Lloyd Wright either in the
gift shop or before a visit
for an excellent overview
of Wright’s career.The Drive » It’s a simple and
quick hop to Ohiopyle only 4
miles away south on Rte 381.3 Ohiopyle State
Park
During the off-season
no more than 70 people
call Ohiopyle, a postage-
stamp-sized riverside
and falls-side hamlet,
home. But from the end
of May to the beginning of
September, this gateway to
the 20,000-acre state park
of the same name swells
with visitors. Most come
looking to run the rapids
on the Youghiogheny
River (locals simply say
‘the Yough,’ pronounced‘yawk’) with one of four
well-equipped operators
in town including the
highly recommended
Laurel Highlands River
Tours (%800-472-3846; http://www.
laurelhighlands.com). Families
and beginners run the
middle Yough, while the
lower Yough has class III
and IV whitewater. But for
those who find rafting too
tame, kayak clinics and
rock climbing are offered.
Or take a walk on the
nearby Ferncliff Peninsula
or the Backman trail
which starts in town and
heads up to an overlook.
There’s a swimming beach
at a dam on the Yough
12 miles to the south and
an extensive network of
cross-country skiing trails
for the snowbound winter
months.The farmers market,
coffee shop, ice cream
parlor, restaurants,
bar, and a handful of
guesthouses are even
busier in the summer now
that the Great Allegheny
Passage, a bike path
running from Washington,
DC, to Pittsburgh has
finally reached Ohiopyle.
The viewing spot in front
of the falls in town was
a construction site at the
time of our visit – a new
park office and modern
visitor center is scheduled
to open here in 2014.
So far wifi service has
generally failed to reach
the town or park, allowing
you to appreciate the joys
of being disconnected for
a time.4 p165
The Drive » It’s only another 3
miles to Kentuck Knob – cross
the bridge at the southern end
of Main St and turn right to take
the steep and winding Chalk
Hill/Ohiopyle Rd to the top. One
more left on Kentuck Rd and
you’re there.4 Kentuck Knob
Less well known than
Fallingwater, Kentuck
Knob (%724-329-1901;
http://www.kentuckknob.com; 723
Kentuck Rd; adult/child $20/14;
hhours vary, closed Jan 2–Mar
2), another Frank Lloyd
Wright home, is built into
the side of a rolling hill
with stunning panoramic
views. It was completed
in 1956 for $82,000
for the Hagan family,
friends of the KaufmansStart: 1 Ligonier
If you’re driving between the Laurel Highlands
and Gettysburg or PA Dutch country further east,
you might want to pay your respects to the 40
passengers and crew who struggled to retake control
of their plane from hijackers on September 11, 2001.
The Flight 93 National Memorial (%814-893-6322;
http://www.nps.gov/flni; Shanksville), about 28 miles southeast
of Ligonier on Rte 30/Lincoln Hwy, marks the crash
site in a field in rural Somerset Country, only 18
minutes of flying time from the hijacker’s intended
target, Washington, DC. It’s a solemn site with the
names of the dead carved on a marble wall aligned
in the direction of the flight path leading to a fence,
beyond which is their final resting place. Future plans
call for extensive landscaping and tree planting on
what is now a fairly barren hill.FLIGHT 93
DETOUR:
NEW.JERSEY.&.PENNSYLVANIA.TRIPS.13
(^) PITTSBURGH & THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS