Cucumber Falls, PA

Ohiopyle State Park is about an hour and a half southeast of Pittsburgh.  Head south on PA-381 as it runs through the park and becomes Main St.  Turn right on Ohiopyle Rd. and the parking area is just ahead on the right.  There were plenty of signs up and maps are available at the visitor center. Cucumber falls is around 30 feet tall. 

The great thing about Cucumber Falls is the perfect photogenic plunge.  Water perfectly falling straight down as is rushes off the cliff's edge.  Plus you can walk behind it, which is what excited my kids.  They wouldn't shut up about it for the entire car ride.  They could hardly control themselves as they were overtaken by anticipation and joy.  A joy that upon arriving quickly turned to disappointment and heartbreak.  Their dreams yet again crushed by my lies, as there was too much ice and slippery rocks near the falls to safely walk behind it.  Actually they didn't really care and within a few seconds had moved on to throwing rocks in the water.  I was a little disappointed though, but the beautiful view more than made up for it.

Cucumber Falls is located in Ohiopyle State Park in Ohiopyle, PA.  The falls can be viewed with a short walk from the parking area and a short trail takes you down to the base.  Riding around  I could tell that the park was huge, it's around 19,000 acres, and very nice looking from what I briefly saw. We only had time to see Cucumber Falls, Ohiopyle Falls and some of the Youghiogheny River as this was just a quick detour on the way to Blackwater Falls State Park.  Ohiopyle Falls, while not high at all, was very wide and powerful.  It is a nice sight on a beautiful river but not worth going out of your way to see.

It does seem that the park has some other really neat things to see and do.   Near Cucumber falls I noticed a sign for natural water slides which peaked my interest.  Checking out the pics and videos online, it looks awesome and very fun.  Then there is Fallingwater.  A house built on top of a waterfall, open for tours everyday except Wednesday. Of course I could do neither as the water is still too cold in March and yes, today just happened to be Wednesday. Also you will find many trails here along with a few more waterfalls and the park is suppose to be a big spot for whitewater rafting.

It would have been nice to have a little more time here to explore a few more trails and waterfalls. And I cant tell you enough how much fun the water slides look.  I would love to take my kids on them when they are a little older, but it's hard to imagine if or when I will ever be back in the area.  The park was worth the quick stop just to check out Cucumber Falls and have a fast, late lunch by the river.  Then it was back on the road as we headed to our cabin at Blackwater Falls State Park in West Virginia.

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Ohiopyle Falls