogheny river which is just amazing and gives you options such as fishing, boating and rafting. The park has a large parking lot to park your car and it’s completely free. You can pickup the map of the park from the visitor centre. Map will give you a better idea of the park and it’s good to keep it handy during a hike as you will loose your phone connection in the forest.
Things we did:-
- There are a number of great trails in the park, but the trails which we did are Meadow Run trail, Cucumber Falls trail and Ferncliff trail which was moderate compared to others and lead us to to some very scenic and exceptional spots.
- If you are not interested In hiking, you can relax by the river beach that park has to offer👍.
- The park also has some of the most beautiful falls in Pennsylvania. They include Ohiopyle Falls, Cucumber Falls, Jonathan Run Falls and Meadow Run Waterslides, but we got a chance to cover only Cucumber and Ohiopyle falls as we were on a day trip. There are observation decks for Ohiopyle falls which gives you an amazing view of the falls and also a good spot to capture photos. What can I say about Cucumber falls, when we reached there after climbing down a few steps, we got stunned by its beauty. Fresh falling water surrounded by lush greeneries was very relaxing. It’s an amazing place and an absolute must-do when you are in Ohiopyle❤️.
- While on a hike you can also spot some birds and wildflowers if you’re interested in photography. Flowers, birds, greeneries and waterfalls in one place, I couldn’t ask for more💚.
- Apart from this, there is also few restaurants or cafes to nosh on after a tiring hike, gift shops if you want to buy souvenirs, ice cream parlor which you crave for on a sunny day and also some street shops for shopping😍
Nearby Attractions:-
- Ken tuck Knob and Falling Water designed by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The architecture is brilliant and they also have these tours which gives you access inside the house so that you can get to know better. We never get a chance to visit the houses but next time we will.
- I would also like to mention the Bittersweet Cafe which we came across on our way to Ohiopyle. It is nestled in Farmington, Pennsylvania and only few miles away from the park. This cafe is so beautiful and surrounded by nature❤️. You can see flower plants and lush greeneries surrounding it. The food and drink here is delicious😋. We had Salmon Fillet sandwich and it was yummy. I heard they also opened their another branch in the park.
If you are looking for accommodations, I will recommend Nemacolin Woodlands Resort which is exceptional and Oak lodge. If you have any questions, do comment.
