This lovely conservation area is 450 acres of beautiful forest with lots to see and a very shadowy…read morepast. The ruins of an old pipe factory are very visible and there are informative signs that tell the story. These occurrences took place in the 1800's. There is history of criminals murdered, accidental death(pipe factory), a hanging, an explosion, a drowning, a giant snake sighting, all taking place in the park. For this reason many people think that the sight is haunted by the people who met their fate here. I hate to burst the excitement, but I have never experienced ghosts, or any other paranormal activity while spending time there. In fact, despite it's dark past Dead Man's Hollow is a very tranquil place. If you have been there during May when Spring season really kicks off you will see tons of wildflowers that are spectacular. The pipe factory had a fire and the ground was burned. This happens to be very good for re-growth and as a result we get to experience a lot of beautiful flora. Also, the old pipe factory remains are covered with cool graffiti. The trails are at times narrow, but they are very clean. You are at some point going to climb up and down hills, so it is a very good workout. I would say that the hiking is a bit more challenging. To find it I would suggest searching via a trailhead name and not just the park name. One example would be "cat fish pond trail." There is a nice parking area near that trailhead. There is also another parking area on the other side of the park(more on that later). This other side is closer to the ruins.

We checked out the catfish pond today. It looked promising at first but soon discovered that there…read moreis very little accessibility to fish there. The spots that are open are at an incline sloped towards the pond and are very slippery and hazardous. I do not recommend taking young kids there. My daughter and I fished for an hour or so and only saw bluegill in the 3-4" range and smaller minnows. We used lures and worms and had many bites but the fish were too small to get hooked. We did see many water turtles and even a few babies whose shell was about 2-3" in diameter. We also saw one large snapping turtle appear for a few seconds. There are also a bunch of bullfrog minnows whose bodies were the size of golf balls (early June). It's a cool place to see but we won't be returning to fish.

I just found out that there's a dog park there. I started taking my 15 year old dog and she loves…read moreit. There's a side for dogs 30 lbs and over and a side for smaller dogs. There's a picnic table under a tree and a fountain to fill water bowls. I just wish I had known about it sooner. There are only 2 problems that I can see. They need to build a set of steps from the road to the enclosures. It's a small hill but it's very steep and if the grass is damp it's very hard to get up and down without falling. The other thing is I wish there was a port a john closer. Other than that my dog and I are loving it. Thank you Washington Park.

This park is more expansive than you first realize, and has several venues, and great classics like…read morethe Main and Stone Pavilions, which can hold events for hundreds of folks at a time. The trees and trails meandering throughout the Park make for a relaxing walk in the woods. The pool and ball fields provide plenty of recreational activity opportunity.

My wife and I visited here yesterday after stopping at "Marsha Cassel's Kitchen on Main" Restaurant…read morejust up the road. I had never been on this side of the lake. They have a nice boat ramp, dock. and fishing pier suitable for handicapped people. There is a playground nearby, picnic pavilions, and a hiking trail leading to a Historic 1881 Truss Bridge. It wasn't the most exciting thing in the world, but it was cool to see and walk over this old bridge. Cheers!

What a beautiful park in SW PA. We stopped by on a sunny Sunday to check out the boat docks,…read morefishing areas, and trails. There were several people out fishing from the dock and multiple people on kayaks in the lake. The bathroom facilities near the docks and shelters were clean and honestly smelled like flowers. The park seems very well maintained and even has a wooden track/course for biking that was pretty cool looking.

Great state park about 1.5 hours southwest of Pittsburgh (near the West Virginia border). Went on…read morea hike with the Pittsburgh HIking Meetup group at this lovely park on a misty cool October Saturday. Jared with the park led our group on a 6 mile hike (of the total 13 miles they have) thru the park. He was very informative and a great host. Most paths were wide enough for several people across and the terrain was quite hilly, making for a great workout. We did encounter a couple deer on our outing and Jared indicated there are many wild turkeys in the park, as well. The park office had quite a bit of literature and they have a great map of the trails along with a great listing of the trails with their lengths in miles, total elevation, elevation gain, and difficulty level. There are restroom facilities at the park office (flushing toilets and sinks). Note that hunting and camping are also activities within the park boundaries.

