Allegheny Highlands Trail

Allegheny Highlands Trail is part of a long-distance hiking and biking trail connecting Pittsburgh with Washington, DC. 22 miles are completed to date. The trail follows the right-of-way of the abandoned Western Maryland Railroad and has a very slight grade.

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park

Mill Run, Pennsylvania

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park is a campground-resort with 150 wooded campsites. In addition to providing RV hookups and amenities, they also offer cabin rentals, trailer rentals, and bike rentals. Their facilities include two water slides, swimming pool, game room, wagon and train rides, fishing, miniature golf, movies, restaurant, and playground. Nearby activities include whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, and a 26-mile bike trail.

Hours

May 1 to October 31 (Water Slides: Noon-8, Memorial Day through Labor Day)
Reservations: (800) HEY-YOGI (800) 439-9644
Phone: (724) 455-2929

Directions

Exit 9 (Donegal) of PA Turnpike, turn left on Route 31 East, right on 381/711 South, turn left on 381 South at Normalville, and proceed 3 miles to Mill Run.

Benner’s Meadow Run

Farmington, Pennsylvania

Benner’s Meadow Run offers camping and cabins only 5 miles from the Youghiogheny River. Activities include wagon rides, arts and crafts, game room, wading pool, miniature golf, fishing ponds, and basketball. RV sites, tent sites, seasonal sites, outdoor pavilions, log cabins, mountain cottages, and camping cabins are available for rent. Call (724) 329-4097 for more information.

Laurel Caverns

Farmington, Pennsylvania

Laurel Caverns is a maze cave with 3.5 miles of passages, making it Pennsylvania’s largest cave. Some of its unique features include catacombs and intricate sculpturing. The rock is Loyalhanna Limestone and the temperature is a constant 52 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. In addition to guided tours, activities include rappelling classes, fossil hunts, and geology seminars. Laurel Caverns also runs KavernPutt, a miniature golf course in an 8,000 square foot simulated cave.

Hours

Open 9-5, 7 days a week, May 1 through October 31, and Saturdays and Sundays in March, April and November. Tours run every 20 minutes, and last about an hour.
Phone: (800) 515-4150 or (724) 438-3003
Fax: (724) 437-1925

Directions

Exit 9 (Donegal) of the PA Turnpike, turn left on Route 31 East, right on Route 381 South, and right on Route 40. Laurel Caverns Road is a left off Route 40 a few miles East of Uniontown.

Westmoreland County Fairgrounds

Latrobe, Pennsylvania

The Westmoreland County Fairgrounds holds a variety of events throughout the year and is the home of the Rolling Rock Arena. The fairgrounds cover 160 acres on Mount Pleasant Road (6 miles south of the Greensburg/Mt. Pleasant exit of Route 30 west) near the village of Mutual. Events include the Westmoreland County Fair, circuses, motocross racing, an arts and crafts festival (labor day weekend), antique shows, auctions, livestock shows, horse events, and Overly’s Country Christmas (light display). For more information, call (724) 423-5005.

State Parks

Latrobe, Pennsylvania

There are six state parks and three state forest picnic areas nearby. For more information about Pennsylvania state parks, call (888) PA-PARKS (888) 727-2757. For more information about Pennsylvania state forests, call (717) 787-2014. See also www.dcnr.state.pa.us.

Ohiopyle State Park

Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania

Ohiopyle State Park consists of 19,050 acres and is the gateway to Laurel Mountain. 14 miles of the Youghiogheny River Gorge pass through the park, providing outstanding whitewater boating (rafting, canoeing, etc) and spectacular scenery. The Day-Use Area surrounds Ohiopyle Falls, providing overlook platforms, parking, comfort station, and gift shop/snack bar.

Phone: (724) 329-8591

The new Youghiogheny River Bike Trail is nearly flat, with great scenery.

Directions

Exit 9 (Donegal) of the PA Turnpike, turn left on Route 31 East, then right on Route 711/381 South. When 711/381 splits, turn left on 381 South. You will pass Fallingwater on the right.

Laurel Ridge State Park

Laurel Ridge State Park consists of 13,625 acres stretching along Laurel Mountain from the Youghiogheny River to the Conemaugh Gorge. Its main feature is the Laurel Highlands Hiking trail, a 70-mile hiking and backpacking trail. The trail is marked every 100 feet with 2x5 inch yellow blazes. Side trails are marked with blue blazes.
Phone: (724) 455-3744

Laurel Hill State Park

Laurel Hill State Park consists of 3,935 acres. Its prime attraction is the 65.5 acre Laurel Hill Lake.

Directions

Drive east (turn left) on route 31 from the Donegal exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, turn right on route 381/711 to Champion PA, turn left and follow signs to Seven Springs and Laurel Hill State Park.
Phone: (814) 445-7725

Kooser State Park

Kooser State Park consists of 250 acres on route 31 midway between Donegal and Somerset at the eastern foothills of the Laurel Mountain summit. It is at an altitude of 2600 feet and has a good trout stream.
Phone: (814) 445-8673

Other state parks and forests include:

  • Forbes State Forest (724) 238-1200.
  • Linn Run State Park, Rector, PA (724) 238-6623.

See also the Bear Run Nature Preserve, which consists of 5,000 acres with 20 miles of marked hiking trails.

White Water Rafting and Water Sports

The nearby Ohiopyle area is well known for white water rafting and other water sports.

  • Ohiopyle Recreational Rentals offers raft, canoe, and kayak rentals for use in Ohiopyle State Park. They also have bike rentals, including kid buggies. Call (800) 245-4090 for more information.
  • Laurel Highlands River Tours,Ohiopyle, PA (724) 329-8531, (800) 4-RAFTIN or (800) 472-3846. They offer guided whitewater rafting tours, kayak and canoe clinics, rock climbing, and paintball. They also offer mountain bike, raft, duckie, and canoe rentals.
  • Mountain Streams, Ohiopyle, PA (724) 329-8810, (800) RAFT-NOW or (800) 723-8669. They offer rafting tours and bicycle and boat rentals.
  • White Water Adventurers, Ohiopyle, PA (724) 329-8850 or (800) 992-7238.
  • Ohiopyle Trading Post, Ohiopyle, PA (724) 329-1450, (888) OHIOPYLE or (888) 644-6795.
  • Riversport, Confluence, PA (814) 395-5744 or (800) 216-6991.
  • Wilderness Voyageurs, Ohiopyle, PA (724) 329-1000 or (800) 272-4141. They offer historic float trips, which are guided boat tours with historical narrative. They also offer guided rafting as well as bike, canoe, raft, and duckie rentals and kayak, canoe, and climbing instruction.
  • Youghiogheny Outfitters, Ohiopyle, PA (724) 329-4549 or (800) 967-2387.

Horseback Riding

Although Polymath Park does not presently have horse facilities, several of our neighbors board horses at inexpensive rates. Horse riding lessons are also available nearby at Camp T. Frank Soles in Rockwood, PA (814) 352-7217 or (800) 677-1811, Mountain Horse Saddlery in Jones Mills, PA (724) 593-8100, and Nemacolin Woodlands (724) 329-8555 or (800) 422-2736.

Fishing

Polymath Park does not permit hunting and fishing. This is partly because the retreat is part of a north-south wildlife corridor, and so hunting would be akin to shooting fish in a barrel. In addition, both ponds have been seeded with Koi and blue gill that have been trained to be very friendly. There are, however, nearby facilities for people who enjoy hunting and fishing.

For information about fishing and hunting in the area, see the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Laurel Hill Trout Pond in Somerset (724) 593-7101, Mountain Streams, and Nemacolin Woodlands.