State parks in Southwestern Pa. offer something for everyone
“Welcome to Ohiopyle’’ is a mural depicting the area’s natural beauty and recreation. Co-funded by Ohiopyle State Park and Rivers of Steel Heritage Corp., the mural is located at the base of the Great Allegheny Passage hike/bike trail bridge, at the corner of Main and Sheridan streets and adjacent to Falls Market, greeting visitors as they enter from the north side of town. (Photo courtesy of the Herald-Standard)
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Celeste Van Kirk
Meadow Run is a creek that flows into the Youghiogheny River. This creek has carved natural water slides out of the stream’s sandstone rock bed. A youngster navigates his way down the water slides at Ohiopyle State Park in this 2018 photo.
A cyclist on the Great Allegheny Passage crosses the high bridge over the Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle in this undated file photo (Photo by Ben Moyer)
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
The water that spouts from colorful spray park tubes and shapes is reusable, which reduces waste inside Ryerson Station State Park’s new pool complex. The new complex opened officially Memorial Day weekend in 2022.
A view of Ryerson Station State Park’s swimming pool in Richhill Township (Photo by Katherine Mansfield)
Two camping cottages at the Polly Hill Campgrounds at Ryerson Station State Park in Greene County are shown in this 2018 photo. Three additional deluxe cottages were built at the site. (Photos courtesy of the Observer-Reporter)
Observer-Reporter
Observer-Reporter
A model aircraft rests in a field at Hillman State Park before Jack D’Atri takes it out for a flight in this 2015 file photo.
Carol Kinney of Hanover Township enjoys riding her horse, Ginger, along trails in Hillman State Park in this 2015 file photo. (Photo courtesy of the Observer-Reporter.)
Observer-Reporter
Observer-Reporter
The Hillman State Park Model Airfield sign at the entrance to the airfield where many hobbyists fly their model planes
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The three state parks here in Southwestern Pennsylvania range from the wildly popular to just plain wild.
Each of the parks in the tri-county area – Ryerson Station in Greene, Ohiopyle in Fayette and Hillman in Washington – offers something totally unique that attracts different tourists depending on what they’re looking for in outdoor recreation.
“We all have different things,” said Ken Bisbee, who is the park manager for Ohiopyle. “The thought used to be that every state park in the old days should have a beach and picnic tables and campgrounds. We’re connecting our landscapes together and thinking more regionally … so we don’t duplicate efforts. That’s a good thing that’s happening in our local landscapes.”
With its majestic waterfalls, whitewater rafting and scenic hiking trails, Ohiopyle is one of the most popular state parks in the region, if not in all of Pennsylvania. In 2022, nearly 900,000 people visited the state park that straddles the Youghiogheny River in southeastern Fayette County.
Farther west, nestled in the edge of Greene County near the West Virginia state line sits Ryerson Station, which is undergoing a transformation nearly two decades after the popular Duke Lake was forced to be drained when nearby longwall mining allegedlymcaused cracks in the dam’s foundation. While the park’s centerpiece is gone, the state and local groups have been working over the past decade to “Re-vision Ryerson” with a new aquatics center and cabins, along with a stream restoration project for fishing where the lake was once located.
While most people already know about Ohiopyle and Ryerson, possibly the most hidden state park is Hillman in northern Washington County near Frankfort Springs. The park is so wild and undeveloped that the Pennsylvania Game Commission is the primary manager of its 3,654 acres, although it still technically falls under the umbrella of Raccoon Creek State Park’s supervision. The roads, trails and model airplane runway are so remote that there are no vehicles counters leading into the park, so no one is truly sure how many people visit Hillman each year.
Hillman State Park
When Albert Wasilewski was assigned to be park manager at Raccoon Creek in 2001, he began hearing stories about visitors at nearby Hillman accidentally wandering off unmarked “rogue trails” and onto private property.
“People went over there and did their own thing,” Wasilewski said. “There are Game Commission service roads, and people decided to just do things on their own. We decided to get this cleaned up as best we can.”
With the help of geo-positioning coordinates, the staff at Raccoon Creek worked closely with the Game Commission to begin mapping trails, cutting through thick brush to make them passable and then blazing them so visitors could easily follow the path. Two decades later it’s become a popular destination for mountain bikers, hikers and equestrians who want a more rugged path to follow.
But the landmark at Hillman undoubtedly is the runway for remote-controlled airplanes, which attracts area clubs and hobbyists. In fact, the original airfield predates Hillman itself, when it was being reclaimed as the former Harmon Creek Coal strip mine. An engineering student at Pitt asked Harmon’s president at the time, James Hillman, for space to fly model airplanes, and a 20-acre area was set aside for that purpose, according to the state park’s website.
As part of conservation efforts and attempts by the state to situate parks within a short driving distance of most populations, Harmon Creek donated the land to the state in 1969 and the site was named after Hilllman. The old runway was closed in 1977 and the current airfield with modern accommodations opened to clubs and people who receive permission from the park staff to fly there.
“That is a big focus over there, and it’s a pretty nice runway, actually,” Wasilewski said. “It’s an expensive hobby, but when you’re over there watching them fly, it’s pretty neat.”
