Ohiopyle's other side: Fewer than 30 people live in borough dwarfed by state park
May 28—As business owners, Pam Kruse, Mark McCarty and Rob Joseph love how the magnetism of Ohiopyle draws dollars to town.
There's the Ohiopyle that everybody sees: a recreation mecca with sought-after whitewater rafting, a bicycling trail built for short trips and dayslong challenges, hiking and mountain biking trails hidden in lush green forests and spots to recharge after a day of play.
But in their roles as borough councilwoman, mayor and fire chief, respectively, they have other thoughts.
They know another side of the tiny Fayette County town — barely enough residents to fill elected offices, a sewage system that has been having issues for years and about a dozen volunteer firefighters who provide coverage for the 1.2 million people who visit Ohiopyle State Park annually.
Money is always a struggle for the borough and fire department, they said. In 2021, Ohiopyle received $2,200 in real estate taxes and $10,275 in wage taxes, according to a state financial report. Expenses outpaced revenue that year and the one prior. A wine festival started a few years ago benefits the borough.
"We get a million visitors, but we can't even patch the roads," McCarty said.
It's frustrating in a town where visitors take center stage while the permanent population has declined rapidly as older residents die and their homes turn into vacation rentals, he said.
The 2020 census estimated the population at 37.
McCarty, Kruse and Joseph said fewer than half that number remain.
"This little town cannot continue to survive," Joseph said.
It's a challenge for the borough to capture some sort of revenue from the hundreds of thousands of tourists who drive on borough streets, use public restrooms and, sometimes, have emergency needs. Volunteer Ohiopyle-Stewart firefighters are bracing for the busy summer season.
"Every tourist that comes through here ... is covered by our little department," Joseph said.
Local officials are always trying to keep their beloved, iconic town afloat, Kruse said, but without a steady cash influx, it's difficult.
"We're very, very appreciative of the state park, but I think the big thing is I wish we had some more support," she said.
Topography of adventure
Ohiopyle is bisected by Route 381 and the Youghiogheny River, which attracted the Native Americans who inhabited the area centuries ago. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the name Ohiopyle is believed to be derived from "Ohiopehelle," a combination of Native American words that means "white, frothy water."
The National Road was built nearby in 1811, making the area more accessible to travelers.
A railroad reached town in 1871, and tourism in Ohiopyle was born. A hotel opened in 1879 on the Ferncliff Peninsula, but the advent of the motor vehicle ultimately led to its demise. The buildings were removed and the peninsula is now a National Natural Landmark, home to popular trails and a diverse ecosystem.
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Related:
—Daycation: Things quiet down in winter in Ohiopyle
—From 2021: Archaeology crew sifting through Ohiopyle State Park's past in search of cultural treasure
—From 2012: Ohiopyle long on history, short on infrastructure funds
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The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy purchased the parkland and sold it to the state in the mid-1960s. It was dedicated in 1971 and completely surrounds Ohiopyle Borough.
With 20,633 acres, Ohiopyle State Park is the largest in Pennsylvania in terms of acreage, said Ken Bisbee, who is in his 10th year managing 40 employees who oversee its unique topography highlighted by the iconic Falls steps from the visitor center.
Even with all that space to roam, visitors typically spend their time in the borough, at the water's edge and exploring Ferncliff Peninsula, though a new mountain bike trail system off Sugarloaf Road has pushed some out of town.
"This is a challenging park to manage both because of the resource and the congestion of people in that 1-square-mile area," Bisbee said.
Among its recreational opportunities and examples of natural beauty, Ohiopyle is known particularly for several things: world-class whitewater river rafting and kayaking; a stop on the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage trail between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Md.; a trailhead of the 70-mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail; Cucumber Falls; and natural rock slides.
DCNR director of outdoor recreation Nathan Reigner said the seamless transition from public lands to community "allows the park to have an oversized impact" on the town.
It's a perfect destination for families, and the businesses — vendors of food, alcohol, ice cream, clothing and trinkets, as well as outfitters — add to a visit, he said.
"I think we can take inspiration from that and try to build similar experiences" in state parks and forests, Reigner said. "Not every place can be Ohiopyle ... but it can be an inspirational model."
Under state law, the department contributes annual payments in lieu of taxes to taxing bodies where public land exists, including Ohiopyle Borough. The $6-per-acre payment is split among the municipality, school district and county, with each getting $1.20 per acre, said spokesperson Wesley Robinson. An additional 80 cents per acre for each taxing body is contributed from gambling revenue. Ohiopyle receives $224 for 112 acres.
"We just try to support the borough as much as we can," Bisbee said, noting that staff helped in recent years with a park and playground.
In 2020, PennDOT completed a $12.4 million project in Ohiopyle that redesigned Sugarloaf Road, added parking and pedestrian safety elements, replaced the Route 381 bridge and created an underpass from a new parking lot to the visitor center and water access point.
