Meadow Run Trail
The Meadow Run Trail at Ohiopyle State Park in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania is a moderate 2 mile out-and-back hike from the base of Cucumber Falls and the end of the Great Gorge Trail east, along the Youghiogheny River and then along Meadow Run Creek. This trail is moderately to highly trafficked depending on the time of year you visit - mainly highly trafficked in the Summer. The main attraction on this trail is the Rapids Slides, which are a series of rock slides in the creek that you can ride down stream.The trail essentially begins where Cucumber Run meets the Youghiogheny River and heads east along the river's banks and cliff sides closer to Cucumber gorge. The trail spits you out along the river banks not too long after starting, about 0.3 miles in and then brings you under the Main St bridge.
After you cross under the Main St bridge, the trail is basically anywhere along the gorge's rocks that you can hike. During our hike, we had a dog with us, and it didn't look like we could safely manage passing between the creek and the cliff sides to hike along the slippery rocks, so we turned back, crossed Main St, and went back down onto the trail from the Rapids Slides parking lot.
Upon descending the Rapids Slides parking lot, continue south along the creek and follow the yellow blazes. At times the trail seems to disappear, but just continue following the creek and what looks like where other people have been and you'll find a well-maintained trail about 0.25 miles in. After you pass through this section of the trail you'll hike through rhododendron bushes until reaching the end of this GPS data and/or the remainder of the trail and loop portion.
Waterfalls: Most notably - Cucumber Falls at the western terminus, but there are plenty of small cascades on Meadow Run and the Youghiogheny River that can be considered waterfalls. The Rapid Slides is also counted as a waterfall along Meadow Run too. There are some trickling cascades on the rock cliffs closes to the Cucumber Falls gorge area as well that may be more interesting in the early spring too.
Warning: Portions of this trail are sheer rock and can be slippery. The trail itself is rocky and there are plenty of roots to trip on, so watch your step throughout this entire hike - hence, moderate difficulty.
Note: This trail is much longer than 2 miles out-and-back - it's closer to about 4 miles out-and-back. This GPS data ends about 0.25 miles before the southern section of the trail turns into a loop before heading back the way you came. The southern loop portion of the trail is somewhere between 1.5 and 2 miles long.
