The Youghigheney River¹ in south-western Pennsylvania descends more than 300 feet in elevation over its 17-mile course through Ohiopyle State Park. This rapid descent creates some of the best whitewater boating in the eastern USA and it makes the river's Lower Yough section the busiest stretch of whitewater east of the Mississippi River.

The Lower Yough² is the more popular of the two sections of the river running through the 19,000-acre Ohiopyle State Park. It drops roughly 30 feet per mile for a seven-mile stretch from the waterfall at the town of Ohiopyle to the boundary of the park. This is the section with the serious whitewater and only kayaks, rubber rafts and closed-deck canoes are permitted on this stretch.

The Middle Yough is much more sedate, dropping an average of 11 feet per mile for the ten-mile stretch from the town of Confluence to the top of the falls at Ohiopyle. This is a perfect section to take a family rafting trip or to challenge the river in a canoe. There are a few minor rapids, but for the most part this section can be self-guided in all but high-water conditions.

OK, so much for the Lower Yough and Middle Yough, now what about the Upper Yough?

The Upper Yough begins in Maryland and then flows into Pennsylvania ending at the dam at Confluence. It is very challenging whitewater and is more the domain of the experts and even then with a guide. Parts of this section drop 120 feet per mile - it's very steep and very intense. Some consider it to be one of the best whitewater rivers in the nation. With that being said, let's move back to the lower two sections of the river that normal people will actually be able to enjoy.

But first, a word of warning. The Yough is a natural river. It is not a theme park ride. It can be dangerous even on a guided tour. People have died on the river - 17 rafters between 1976 and 2000. Respect the river at all times.

Lower Yough

As we said earlier, the Lower Yough is the most popular attraction in Ohiopyle State Park and for good reason. The whitewater is among the best in the eastern USA and it contains 14 rapids many of which are Class III and IV³ in its seven-mile length. More than 100,000 people run the rapids every year.

To enter the Lower Yough, boaters aged 12 and over put in just downriver of the falls. The Ohiopyle Falls drop some 20 feet over a sandstone ledge to the water below. The town of Ohiopyle clusters around the falls and on the opposite shore is the Ferncliff Peninsula.

The following description of the rapids is not meant to serve as a substitute to a professional guide. Since river conditions can vary daily, this account is a general description of a guided raft excursion. Inexperienced boaters or first-timers on the Yough should always seek a guided trip using one of the four licensed companies in town.

• Entrance Rapid - Welcome to the Lower Yough! Almost as soon as you figure out how to steer your raft, you enter the first rapid. Ranging from Class III to Class IV, it is best to steer to the right to avoid some of the rougher stuff where your guides will be frolicking in their more manoeuvrable kayaks. After bouncing around in the whitewater, you'll regroup in a calm spot at the rapid's end and wait for your whole group to make it through.

• Cucumber Rapid - Named for the nearby Cucumber Run, this rapid also ranges from Class III to Class IV depending on water levels. It is also the spot where you are most likely to draw an audience of people who come down to the Yough from the nearby Cucumber Falls gorge. You generally begin on the river's left just above Cucumber Run and then steer diagonally across the river and attempt to cut down the centre of the channel. The key word being 'attempt'.

• Camel and Walrus Rapid - By now, you're starting to feel a bit cocky if you've made it through the first two rapids without any difficulties (like going through backwards or spilling some of your raft mates). This Class III rapid features two rocks that allegedly resemble the animals for which it is named. As your guides will tell you, steer to the left of the camel and to the right of the walrus. However, you'll be too busy paddling to get a good look and they'll both look like big rocks surrounded by frothy whitewater to you.

• Eddy Turn Rapid - As you approach this Class III rapid you'll think to yourself, 'there's a path through there?'. It resembles a boulder field more than a part of the river, but if you hug the left bank you'll usually come through OK.

• Dartmouth Rapid - This Class III rapid is named for the Dartmouth Outing Club which used to race on the Yough every spring before their own rivers in New Hampshire thawed. It is a relatively straight shot down the centre over a pair of holes in the river.

