Ferncliff Peninsula Natural Area
Ferncliff Peninsula
A peninsula enclosed by a bend of the Youghiogheny. A loop trail overlooks Ohiopyle Falls and the rafts, and rare southern plants grow here.
The Ferncliff Peninsula is enclosed on three sides by a great bend of the Youghiogheny River, right beside the town of Ohiopyle, and is a National Natural Landmark. The roughly 2.6 km Ferncliff Trail loops around the peninsula. Along the way you can watch Ohiopyle Falls and the rafting flotillas on the rapids downstream from the rocky banks. The riverbank rocks preserve plant fossils about 300 million years old. Seeds carried by the river have taken root here, so the peninsula supports many southern plant species that are rare in Pennsylvania, and wildflowers bloom in spring. The loop takes about an hour. Admission is free, and you can walk there from the old railway bridge in town.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Youghiogheny River Gorge (Lower Yough Rafting)
- Great Allegheny Passage (Ohiopyle)
- Cucumber Falls
- Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail
- Meadow Run Natural Waterslides
- Baughman Rock Overlook
- Nemacolin
- Fort Necessity National Battlefield