The 13,625-acre Laurel Ridge State Park stretches along Laurel Mountain from the picturesque Youghiogheny River at Ohiopyle, to the Conemaugh Gorge near Johnstown. This large park spans Cambria, Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties.

The main feature of the park is the 70-mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail, which provides the setting for a semi-wilderness backpacking and day hiking experience.

One of the most exciting reasons to visit the park is for its scenery. Spring wildflowers dot the forest floor in early April followed by a vibrant green forest as leaf-out begins in late April.

Mountain laurel blooms in June and rhododendron blooms in late June and early July.

Come to the park in mid-October and witness fall color in all its glory.

Winter is spectacular when the park is covered in a deep blanket of snow and the occasional great horned owl calls through the moon-lit forest.

Laurel Ridge State Park

Located in the heart of Maine's undeveloped forest land, the Penobscot River Corridor (PRC) provides outstanding opportunities for remote canoe trips, fishing excursions, and whitewater rafting (provided by commercial operators). Managed by the Bureau in cooperation with several landowners, the PRC provides water access recreation along more than 67 miles of river and 70 miles of lake frontage. Major access points in the area are gained from Millinocket or Greenville. Trips to this remote region require careful planning; contact the Bureau at (207) 941-4014 for more information.

State Parks Tagged With: Rockwood