• Railroad Rapid - This rapid ranges from Class III to Class IV and is named for the abandoned Western Maryland Railroad bridge that crosses the river just downstream. The bridge is now part of a bike trail that parallels the river. The guides tell you to steer to the left of the Frog's Head rock and then head straight. They'll then take the narrow right channel for its greater difficulty. This rapid marks the end of the Loop where the river dropped 90 feet in two miles. For the next three miles the river is pretty quiet with only a few small rapids.

• Dimple Rapid - This rapid is literally a killer. The river undercuts the large Dimple Rock and boaters have become trapped under the water even while wearing life vests. There is a portage to the right, but if you want to challenge this Class III to Class IV beast you've got to attack it. You paddle straight at the Dimple and then make a hard right turn. Once you're past the Dimple the rest of the run is pretty cut-and-dried.

• Swimmers Rapid - If you haven't fallen into the river yet, this is a great place to jump in and see what floating down a rapid feels like. The rocks making up this Class III to Class IV rapid are smooth and there is deep still water after it to recover. When you're floating in a rapid, point your feet downstream and keep your head up and just let the water carry you like a torpedo. It's really great fun.

• Bottle of Wine - Named because one of the original river rats found half a bottle of wine on a rock, this Class III is easy to get stuck in because it requires some tight paddling to stay in the main channel.

• Double Hydraulics - The guides will warn you about this Class III to Class IV rapid. There are two massive holes in the water right in the centre of the rapid and if you get mixed up with one, you're almost sure to get caught in the second. The hydraulics are basically big waves which flow upstream that are formed when the current flows into large underwater rocks. The basic idea is to keep to the right and hang on tight.

• River's End - As if the last rapid wasn't tricky enough, this class III and Class IV rapid is a monster. And don't let the name fool you, the raft take-out point is still about a mile downstream, it just appears that the river ends here. The Yough seems to disappear behind a big rock nicknamed the 'Wall'. To make it through, you must steer to the left of the Wall and then skirt a few other rocks the size of small lorries.

• Schoolhouse Rapid - This Class III rapid allows your heart rate to return to a more normal level, It's not very difficult to steer through it, but at the end is a huge boulder nicknamed 'Schoolhouse Rock' which you must steer to the right of to return to calm water.

• The Maze - Shallow and requiring some precise manoeuvring to avoid getting caught in the maze of boulders that dot this Class III rapid, pay attention to the guides when they tell you how to get through the maze. About half the rafters that come through here manage to get it wrong and wind up exiting sideways or backwards.

• Bruner Run Rapid - The last rapid on the Lower Yough is this Class III beauty that seems to change every time you see it. Some days a path to the left is the best route, and other days require a run to the right. But no matter how the river is flowing, paddle hard to the left as soon as you clear the final rapids to get to the take-out point.

So you made it through the whole seven-mile stretch. All that's left is to carry your raft, paddles and other gear up the hill to the waiting trailers and then climb into the big yellow school bus for the trip back upstream to Ohiopyle. There's always a lot of gallows humour on the bus as it struggles to climb the steep and narrow mountain roads - it may not seem fair that you've just conquered the river and are about to die in a bus on the way back to your car, but nobody's been killed yet.

Middle Yough

The Middle Yough section is much more sedate than both its cousins upriver and downriver as is reflected by its age restrictions which limit those under four from boating. There are several Class II rapids on this 11-mile stretch of river and all are relatively straightforward with wide, clear channels requiring a minimum of manoeuvring.

One of the big highlights of the Middle Yough trip is a pair of islands about halfway through the trip. This island complex is rare for a river this size and is the second largest on the entire 132-mile length of this mountain river.

The few rapids on the Middle Yough are clustered at the start and end of the trip. Ram Cat, Flipper and Drake Rapid mark the beginning one-fourth of the Middle Yough. Haystacks, Fast and Clean, Cable Car Rapids, Elephant Rock Rapid and the Take-Out Rapid pepper the bottom quarter of the journey. The middle half is smooth, easy paddling and if there is no headwind, you can practically let the river carry you downstream with little effort other than occasional steerage.

Nearby Attractions

• Jumonville
• The Great Cross of Christ
• Fabrizi's Restaurant
• Ferncliff Peninsula
• The National Road
• Nemacolin Castle
• Fallingwater