Hard to see why this is even considered a park. Except for the campground area there was nothing…read morepark-like to be found. Correction: I would one picnic table and about three parking spaces with nothing nearby to notice parker. The were signs indicating some water features if they were still there, they are not apparent. A theoretical pool may have been taken over by some sort of energy plant.

While working in Beaver County I have passed this sign to Buttermilk Falls countless times, but…read morenever had occasion to stop until yesterday. It was a gorgeous, sunny, unseasonably warm March day & I was the first car in the tiny dirt parking area on the left as soon as you turn in. The Falls is now directly across from the new entrance to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. There is a big stone covered with graffiti on the right. After you park, you just hop out and hit the path and follow the sound of gushing water. it is a short distance to the Falls, but it is uphill and it is steep and rocky and this is not a suitable path for anybody with physical limitations of any sort. It can also be dangerous for young children. It's very beautiful and it is worth the hike up. If you're sturdy footed (muddy & rocky), you can walk right behind the falls and it's quite beautiful. Highly recommended for a sightseeing but I'm sure it gets crowded and warmer weather.

The hiking trail we went on was not to long and had nice scenery. Parking was easy to find. The…read morewaterfall is definitely worth the hike there. You can go under it, go above it, and go behind it! Also lots of smooth rocks to set up towel and sit in the sun.

I've lived in the area for a while now but have never made it to this lake before. Today was the…read moreperfect weather for a walk so I finally made it here. The park is on the smaller side but does have plenty of parking spaces. The trail is paved and clearly marked. I was expecting it to loop all the way around the lake but it didn't seem to. There were a few trails off of the paved path that I didn't explore. The views of the lake are very nice and there are a few benches to stop and enjoy it. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice this place was and also how busy it was. I arrived just before 10am and the place was buzzing with people enjoying the lake.

This park is very well paved for parents that want to walk with a stroller. It's quite beautiful…read moreand relatively quiet.

We had a wonderful few days camping at Coopers Rock! The…read moresites are a good size and decently spaced apart so we have a good amount of privacy. The campsite bathroom was clean, well stocked and regularly maintained. All of the employees at the trading post were friendly as well! Park rangers drove around regularly (4-5 time through the campsite a day I'd say). My only wish would be adding closure information onto the website so people know ahead of time. During our visit the main overlook was under construction/maintenance so there was no access to it. Which was a little disappointing since it looks beautiful online! But it was a short 5 minute walk out to the overlook so it was easy to get back to a different trail. (It is clear the individuals who work and manage the park take great pride in it, and take care of the facilities wonderfully!).

My husband and I just went on a camping trip to Coopers Rock and loved our time there! The views…read morewere beautiful, the trails were well cleared, and the bathroom at the main overlook site was one of the cleanest bathrooms we've ever been in. The Ravens Rock trail has a beautiful outlook with cool, large rock structures. And the rock city trail was super fun too! The free maps of all the trails are very helpful. Some blazes could've been marked a bit clearer and some signs for trail heads could be adjusted as well. There is limited parking at trail heads so be sure to get there early to beat the crowds. The trading post was a fun addition with Coopers Rock merch, stickers (our personal fav), some local goods, firewood, some camping supplies, and even some ice cream treats! Overall we had a really nice stay!

This is a cute little park. We got to see turtles which was a highlight and there's some small…read morehiking trails and a nice relaxing swing while you watch the pond. The playground is nothing to write home about but it's nice. It'd be a nice place for a run and outside workout.

This is a great park for walking. Just be mindful of the fly fishermen that cast their lines before…read morelooking behind them. The lines when cast are coming onto the walking path. This is happening at the end near the bridge. We have been almost hooked a few times now. Who would be liable for any injuries that might occur?

