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Outdoor Adventure, Iconic Homes Make the Laurel Highlands a Must-visit Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater Photo courtesy of GO Laurel Highlands
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’ve always thought of the Laurel Highlands as a magnet for those who love outdoor adventure, from skiing at Seven Springs Mountain Resort to whitewater rafting at Ohiopyle State Park. But as I recently realized while enjoying a peaceful outdoor picnic and lightly oaked Chardonnay at GreendanceThe Winery at Sand Hill, it’s also the perfect place to relax and just take in everything nature has to offer. Even before the pandemic, people were flocking to the Laurel Highlands, located about an hour’s drive east of Pittsburgh, PA, to enjoy its spectacular natural scenery and outdoor recreation. The area is also a huge attraction for those who love iconic buildings as it is home to four Frank Lloyd Wright masterpieces. And since the establishment of the Laurel Highland Pour Tour in 2019, it’s become even more popular as a place to spend reinvigorating time away.
The Great Outdoors There are so many ways to enjoy the natural world in the Laurel Highlands that 26 | May 2021
you may never want to go back inside. From its almost 700 miles of hiking and biking trails to whitewater rafting, ziplining and shooting sporting clays, there is something to attract every kind of outdoor adventurer. Not only is the area home to Ohiopyle State Park, Pennsylvania’s largest park, but it also encompasses Laurel Hill State Park, Laurel Ridge State Park, Linn Run State Park, Kooser State Park, and Keystone State Park, along with four state forests. Ohiopyle is especially beautiful in the spring and fall when its many waterfalls are at their most scenic; from massive Ohiopyle Falls, which plunges 20 feet into the Youghiogheny River, to the more serene Cucumber Falls with its 30-foot drop. One of the most photographed waterfalls in Pennsylvania, Cucumber Falls is also a visitor favorite because it’s easy to walk right down to the waterfall from the parking lot; just be careful as the stones along the trail can be quite slippery!
World-renowned Architecture The waterfalls in the Laurel Highlands
are so inspiring, in fact, that one was the impetus for the creation of one of America’s most famous homes. Fallingwater, the home designed for the Edgar J. Kaufmann family by world-renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW), was originally supposed to sit across from a waterfall on Bear Run Creek so that the homeowners could enjoy the view. Instead, Wright decided to cantilever a home directly above it; a set of steps from the living room even leads directly into the rushing water below. While the house has been limited to outside-only tours through the pandemic, it will be reopening to visitors on May 1 with a new Guided Architectural Tour, so you can see this marvel yourself. I also suggest visiting Kentuck Knob, another Frank Lloyd Wright house located about six miles down the road, which includes a woodland walking trail featuring sculptures by renowned modern artists. While I enjoy Fallingwater, I really love Kentuck Knob; the smaller house feels more homey and is almost denlike in the way that it nestles into the woods. The Laurel Highlands is also home to Old Town Crier
