Memorial Day Weekend in Ohiopyle
Written by locals · Times are our own estimates at an unhurried pace
- Best for
- Rafters, waterfall chasers, anyone opening their season
- How long
- Three days, Saturday to Monday
- When
- Memorial Day weekend. The last Monday in May
Memorial Day is when Ohiopyle switches on. It is also the weekend most first-time visitors misjudge, because they pack for the summer they have seen in photographs and arrive to spring: high water, cold water, and waterfalls running two or three times harder than they do in August.
Planned for what it actually is, it is one of the best weekends of the year. The rafting is at its most exciting, the waterfalls are at their loudest, and the woods are still green rather than dusty.
The plan
Saturday, 9:00 am
Ohiopyle Falls at spring volume
The falls in late May carry far more water than the summer photographs suggest, you feel the noise as much as see it. Two-minute walk from the visitor center lot, and worth doing first while the town is quiet.
Tip: Spray reaches the lower deck at high flow. Keep a lens cloth in your pocket.
Saturday, 10:30 am
Cucumber Falls, running hard
This is the weekend Cucumber Falls earns its reputation. The curtain is thick enough in late May that walking behind it is a genuinely wet experience rather than a photo opportunity.
Tip: The steps stay slick well into spring. Take them slowly and hold the rail.
Saturday, 1:30 pm
Ferncliff Peninsula and the wildflowers
Ferncliff is a National Natural Landmark largely because of what grows on it, and late spring is when that is obvious. The flat loop takes under an hour and the river is running loud beside it.
Tip: Trillium peaks in late April and lingers into May in the shaded sections.
Sunday, 8:30 am
Raft the Lower Yough at spring flow
High water makes the Lower Yough faster, pushier and considerably more exciting than it is in August. It also narrows your options. Above four feet on the gauge, outfitters stop renting boats and everything runs fully guided.
Tip: Check the gauge the morning of. Take the wetsuit if it is offered; the water is genuinely cold in May.
Sunday, 4:00 pm
Meadow Run Cascades
Ten minutes upstream of the waterslides, and in spring it is the better of the two. A run of small falls and pools with real volume behind them, and hardly anyone on it.
Tip: Moderate footing, and slippier in spring than in summer.
Monday, 9:30 am
Baughman Rock and the drive out
The gorge is fully green by the end of May and the view from Baughman Rock is at its lushest. Quiet on Monday morning, and a short detour off the road home.
Tip: Kentuck Vista if you are heading north instead.
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Change the plan if…
If you were planning on the waterslides
Late May water is often too high and too cold for the natural waterslides to be either safe or enjoyable. Treat them as a bonus if conditions allow, not as the centrepiece. That is what July is for.
If the river is very high
Above four feet, boat rentals stop and trips are fully guided only; above ten feet, commercial rafting stops altogether. The waterfalls, the overlooks and the rail trail all still work. Current level here.
If you want the quiet version
Monday morning. A lot of the weekend crowd drives home Sunday evening and the park empties out noticeably.
Common questions
Is Memorial Day weekend a good time to visit Ohiopyle?
It is an excellent weekend for rafting and waterfalls and a poor one for swimming. Spring runoff means high, cold, fast water. The Lower Yough is at its most exciting and the falls are at their loudest, but the natural waterslides are often too high and too cold to enjoy.
Can you swim at Ohiopyle in May?
You can, but the water is genuinely cold and spring levels can make the natural waterslides unsafe. Most people who come for the swimming come in July and August; late May is better spent on the river in a raft or looking at waterfalls.
Is rafting open at Ohiopyle on Memorial Day weekend?
Yes. Commercial season is well underway by late May and the park issues Lower Yough launch permits from April 1. High water can restrict which trip types run. Above four feet on the gauge, outfitters stop renting boats and everything must be fully guided.
Other Ohiopyle itineraries
- One Perfect Day in Ohiopyle. Ohiopyle is small enough to see properly in a day and busy enough to ruin that day if you arrive at eleven and try to park. This is the order that works.
- A Weekend in Ohiopyle. Two days is the right amount of time for Ohiopyle. Day one is the park on foot; day two is the river and the rail trail.
- Ohiopyle with Kids. Ohiopyle is unusually good with children because the best things in it are short walks from a parking lot. Here is the version of the day that doesn't end in a meltdown.
- Labor Day Weekend in Ohiopyle. The last reliable warm-water weekend of the year, and the busiest three days in the park. Both of those facts should change your plan.
- A Fall Foliage Weekend in Ohiopyle. Autumn is the best time to be here and almost nobody plans for it properly. The color, the light and the overlooks all have an order.
- A Few Hours in Ohiopyle. Three stops, about three hours, and you will have seen the things people remember. This is the plan for a stop-off rather than a trip.