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The Laurel Highlands: Pittsburghers’ Mountain Playground
There is no better escape for outdoor enthusiasts than the Laurel Highlands. The region’s spectacular mountain terrain, raging rivers and rolling countryside deliver exhilarating and relaxing outdoor adventures. The region’s signature river, the Youghiogheny, is considered to offer the best whitewater rafting east of the Mississippi with its Class I-IV rapids. Hike the challenging Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail - a 70-mile hiking and backpacking trail that blazes its way across the region’s mountaintops. Hop on a bike and experience the Laurel Highlands via The Great Allegheny Passage, a spectacular non-motorized route which now links to the C&O Canal Towpath, connecting Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh. Trail users ready to take a break or an even an overnight stay will find a wonderful selection of bed and breakfasts, guest houses, unique eateries and antique shops located throughout Laurel Highlands’ trail towns. Shuttle services area also available for transporting cyclists and bikes back to cars or lodging establishments after a day of biking. Fortunately, the Laurel Highlands receives the largest amount of natural snowfall in the state, making the region a prime destination for downhill skiing, snowboarding, snowtubing and horse-drawn sleigh rides. While the region receives this blessed abundance of natural snowfall, the region’s ski resorts, Hidden Valley, Seven Springs and Nemacolin Woodlands do not depend on Mother Nature to keep their slopes, trails, half-pipes and snow tubing parks covered. Their state-of-the-art snowmaking systems make snow well into March. Even if there is no snow in the city, log on to any of the ski resorts webs sites and click on their web cams or snow reports and you will see that there is snow! Wright this way…the magnificent natural setting of the Laurel Highlands was the inspiration for legendary American architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous architectural design, Fallingwater®. Designed as a mountain retreat for the Edgar J. Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh, the house is boldly cantilevered over a waterfall. Fallingwater’s daring construction used modern technology to build in harmony with nature. Just six miles southwest of Fallingwater®, and high atop a bluff overlooking the Youghiogheny River Gorge stands Kentuck Knob, another Wright masterpiece open to the public for tours. A great believer in the beauty of natural materials, Mr. Wright used native fieldstone so abundant throughout the property with tidewater red cypress to create a chorus of color and texture that replicates the surrounding landscape. Newly opened in June, 2007 is Frank Lloyd Wright’s Duncan House, a 1957 Usonian-style home, The Duncan House is one of only four in the country where guests may actually stay overnight and experience the Wright lifestyle.
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Just east of the city is the beautiful Laurel Highlands; a great place for Pittsburghers’ to escape for the day or a weekend getaway. Explore the region’s signature outdoor recreation venues, historic and cultural sites, amusements, and fun places to shop. Discover new attractions, festivals, concerts, plays, art exhibits, and other special events in this scenic mountain playground.
