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Youghiogheny, PA

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6. Lower (Ohiopyle to Bruner Run)

Class III
7.4 Miles
Avg Gradient 25 fpm
Max Gradient 45 fpm

Swimmer's Hole


Swimmer's Hole
Photo of Mitch Greynolds by Pete Vastyan taken 08/13/02 @ 1.8 ft

Gauge Information

Youghiogheny
6. Lower III
med
1.97
8/20 6:00

Min Sug. Level:  1.2 ft Max Sug. Level:  9 ft

River Description

Note: except for Ohiopyle Falls weekend and some other times allowed by the park, it is illegal to run Ohiopyle Falls.

Alternate takeout: the Loop, about a mile and a half downstream of the putin. This allows the paddler to run the first few rapids through Railroad without having to run shuttle. The trail out is steep, but quite hikable. The Loop has the most gradient of the run.

Directions to Ohiopyle:

From the PA Turnpike (I-76):
Take Exit 9 (Donegal). Go left at the end of the off-ramp.
A couple of miles down the road, turn Right onto Rt. 381. Continue for several miles until you reach the T intersection.
Go left at the T intersection, staying on Rt. 381. Continue for several miles.
After crossing the railroad and the river, you're in Ohiopyle. Turn left up the hill and park.

From Washington, DC:
Take I-270 to I-70 West.
In Hancock, take I-68 West toward WV.
In Keysers Ridge (near the Savage River), take US 219 North, and after about a mile, take US 40 West.
After about 20 miles, in Farmington, bang a Right onto PA 381. After about 4 miles, you're in Ohiopyle, ready to change and shuttle!

(Shortcut: on Rte. 40, turn right on DinnerBell-Ohiopyle Road shortly after Glissan's Restaurant, at the Priestly Ridge School sign. Dinner Bell Road will take you right into 381 North.)

A permit from Ohiopyle State Park is needed to run the Lower Yough on weekends from April 1 until October 15. Call 724-329-8591 or, toll-free, 888-727-2757. (The permit is not necessary if you put in after 3 PM or before 7:45 AM.) It costs $2.50; a season's pass is also available. In addition, those who take out at Bruner Run on weekends must buy a bus token for $3.00. The bus token will get you to the top of the hill, but not back to Ohiopyle. (In other words, you still have to run shuttle.)

 

Jump Rock is a fun way to get vertical! (Rapid ratings based on Ohiopyle gage reading of 1.8-2.2' [Confluence 2.1-2.6]).

Note: Dimple Rapid has a very dangerous undercut, which has killed at least two people, maybe as many as five; in the year 2000, three people died in this vicinity! Novices, including those renting inflatable duckies, should seriously consider sneaking or portaging! Read Charlie Walbridge's report on a low-water, park-sponsored scouting expedition to Dimple Rock!

Click here for Charlie Walbridge's report on the latest on Dimple Rock.

Other related or nearby streams:
Middle Yough (Class II)
Casselman (Class I-III)
Ohiopyle Falls (Class IV, almost always illegal)
Meadow Run (Class V)
Upper Yough (Class IV-V)
Top Yough (Class IV-V)

Lat/Longitude coords at the putin verified by GPS.


StreamTeam Status: verified
Last Updated: 2008-05-09 06:56:43

Search Results

Photos/Videos 1- of 54

Swimmer's Rapid


Swimmer's Rapid  Lower Yough PA
(42.18KB .jpeg)

Pirouette at Railroad Rapid


Pirouette at Railroad Rapid  Lower Youghiogheny PA
(29.57KB .jpeg)

Dimple Attainment


Dimple Attainment  Lower Youghiogheny PA
(30.36KB .jpeg)

Cucumber


Cucumber  Lower Youghiogheny PA
(34.36KB .jpeg)

Frog's Back


Frog's Back  Lower Youghiogheny PA
(33.41KB .jpeg)

Jump Rock


Jump Rock  Youghiogheny, Lower PA
(35.77KB .jpeg)

Surfing Cucumber on the Lower Yough


Surfing Cucumber on the Lower Yough  Lower Youghiogheny PA
(38.58KB .jpeg)

Snyder Strider


Snyder Strider  Lower Yough PA
(30.89KB .jpeg)

Splash!


Splash!  Youghiogheny, Lower PA
(75.63KB .jpeg)

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Gauge

Gauge Description:

Class IV at 4 ft (on the Ohiopyle gage). Fast, bigwater at 6 ft.
You can get a prediction of the weekend's level on the Yough by clicking here (usually updated Thursday).

Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle, PA [ PA ]

Current Conditions

Stage Flow Updated
1.97 981 8/20 6:00

Station Graphs


Linked Reaches

Search Results

Level Legend: Running Below Minimum Recommended Flow Above Maximum Recommended Flow Unknown
Descriptions of reaches with River Name in bold have been verified by a regional StreamTeam member.

State River Name/Section Class Level Rel. Level Updated
PA Youghiogheny— 5. Ohiopyle Falls IV 1.97 ft   high 8/20 6:00
PA Youghiogheny— 6. Lower III 1.97 ft   med 8/20 6:00

Station Description

AW Gauge ID:7237
USGS Station:03081500
HUC:05020006
Latitude:39.8708
Longitude:-79.4931
Class:4

WXPort

News


Guidebooks



World Whitewater: A Global Guide for River Runners
$16.07


Whitewater Home Companion Southeastern Rivers, Vol 1
$14.95


Wildwater West Virginia, 4th ed.
$13.95


A Canoeing and Kayaking Guide to West Virginia, 5th ed.
$11.87

User Comments

2003-07-13 20:25:17 (1864 days ago)
Brad RobertsDetails
From Boygenius on Boatertalk: <br /> <br /> Bridge Hole on the Lower Yough: (6.5-higher on the Ohiopyle gauge???) <br /> After that awesomely fun spot, I drove up through Friendsville up to Ohiopyle. I arrived at 5:00 or so and some friendly, but seemingly burn-out local raft guides turned me on to a hole on the Lower Yough just under the bridge above the falls. After checking it out, I hopped in for a great time. The hole is very wide, fairly shallow, kind of scary in a way, but great for hole-moves. It's a pour-over hole with a very uniform ledge, which might even be man-made. the surfer's right side is very shallow, but it's not too hard to surf over to the left side where it's deeper and has a small wave for a shoulder. This spot is REALLY renentive--in fact the only real eddy is in the backwash of the hole, which you just paddle up in to from directly behind! It's easy to surf your way out either corner, though. When the hole's good (it was a hair higher on Saturday), you can link endless (and I mean endless 20+ points) ends to the left, clean and super clean to the right, split both way, hit small loops, and I even was hitting lefty tricky-wu's in it--which I've never done before! You can blunt and backstab right off the surfer's left shoulder wave, and rides can last just about as long as you want them to. Moves are smooth and in-control here. What a great time!!! I appreciated finally having a few other boaters around here...playboating is just more fun with others! <br /> How to get there: <br /> In Ohiopyle, either park at the take-out for the loop or simply walk there with your boat. You can see the hole from the road's bridge across the river upstream of the falls. It's the largest of the holes in the area and is more or less in the middle of the river almost directly under the bridge. Put-in on the river right side in a BIG eddy and surf your way across to the big, turbulent eddy/backwash of the hole. This backwash/eddy is large enough for 3 or 4 boaters to wait in while a paddler plays. Because of it's proximity to Ohiopyle falls, this is not a safe place to play for any playboater who might potentially swim. Also the hole can be very grabby in the middle and if you're not comfortable moving your boat around side-to-side in a large hole, this might not be a good place to play. <br /> <br /> Entrance Wave on the Lower Yough (6.9 and under...best at 6.3ish on the Ohiopyle gauge) <br /> After playing the hole under the bridge for about an hour, I walked across the bridge down the the put-in for the lower Yough to surf entrance. The river was totally empty of other boaters, giving me the wave all to myself! It's on the river-right at the top of entrance rapid. This wave is AWESOME!!! It breaks consistantly on the surfer's left and hole moves are possible here, then turns into this STEEP, BIG, GLASSY wave on the surfer's right side. When it winds up to it's highest, it's probably every bit of 4 or 5 feet high! It was rising and starting to green out on me friday night, but that didn't keep me from hitting my first ever Helix to the right there! This spot seriously rules. On Saturday, I threw ends both ways, split at least once, clean spun, big air-looped, blunted left, flip-turned, and helixed all in one ride!!! The eddy on river right is smaller and more turbulent, but right next to the wave. There is a HUGE eddy river left, but it's farther accross the river. I had more fun at this spot than any of the others on Friday: it just gave up huge bounces and awesome air-moves. Who would have known that something like this was on the lower Yough!!?? There was no one else around...I LOVE WV...er, PA! <br /> How to get there: <br /> Put in at Ohiopyle at the standard put-in below the falls, paddle downstream about 200 yards, in the first wave-train on the river right, you will see the breaking, happy wave with an eddy to it's river right side. You can easily carry back up to your car at the put-in by heading up the river left eddy and walking back up the short gravel access road to the put-in. It's only a 4-minute walk! <br /> <br /> Saturday was so much fun paddling the lower yough with my good friends Brian and Kristin. What a great weekend. Back in time for church on Sunday. Enjoy these spots!!! <br /> <br /> Stephen Wright <br /> Team Prijon <br /> <br />
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Rapid Summary

Mile Rapid Name Class Features (Legend)
0.0EntranceIIIPutin Playspot
0.3CucumberIII
0.4PiddlyI
0.5Camel and WalrusII+
0.6Eddy TurnII+
0.8DartmouthII+
1.0RailroadIIITakeout Playspot
1.0Loop TakeoutTakeout Access
3.0DimpleIIIHazard
3.2Swimmer'sIIIPlayspot
3.8Bottle of WineII+
4.4Double HydraulicIII
4.6River's EndIII+Hazard
5.2Schoolhouse RockII+
5.8StairstepII+
6.2Killer FallsWaterfall
6.8MazeII+
7.4Bruner RunII+Takeout
7.5TakeoutTakeout

Rapid Descriptions

Entrance (Class III, Mile 0.0)
One of the best and most technical of the Lower Yough rapids, this one is playful! Playhogs can easily spend an hour in this rapid. Start in the middle, head right of center (but not too far right, if you don't want a trashing in Bryson's Hole!), and then work your way left.
Lat/Longitude for this and the other Loop rapids is verified by GPS.

Cucumber (Class III, Mile 0.3)
The biggest drop on the Lower Yough, and not a good place to flip. There's a submerged rock that'll clock ya upside the head if you invert. The tailwaves have some play potential.

Piddly (Class I, Mile 0.4)
Easy. The pourover "play hole" on the right is a bit spanky, though.

Camel and Walrus (Class II+, Mile 0.5)
Head between the rocks. The second rock, "Walrus," has an excellent boof opportunity. Boof it from the right side into the hole. Niche!

Eddy Turn (Class II+, Mile 0.6)
All rocks and eddies. Pick your way down. Enjoy!

Dartmouth (Class II+, Mile 0.8)
A smaller version of Entrance. There's a big playhole at the bottom, but you risk being stuck in there when a raft has a bead on your pink liddle bod.

Railroad (Class III, Mile 1.0)
One of the more technical rapids in the Loop, this one involves a cut to the right of Charlie's Washing Machine, which may be the best cartwheelin' playhole on the river. An alternate line is to ride the "Frog's Back" slot between two boulders just to the right of the main line.
The Loop takeout is on the right. After Railroad come two miles of Doldrums, punctuated by Dimple Rock.

Loop Takeout
Takeout river right after Railroad. It's a steep walk up the trail to the parking lot.

Dimple (Class III, Mile 3.0)
The most dangerous spot on the Lower Yough, Dimple Rock was the site of three deaths in 2000. All were rafters or kayakers in inflatables. The normal line is far river left, cutting right into the eddy just upstream of Dimple Rock. There's a sneak to the right of "Vulture Rock" and "Pinball Rock" for those who want to take no chances. The easiest portage is the rock beach on river right.


Swimmer's (Class III, Mile 3.2)
One of the most famous playholes in the Eastern US. Downstream of the hole are some nice tailwaves, too.
Rafters get a big kick out of jumping into the water from a rock not far above Swimmer's Hole and swimming through it.

Bottle of Wine (Class II+, Mile 3.8)
A fairly easy rapid. You can take the river-right line between two boulders, riding a wave train down.

Double Hydraulic (Class III, Mile 4.4)
As the name implies... The first hole is a pourover ledge, the worst of which can be avoided towards the center of the river. The second hole is playable, but trashy at lower levels. Around 3.5', the second hole is a smooth wave.

River's End (Class III+, Mile 4.6)
Perhaps the toughest rapid on the Lower Yough, this one has a couple of rocks with pinning potential. The normal line is to start in the center, and work strongly to eddy out behind the big rock on the left.

Schoolhouse Rock (Class II+, Mile 5.2)
A fairly easy rapid with a playable wave train. There's a neat attainment move in a slot between the huge Schoolhouse Rock and a small rock just downstream of it.

Stairstep (Class II+, Mile 5.8)
This is one of the easier rapids. The normal line is to take the wave train down the river-left side.

Killer Falls
This one is bad. Nasty. Dangerous.
This rapid is so scary, that it's too scary to look at. Therefore, it's traditional to run it backwards.


Maze (Class II+, Mile 6.8)
This is more fun than difficult, as you find your own route through the boulders on river left.

Bruner Run (Class II+, Mile 7.4)
Watch out for the Gates of Hell at the beginning; they're just close enough to two-point broach older, longer boats. Right of the big rock in the center of the river are a bunch of waves. There are some cool ferry moves here, if you still have energy, and some of the waves are good play, especially at higher levels. Take out left, and hike yer boat up to the bus. You didn't forget your bus token, did you?

Takeout
Takeout river left, just after Bruner Run rapid. Hike up the trail, where (during the Permit season) you can catch the bus up to the parking lot at the Old Mitchell Place.


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Disclaimer Data Sources

EPA Surf This Watershed

USGS Page for This Station

NPS PA Rivers Inventory


Journal Archive Articles

Racing Report, Schedule, Results
Lower Yough Clarification
Youghiogheny Escapade
Accidents

Accident Reports

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2006-07-15

1997-07-19

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2003-03-14

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