Patches of sunlight
With all of the troubles in our world today, it鈥檚 nice to have a place to go when you just need some quiet time away from the everyday world. We are blessed with living in a very beautiful place.
Southwestern Pennsylvania is full of natural beauty. Our mountains, valleys, forests and streams offer great opportunities to relax and get some exercise. The area has plenty of trails for hiking, biking and outdoor activities, but my favorite is Ohiopyle State Park. Even though I have aged a bit and am on the downhill side of my physical life, I feel my sun rises each day and I continue to look for new trails and adventures. I am ever so thankful that we live close to the Great Allegheny Passage and Ohiopyle State Park.
On Wednesday, my wife, Diane, and I decided to do a bit of hiking and biking on the trail and to avoid the crowds in Ohiopyle itself, we chose to drive over to the Bruner Run area of the park, which is about six miles down the bike trail towards Connellsville. Leaving the Chalk Hill Road at the entrance to the park campground, you quickly get the sense of entering a different world. The clear blue sky and sunshine of early morning gives way to a dense forest and you get the feeling you could be in middle of the Allegheny National Forest or the woods of Ontario, Canada.
We pass by Mitchell Field with some wildflowers and hiking trails. This is also a great area for cross-country skiing when the snows of winter beckon for some outdoor activities. It鈥檚 about a 10-minute drive to the trail and along the way a few deer jump out and the chirping of the birds is just so enjoyable. But what thrills us most is the dappled light that emerges through the forest canopy. The road to Bruner Run is steep but paved and makes for a pleasant transition into nature鈥檚 backyard.
Most folks who spend time at our park only see a small portion of it. They visit the falls and the visitor鈥檚 center and if they bike or hike, they do so within a few miles of the town of Ohiopyle. On weekends, it gets crowded and my suggestion is twofold: come during the week and take advantage of one of the many other areas of the park. Of course the natural waterslides are fun and the water falls at Cucumber Run are an alternative to the main falls.
Best of all, find yourself on a cool shady trail, of which there are many. The McCune trail up off of Sugarloaf Road is a great hike and in another month the summer wildflowers will be blooming in the meadows just a short distance further from the trail. Another of our favorites is Meadow Run trail and the Cascade Falls, a lesser known waterfall and a nice hike from a separate parking area off Dinner Bell Ohiopyle Road.
Rather than worrying about social distancing in town, why not spend some time kayaking or biking and afterwards have a great picnic at the state park picnic area which is beautiful and on week days rather empty. The road to the picnic area is about to burst forth with the annual blooming of the Native Rhododendron.
A word of caution as the bike trail is scheduled to have a major resurfacing begin in July and this may limit your ability to use the portion between Ohiopyle and Confluence. Last week, I did bike on the section from Confluence to Fort Hill and the trail is in great shape and well-suited for a family ride. The two-year construction project in Ohiopyle is getting ready to wrap up and this should be welcomed news.
If you do get to the trails, let the dappled light of the forest sooth your spirit and comfort you in these troubling times. It truly is majestic.