Ohiopyle State Park
| Ohiopyle State Park | |
| Pennsylvania State Park | |
 Jonathan's Run Falls
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| Lenape language: ahi opihəle 'it turns very white' | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Fayette |
| Townships | Dunbar, Henry Clay, Stewart |
| Location | |
| - elevation | 2,259 ft (689 m) |
| - coordinates | 39°50′30″N 79°26′03″W / 39.84167°N 79.43417°WCoordinates: 39°50′30″N 79°26′03″W / 39.84167°N 79.43417°W |
| Area | 19,052 acres (7,710 ha) |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Management | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |
| IUCN category | III - Natural Monument |
 Location of Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania
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| Website: Ohiopyle State Park | |
Ohiopyle State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 19,052 acres (7,710 ha) in Dunbar, Henry Clay and Stewart Townships, Fayette County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The focal point of the park is the more than 14 miles (23 km) of the Youghiogheny River Gorge that passes through the park. The river provides some of the best whitewater boating in the Eastern United States. Ohiopyle State Park is bisected by Pennsylvania Route 381 south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The park opened to the public in 1965, but was not officially dedicated until 1971.
Ohiopyle State Park was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and its Bureau of Parks as one of "25 Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks".
The park lies within the Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests ecoregion.
Ohiopyle State Park features several waterfalls.
Ferncliff Peninsula is a 100-acre (40 ha) peninsula in the Youghiogheny River inside the park. Due to the warmer microclimate inside the gorge, seeds carried by the river from the south survive. It was declared a National Natural Landmark in November 1973 and was named a State Park Natural Area in 1992.
The first known group of people to inhabit the Ohiopyle area were the Monongahela, a clan of the mound builders. These Native Americans disappeared from the scene just as European colonists began to arrive in North America. As the east coast was being settled, Native Americans who had lived closer to the Atlantic Ocean were exterminated or forced to flee to the west. Various tribes, including the Shawnee, Lenni Lenape, and Seneca people, inhabited the Ohiopyle area during the 18th century, but were ultimately removed after the French and Indian War. One of the few remnants of American Indian culture in the area is the name. "Ohiopyle" is derived from the Lenape phrase ahi opihəle which means 'it turns very white', referring to the frothy waterfalls.
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Wikipedia