Ran/hiked an out-n-back from Ohiopyle to Confluence. Well maintained, flat, wide rail trail right…read morealongside the Youghiogheny River. Gorgeous in the fall with the leaves changing. If you only want to run/hike one direction, call the bike rental shops in Ohiopyle to purchase a return trip by van from Confluence to Ohiopyle.

Great small town to stop along the GAP. Visitor Center is inside the old train station with…read morerestrooms. Local general store and several sandwich and restaurants within just a few steps away. Recommend the Ohiopyle Sandwich and Bakery for a made to order sandwich on wonderful bread with sweet treats too...recommend the cookies.

We had a wonderful time at the falls and there wasn't a lot of people there nature was absolutely…read moregorgeous

We went in the midst of a 90 degree plus heat wave, the falls were more of a trickle…read more Reaching the falls requires a nice little walk through the woods on a paved path.

I wish I had more time to explore the park as a whole, but I had an aggressive agenda where I had…read morepreset times to tour two Frank Lloyd Wright residential masterpieces, Kentuck Knob (review: https://yelp.to/_zBjRXaWxl) and the legendary Fallingwater (review: https://yelp.to/hQ179hIMk_). Motoring in my rented SUV through the gorgeous Laurel Highlands region, I had roughly an hour to drive the seven miles between the two homes right through this park. Right in the heart is a most worthwhile stop, Ohiopyle Falls, a twenty-foot waterfall that spans the wide Youghiogheny River over a couple of dramatic levels. The parking lot was huge and pretty empty, and it was a quick stroll to the broad observation decks that jut out over the river. There was a group of kayakers huddled together as they were preparing to navigate the whitewater torrents. The hamlet of Ohiopyle provides a welcome coffee break. RELATED - Exploring the greater Pittsburgh area? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/JIi0cQGNmO

Easy to navigate to. Free parking. Plenty of parking…read more Excellent clear trails and walking spaces. Clean atmosphere.

Lovely place to hang out with nature. Go as soon as u get the chance, I promise it's worth it!read more

I have hiked here in the winter and in the summer and it is like two different forests. It's…read moreabsolutely beautiful and it's only a little over an hour away from Pittsburgh.

As if there wasn't enough parks in the Laurel Highlands, there is Laurel Hill State Park a 3,935…read moreacre natural area of beautiful forest, overlooks, ponds and streams. My recent visit was promising at first, but the rain just kept coming all day long and it "dampened" my spirits completely. I stopped by the main office and got directions to the Jones Mill Dam. Since it was raining so much I gave it some time to clear up, but to no avail. This park is certainly worth checking out and it will be super beautiful later on in the Spring. The wood frogs, spring peepers and other animals will be active. On the same road that this park lies on is two other parks: Kooser State Park and Laurel Ridge State Park, so it is possible to hit those up while in the area. I will certainly make the trip out here later on towards May.

I was staying at Hidden Valley recently and I was looking for a cool place to hike in the area that…read moreI hadn't been to before and I happen to discover this gem. What a great spot for a hike, but an even better place for a swim, relaxing, a picnic on the grass or some sun on the sand by the water. So after we arrived we hit the trail that ran along the water while taking in the small but beautiful lake. We then proceeded to head into the woods. It was a great little hike and the trails were very easy. After we were done hiking we got the huge blanket and the cooler with snacks and drinks in it out of the car and headed over to a shaded spot under the trees. We sat in the grass area in the left corner of the parking lot and listened to music, ate, drank and enjoyed each other's company for a good while. Then after that we packed up our stuff in the car and headed down to the water and enjoyed the lake which is very clean and refreshing and the scenery is absolutely beautiful. I love that they have sand and everyone looked so happy. They also have an area where you can purchase food and beverages but they also have many other great amenities which I am sure can be discovered on here or on their website. I am so glad I discovered this place. I will most definitely be stopping by again when I am in the area. Enjoy :)

Finished our stay-cation with a 5 mile hike through bear run. We followed the red loop - within…read moreabout 1/4 mile you lost the sounds of the road and could only hear the stream that the hike traversed and crossed. The terrain was challenging at times with rocks and fallen logs that required climbing. Areas also very muddy that could not be avoided. The path is clearly marked and getting lost would be something someone did on purpose! Across the street from falling water, the parking lot is behind the barn. Multiple trails of varying difficulty. Would definitely visit again.

What a great place!!! Who knew??? I know we've driven by here dozens of times going to Ohiopyle or…read moreFallingwater and just thought it was a parking lot of some sort. But NO! This place is amazing!! A big thanks to Susan D and her list of hiking places for pointing it out! This is not to be missed if you're looking for some outdoor adventure and some great hiking along miles and miles of trails. We drove out here solely to spend a great fall day in the woods. Armed with trail maps we got online we picked out roughly the miles we wanted to hike and started off. What surprised us was the condition of the trails - amazing! Some were pine covered making for soft comfortable walking. Others were moss or grass covered and a few had some loose rock that you had to be careful with. I know this is Laurel Mountain but I was amazed to be hiking through dense forests of spectacular mountain laurel and rhododendron. What a gorgeous place! We were there after all the leaves were gone but we are sure to come back when the place is in bloom or in full fall color. We didn't run into a single person anywhere during our extensive hike ( we enjoyed it so much we went far beyond our initial hiking plan!). If you enjoy hiking and being outdoors, I highly recommend you give Bear Run a try. It's worth the drive!!