There are plenty of projects planned for upcoming years, Bisbee said, including an additional campground with full hookups, a redesign of the parking lot near Ferncliff Peninsula and the addition of solar panels to provide electricity. A boathouse in the Sugarloaf lot is under construction.
'Gorgeous' destination
There's no denying the beauty of Ohiopyle.
People are drawn from all over to experience it.
"It's kind of a one-stop, really fun day for people," Bisbee said.
Sandy Earle, 73, from Washington state bicycled on the Great Allegheny Passage through Ohiopyle last week on a trip from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. John Davis of Scott Township, near Pittsburgh, was on a much shorter route — 9 miles from Confluence to Ohiopyle and back. He regularly stays at Hanna House Bed & Breakfast in Confluence to get exercise and a respite from city life. Davis has been visiting the area for about 20 years.
"I work out of my office in the woods," he said while taking a break from pedaling.
Debbie McKinstry of Salt Lake City and her black Lab Maisie waited last week in her truck camper for husband Mark and their son Scott, who lives in Pittsburgh, to finish their second journey on the Yough River in as many days. The couple has visited Ohiopyle four times and completed the 150-mile section of the Great Allegheny Passage twice, she said.
"I like it. It's a nice little town, and it's pretty comfortable," she said. "The people are pretty easy-going."
It's a much different view from the beginning of the couple's road trip, which took them through New Mexico and Texas.
"It's just gorgeous," she said.
Evolving over decades
Locals know they have it good, though some remain perplexed why people from around the world come to their little town.
Becky Broadwater visited Stewart on the Green Community Park, a couple of blocks from the main drag, one day this month with her grandchildren and friends Jodi Victor and Cari Kessler, who are sisters. All three women live within a few miles of Ohiopyle and said they visit year-round, but only on weekdays or the off-season to avoid crowds.
On busy weekends, it's a madhouse.
"You can't find a parking space," Broadwater said.
"You have to be careful driving because people are crossing roads," Victor added.
Michele Solarchick-Akins' childhood home no longer stands in Ohiopyle, the town where she grew up, met her husband and married him in 1998.
"In the summer, it was busy and fun," she said. "Especially as teenagers, you had summer friends."
Solarchick-Akins worked for a couple of rafting outfitters and sometimes helped guide trips during high water, a role that led her to her husband, who also worked as a guide.
Back then, there weren't many places to stay, and Ohiopyle was a dry town. Now, there are lots of vacation rentals and, on busy days, rocks at the shoreline are littered with beach towels and sunbathers.
In October, she bought Oddly Enough boutique on Sherman Street, and she is regularly drawn to town for recreation.
"I think it's changed with the times but still trying to keep the small-town feel," Solarchick-Akins said.
Costly infrastructure
The borough's sewage system is "hydraulically overloaded," meaning there is more wastewater than it can handle, said Lauren Camarda, spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Protection's Southwest Regional Office.
"DEP will continue to engage with Ohiopyle as they determine how to address the overload and future system needs," she said.
The borough is under a 2019 consent order with the agency, which fined it $10,000 over issues with untreated sewage escaping the system and flowing into Meadow Run. That problem has been remedied, Camarda said.
The borough has "unique challenges," and it is expensive to maintain infrastructure such as the sewage plant, McCarty said. He has been mayor of Ohiopyle since the mid-1980s and more recently became a council member after another resident expressed a desire to be mayor. McCarty, president of Laurel Highlands River Tours and Outdoor Center, in the past few weeks resumed mayoral duties after that resident moved out of town.
He suggested the amount the state pays in lieu of taxes for the park land should be increased.
"For as many people that come here, we don't get any tax revenue from (them)," said Kruse, who operates Falls Market, a coffee shop and vacation rentals with a partner in addition to her duties on council.
Joseph, the fire chief who runs Paddler's Pizza and Ohiopyle Bakery & Sandwich Shoppe, suggested a countywide tax, similar to a sales tax, be tacked on to purchases to assist the borough and fire department, which had more than 100 medical calls in 2022, about half of its total annual call volume.
The callers behind those sprained ankles and snake bites don't realize the firefighters coming to their rescue are volunteers, he said. The department's budget comes solely from fundraisers, including a popular annual buckwheat/pancake event that pays expenses for the year. Posters with a QR code hung in local businesses meant to help visitors easily donate to the department haven't been as lucrative as hoped, said Joseph, whose three sons are firefighters.
"All of the funding comes on our own," he said.
The volunteers were bracing for Memorial Day weekend. They get great help from neighboring fire companies, Joseph said, but can't always return the favor if Ohiopyle is having a busy day or there are few firefighters available.
"We're grateful for the opportunity to have a holiday weekend the fire whistle does not blow," Joseph said.
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .
