Learn Why Whitewater Rafting in Ohiopyle Is So Unique…

Ohiopyle State Park lends access to the lower part of the Youghiogheny River, or Yough for short. This is where many kayakers and rafters “put-in,” or enter the river, to start their whitewater adventure. There are three parts of the 134 mile Youghiogheny River, an exhilarating “Upper” section with Class IV and Class V rapids, a mellow “Middle” section with Class I and Class II rapids, and a perfectly exciting option right in between, “The Lower,” with Class III and IV rapids.  

The Lower section of the Yough is by far the most popular among first-timers and Ohiopyle visitors, and is the busiest section of whitewater east of the Mississippi! Adventurous rafters will enter the river just below the unmistakable Ohiopyle Falls, right in the center of town. From there, thrill seekers will take-out 7 miles down river at Bruner Run, or, and this is where The Lower Yough’s individuality shines, “the loop” take-out. 

That’s right, not that The Lower Yough needed anything else to add to its popularity, but it flows an extremely rare course in which it nearly doubles back on itself, and that provides the unique natural feature allowing rafters to end extremely close to where they began. This is useful because if you choose to paddle this 1 mile loop, it is only a 5 minute walk back to town from the pu-in, whereas if you choose to continue the remaining 6.5 downstream, you will need a shuttle back to town. 

We hoped this helped explain the popularity of whitewater rafting on the Lower Yough in Ohiopyle, but stay tuned to learn more about whitewater rafting in Ohiopyle as the season goes on!

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