Tony and I went for a nice hike today at Valley Falls State Park in Fairmont WV…read more The Park is lovely and the Park is free to enjoy with plenty of picnic tables, restrooms, grills, playground, and the gorgeous waterfalls

Valley Falls State Park. Fairmont, WV. My husband and I visited this scenic West Virginia State…read morePark in Sept, 2025. Its highlight is a series of four cascading WATERFALLS on the Tygart Valley River that are easily accessible by a short path from the parking lot. There are large flat rocks right next to the falls, allowing for scenic photographs but no swimming. (Fishing with license and whitewater kayaking are allowed). Fun Fact: this is one of the sites for West Virginia's "Almost Heaven" swings, installed by the state's Department of Tourism across the state for photo opps. This particular swing has the falls in the background. (As of late 2025, there are 51 swings in the state). We had a unique experience at the park in that we were approached by a park volunteer in an ATV offering us a ride down to the falls, and then continuing along some park paths with his commentary about the history of the site as a 19th-century mill town, and pointing out some gristmills. Both park admission and the ATV ride were free although we did give the volunteer a tip. There are 18 miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking, ranging from easy to difficult. We didn't do any hiking on this visit, but did eat our picnic lunch at one of the conveniently located picnic table. There is a gift shop on-site, as well as clean restrooms. It's also a site on WV's Waterfalls Trail, wherein you can earn prizes for checking it at specific WV waterfalls. Note that this is a day-use park, so no camping is allowed. Wi-Fi connectivity is low to non-existent. We approached the park from the south, near Pruntytown, WV, and while the distance was short (about 12 miles), it took us about 25 minutes to reach because of curvy roads. On our return, we went to Tygart Lake State Park, via Grafton, where we camped for the night.

Excellent hiking. Hiked on father's day 2025 with my wide…read more The main attraction being the cave and the waterfall, you have to exit the "loop trail" in order to access the cave and waterfall. Once you hike back up, youd imagine when continuing to walk the East trail to finish the loop, you'd exit near the entrance. Thats not the case. The east trail past the cave/waterfall trail does not loop back around. Theres no trespassing signs and the trail dead ends. I recommend after hiking back up from the cave/waterfall to go straight back the way you came instead of waisting your time. Happy hiking!​

Piatt Park contains a stunning gorge with a cave and waterfalls. When you first enter the park, you…read morefind a small campground (10 sites) with amenities - a shelterhouse with picnic tables, both pit toilets and a shower/toilet combo with running water and electric, and a very nice playground in the center. There is a small pull off near the shelterhouse for parking if you don't have a campsite reserved. There are a couple of trailheads that lead down to the trail that heads into the woods and down to the gorge. The scenery itself is beautiful and very interesting, but the hike is complicated by being a little bit confusing. The trails aren't always very clear and the map is a little basic - previous hikers tried to help by adding notes and markers to the maps that are available along the trail. So I'm going to dish the dirt on the trail, because there were some serious surprises we encountered. There are multiple ways down from the campgrounds, and you come to an area by a bench that's at the top of a hill. Once you head down the hill, which is a bit steep, you come to a split that offers East or West Rim Trail. This can be used as a loop trail, since it does connect, or you can do out and back. We started out to the west and came around to a section that overlooked the gorge. It was a lovely view, but be aware that it's a pretty sheer drop and the chain "fencing" was gone in some sections. We then reached a section where we could choose to turn back or head down into the gorge. It was, again, a sheer drop but there were some stairs with railings available to help. This let us access the large cave area and then head further down to view the main waterfall. Because of how dry it was, the main waterfall is the only one we saw and it was a bit of a trickle, but it was still an enjoyable view. At this point, we may have chosen to turn around and head back out the way we came, had we realized what the rest of the loop entailed, but we did not and we forged on. This section is much more difficult and if you have small kids or pets with you, or you yourself have a fear of heights, this is significantly trickier. Unless your pet is a mountain goat, than perhaps it would be helpful as it could show you the best places to step. There's really no railings for the majority of this sheer climb up, and in one section, you actually pull yourself up hill via chains attached to trees. There are a couple of spots with tiny steps to help you get up too. When you reach the top, you'll soon find yourself back at the beginning of the loop and can head back up the first hill. The scenery is beautiful, though it would be nice to have a better idea of what to expect when hiking, thus I share with you my novel on getting in and out of the gorge!