There are plenty of hunting lands within the park, making the partnership between the Game Commission and state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources vital. Wasilewski said he’s still amazed how a former strip mine could be brought back to life as a wilderness retreat for people with so many unique hobbies.
“I was always fascinated by the whole big project when it was strip-mined there and they fixed it in the late 1960s and early 1970s,” he said. “It’s very nice. Fortunately, every region has a different thing to offer the public. … There’s so much diversity across the state.”
Ryerson Station State Park
While Hillman was transformed from an industrial site shaped by coal, it was coal that transformed Ryerson Station State Park.
In July 2005, state officials determined that nearby longwall coal mining was causing cracks in Duke Lake’s dam, forcing the body of water to be drained to avert a potential catastrophe. The DCNR blamed Consol Energy’s nearby Bailey Mine for causing the damage, and the two parties agreed to a $36 million settlement in 2013 to replace the dam and make other upgrades to the park, although the coal operator never admitted liability as part of the deal.
However, ground movement was still detected near the dam site two years later, prompting the DCNR to pull the plug on reconstructing it, meaning Duke Lake was lost forever. But out of that decision, the DCNR decided to invest settlement money into a complete restoration of the park that included new deluxe cottages built on the campgrounds, an upgraded pool with a splash zone and, most importantly, stream restorations that would hopefully one day allow for fishing pools and kayaking areas where the lake was once situated.
Some of those upgrades have already been completed, and the stream restoration is about to begin soon, according to Casse Criss, who just took over as Ryerson’s park manager in April.
“I kind of fell in love with the park when I came to do lifeguard interviews last year. The town is great, the staff is great and the locals are amazing,” Criss said. “It’s a little different than some of the other parks in our region. Some of the other parks are a little more accessible, and it’s kind of neat that (Ryerson) is not.”
Her previous job was at Moraine State Park in Butler County, which has a massive lake within its boundaries, so Criss understands how people can become connected to a local body of water. But she’s hoping something new can be built at Ryerson that will attract generations to come.
“I’m pretty excited about this stream restoration,” she said. “It will be nice when that gets started, just having more opportunities for fishing and also kayaking opportunities.”
For now, other improvements at the pool and cabins have been popular with those who rediscovered Ryerson. Unlike in past years when the staff has struggled to find enough lifeguards to travel to Ryerson’s pool, this year they are fully staffed and ready for full-time hours.
“The pool has been very popular, especially on weekends,” Criss said. “A lot more lifeguards (this year) even with the shortage elsewhere.”
While Criss can’t quite put her finger on what attracted her to Ryerson, she’s hoping the park’s rustic wonder coupled with their new vision for the future will once again attract crowds to the western edge of Greene County.
“Everybody is so kind and so passionate about the park, and very welcoming,” she said. “Just seeing the park grow and having more opportunities for restoration. It’ll be nice to see more people coming to the park besides just hiking and swimming and hunting.”
Ohiopyle State Park
While Ryerson is still trying to find itself once again, it’s not hard for people to find themselves in Ohiopyle. Many consider it the jewel of the Laurel Highlands with its deep river valleys, stunning mountaintop views and scenic trails. It’s also one of the most “high adrenaline” parks in the state with myriad of extreme sports that range from whitewater rafting, kayaking, biking, rock climbing and hiking, according to Bisbee, who is the park’s manager.
“When I got here I said, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re letting people do this?’ It’s kind of the nature of Ohiopyle,” Bisbee said. “It’s a high-activity, high-risk endeavor.”
But it’s also “scenic and relaxing” with the Great Allegheny Passage bicycle trail offering walkers and riders a chance to take it easy on the limestone-covered path with great views atop old railroad bridges overlooking the Yough.
Bisbee has worked in six different state parks, but he considers Ohiopyle to be the most unique since it seems to have something for everyone. The park’s boundaries surround the tiny Fayette County borough that is its namesake, which gives people a place to eat and shop in between exploring the area’s natural beauty. Now, mountain biking clubs based in Pittsburgh are venturing out that way, and the rock outcrops are attracting climbers from all across the world.
“The roads are scenic, then you get to Ohiopyle and the park is gorgeous. Get something to eat in town and it’s a great day,” Bisbee said. “It’s a combination of almost unsurpassed beauty (and) it has whatever you’re looking for.”
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, crowds flocked to Ohiopyle with an estimated 1.367 million visitors coming to the park in 2020. While the attendance figure has dropped back to pre-pandemic levels, Bisbee thinks people are discovering public lands in a way they hadn’t before, whether its Ohiopyle, Ryerson or Hillman.
“People are getting out to the outdoors to reconnect with themselves and nature,” Bisbee said. “I think that’s a good thing these days.”
2022 Attendance and Acreage – No visitor data – 3,654 acres – 34,288 visitors – 1,346 acres – 882,758 visitors – 20,500 acres Source: DCNR ae2aacb3-5935-4cf5-af75-8fa68a68b4fa
Hillman – No visitor data – 3,654 acres
Ryerson – 34,288 visitors – 1,346 acres
Ohiopyle – 882,758 visitors – 20,500 acres
Source: DCNR