We had a wonderful few days camping at Coopers Rock! The…read moresites are a good size and decently spaced apart so we have a good amount of privacy. The campsite bathroom was clean, well stocked and regularly maintained. All of the employees at the trading post were friendly as well! Park rangers drove around regularly (4-5 time through the campsite a day I'd say). My only wish would be adding closure information onto the website so people know ahead of time. During our visit the main overlook was under construction/maintenance so there was no access to it. Which was a little disappointing since it looks beautiful online! But it was a short 5 minute walk out to the overlook so it was easy to get back to a different trail. (It is clear the individuals who work and manage the park take great pride in it, and take care of the facilities wonderfully!).

My husband and I just went on a camping trip to Coopers Rock and loved our time there! The views…read morewere beautiful, the trails were well cleared, and the bathroom at the main overlook site was one of the cleanest bathrooms we've ever been in. The Ravens Rock trail has a beautiful outlook with cool, large rock structures. And the rock city trail was super fun too! The free maps of all the trails are very helpful. Some blazes could've been marked a bit clearer and some signs for trail heads could be adjusted as well. There is limited parking at trail heads so be sure to get there early to beat the crowds. The trading post was a fun addition with Coopers Rock merch, stickers (our personal fav), some local goods, firewood, some camping supplies, and even some ice cream treats! Overall we had a really nice stay!

Nice paths, old-growth trees, waterfalls, slow waters, wild birds, dragonflies!…read more Swallow Falls State Park near Deep Creek Lake, MD, is a nice park with well-marked paths and plenty of parking. We hiked half-a-day (Jun 2026) from the parking lot to scenic waterfalls in forests where Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone camped-in 1921. We saw some of the 37-acres of 360-year-old eastern hemlock and white pine trees, the largest of the few areas in Maryland that have never been logged, bypassed during the eastern-US logging boom of the the late 1800s and early 1900s. They tended to look a little scraggly around the base, i suppose from living an un-trimmed life in the un-tamed weather and climate. We were thrilled to read that, on June 16, 2026, the removal of old-growth forests that were threatened by bridge construction on Swallow Falls Road was blocked by the courts. Thank-you to the folks of Garrett County and the Chesapeake Legal Alliance!!! We love these old trees :-) We heard twittering birds, possibly blackburnian warblers, chickadees, nuthatches, and kinglets. We followed a rising rumbling sound, and found ourselves at a tall waterfall that roars and mists. We were careful to avoid rushing waters, and found that wading and crossing were pleasantly refreshing and not too slippery. We saw kayakers, and one paused to explain they liked these calmer waters for beginners and for staying in condition in less challenging settings. We loved the gold and black "black-shouldered spinylegs" dragonflies, we and may have glimpsed a rare all-black "sable clubtail" dragonfly, who flitted about but didnt wait for a photo or an entomology app. Let's say we saw one :-). It was a lovely cooler half-day deep in nature in a not-too-challenging environment in rare-these-days old-growth forests.

What a wonderful afternoon out in nature! The falls were beautiful and the hike was pretty easy. We…read morewere visiting some friends up in deep creek and we decided to take it outside and enjoy this beautiful day. So glad we did, it was one of the first "nice" days of spring when we attended. It was pretty crowded, but we still had no issues parking and even enjoyed the scenic drive to the park.

Beautiful place! We did the self-guided tour and it took us about 40 minutes to walk through. Make…read moresure to dress a little warmer its chilly. The scenery is absolutely unreal and definitely worth checking out!

I love this place!…read more I could come back again and again and again, wanna go? The views are beautiful! I usually spend the entire day at Nemacolin or Ohiopyle after going here or just stay the night somewhere locally. It's such a lovely area with so much to do. I also love going to the Historic Summit Inn afterwards or before since it's on the way in and way out for drinks and apps in the small bar area. The tour is beautiful and insightful plus the gift shop has a lot of cool items and souvenirs. Go check it out if you're ever in the area.

We did the Middle Yough though White Water Adventures for a part of my brother's bachelor party…read more We had a group of 15 with ages ranging from 12 to 45. The set up was easy online. The communication was great throughout. Our guide was awesome. He was very knowledgeable and on top of the responsibilities of the tour. This is a great activity to push yourself, but not in a way that you will regret it the next day. A great time had by all! I would highly recommend this company or use them again if I was to book a trip like this.

We had a great time with white water adventures. We did the middle youch because of the ages of…read moresome of our paddlers. It was a pleasant first time for most of them. The river is generally calm. Some bumps but no big waves. Lunch was smoked ham and turkey wrap. A cookie and an apple. Guide tried to make it more fun using the rafts as a slide, and also showing us a jumping rock. We had a great time. I'd love to try the more advanced rapids sometime!