Summer of 21 - #42 - Ohiopyle State Park & Cucumber Falls Road Trip

 July 30th, 2021

We decided to visit Ohiopyle State Park to see some waterfalls today. On the way we stopped to take some pictures of some old fire engines and a model train that we saw.

Here's some scenery along the way.

First stop was Ohiopyle Falls. It was an interesting area, although part of a State Park it was like a small village with the river and waterfalls in the center. Much like a river going through a small town.  It was beautiful.

There were people picnicking.

The flow of the water was quite strong,

and the sound of the water crashing over the rocks and eventually over the waterfall was amazing.

Sue taking pictures

Like a postcard

Cobweb in the trees

I found these pools interesting, so clear and still, with the rushing waters just feet away.

Looking the other way down the river, where they were kayakers enjoying the river.

Kayakers

An ice cream store that we were very good and ignored. 

A Bald Eagle flying overhead, which was amazing.

Bees gathering pollen

It was a lovely stop but there was another waterfall I wanted to see so we drove a short distance to Cucumber Falls.

The falls are part of a much longer walking tour.  Unfortunately neither of us are able to walk great distances these days and have to pace ourselves on our days out. 

I copied the following information on these falls from the Ohiopyle Geology Walking Tour: Explore the Gorge provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. 

"Stop#2: Cucumber Falls

These Falls are also made from a shelf of the Homewood Sandstone. In fact, they are at the same eleva- tion as the Ohiopyle Falls. Why do they look so completely different? Cucumber Run has a very small plunge pool compared to the Ohi- opyle Falls. The Yough River is significantly deeper at the Falls which makes them look shorter. Cucumber Falls also has a thicker layer of coal underneath it than the Main Falls did. This coal layer is easily eroded and accounts for the great undercut below Cucum- ber Falls. The valley containing Cucumber Run is much less grand than the Youghiogheny’s valley because of this, there is simply not as much water eroding away the land."

"Stop #15: Cucumber Falls

Cucumber Falls is an amazing spectacle. Believe it or not it is roughly the same height as Ohio- pyle Falls. So why do they look so different? There is a very deep pool of water under the Ohiopyle Falls which makes it seem shorter. This is especially true as water levels rise. Secondly, the coal lay- er under Cucumber Falls is much thicker. Remember, coal layers are very easily eroded which causes a great, obvious undercut. Cucumber Falls faces another problem that Ohiopyle Falls doesn’t encounter, which is large hanging ice. In the winter large icicles collect on the rock and over time that weight has an impact on the rock. Also remem- ber that Cucumber Run is much smaller than the Youghiogheny River and cannot erode as wide a valley. Walk down the trail along the path and down the steps. Keep the creek to your left and walk until you reach the point where the creek flows into the river. Stop where you see a sign that says Meadow Run Trail ends"

We parked the car and walked to a bridge going over the top of the falls. 

and then to an overview of the falls.

There were several steep steps down toward the bottom of the falls and we debated whether we had the energy to do them.  We knew we could get down but what about coming back up. After my episode at Watkins Glen I was hesitant in my ability to climb back up the steep steps.  Realistically though these few steps were nothing in comparison to Watkins Glen so we decided to go ahead. 

We stopped often, taking pictures as we went down.

At the bottom of the steps the trail stopped and the only way to proceed was over these rocks.  We decided this was as far as we were going and would just be satisfied with our zoomed in pictures of the falls. It was a little frustrating as we watched the people in the water at the base of the falls, but we know our limitations.

So near and yet so far!!

We walked back up the steps.  There was a flat area halfway up that had been full of people on the way down and we stopped to have a rest before continuing. Imagine our surprise when we found a relatively easy way to get to the falls. 

Bryan at the side of the falls

How amazing is this!!

You could with some agility and care climb down from here to the base of the falls. Bryan went further than me but ultimately it was too risky trying to climb down the wet rocks and further and we were happy with where we were.

The picture below shows people in the pool at the base. Bryan was in the dark area about halfway up on the left.

Bryan's picture from his spot on the ledge in the overhang.

We really enjoyed that and were happy that we had made the extra effort to go down the steep steps, although realized that we needn't have gone down to the bottom as we got a better view from the halfway point. If it hadn't been crowded on the way down we might have realized that. Anyway, the extra exercise didn't hurt us.

We got more pictures of the countryside and the farms on our way home.

We like this area, it is nice and quiet and relaxing and reminds me a little of England.