Where Does the Yough Go? Following the River from the Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico

If you spend much time in Ohiopyle, you get used to hearing the river divided into three sections: the Upper Yough, the Middle Yough and the Lower Yough.

It sounds simple enough.

But here’s the thing: those three sections are surprisingly different. And the story of the Youghiogheny River doesn’t begin in Ohiopyle. It starts more than 100 miles away, and the water that runs past us here will eventually end up in the Gulf of Mexico.

So let’s follow the river.

It Starts in the Mountains

The Youghiogheny River begins high in the mountains near the Maryland-West Virginia border.

From there, it starts making its way north through Maryland and into Pennsylvania.

Long before it reaches Ohiopyle, though, the river’s flow is influenced by a couple of major water projects. And one of them plays a particularly important role in creating one of the most challenging whitewater rivers in the East.

The Upper Yough Gets a Little Help from Hydroelectric Power

Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland was created as part of a hydroelectric power project.

Water stored in the lake is sent through a tunnel to a powerhouse along the Youghiogheny River. As the water drops through the system, it turns turbines to generate electricity. The water then continues downstream into the Youghiogheny.

That matters to whitewater boaters because scheduled releases from Deep Creek Lake provide much of the flow that makes the Upper Yough what it is.

The Upper Yough is the steep, technical Class IV-V section of the river. It’s a completely different experience from what most visitors see when they come to Ohiopyle.

And the interesting part is that the river hasn’t changed.

It’s the same Youghiogheny.

It’s just getting a very different start.

The river continues north into Pennsylvania, where another major project changes its journey again.

The Youghiogheny Dam

Near Confluence, Pennsylvania, the Youghiogheny River reaches the Youghiogheny Dam.

Completed in 1943, the dam created Youghiogheny River Lake, primarily as a flood-control project. The reservoir holds back water during periods of heavy rainfall and helps regulate the flow of the river downstream.

It also produces hydroelectric power.

And for those of us who spend time on the river in Ohiopyle, there’s another important part of the story.

The releases from the Youghiogheny project help provide the flow for the Middle Yough.

Which brings us to a common misunderstanding.

The Middle Yough Isn’t the Middle-Difficulty Yough

If you hear “Upper, Middle and Lower Yough,” it’s pretty easy to assume that the Middle Yough must be the middle level of whitewater.

It’s not.

The Middle Yough is actually the calmest of the three sections.

It’s generally Class I-II water, with gentle rapids, a steady current and plenty of time to enjoy the scenery.

It’s a great section for families and for people who want to spend a day on the river without tackling the bigger whitewater found on the Upper and Lower sections.

So don’t let the name fool you.

The Middle Yough isn’t the “intermediate” Yough.

It’s the mellow one.

And eventually, the river reaches Ohiopyle.

That’s where the personality of the river changes again.

Ohiopyle Falls Changes Everything

If you’ve ever stood on the observation deck in Ohiopyle and watched the Yough pour over Ohiopyle Falls, you’ve seen the beginning of the Lower Yough.

The falls mark a pretty dramatic change.

Below them, the river becomes the Class III whitewater that has made Ohiopyle famous with rafters.

For about seven miles, the Lower Yough winds through the gorge, dropping through one rapid after another.

This is the river most people picture when they think about whitewater rafting in Ohiopyle.

But there is something else unusual about the river right here.

It takes a very big turn.

The Yough Makes a Giant Loop

At Ohiopyle, the river makes a remarkable horseshoe-shaped loop around Ferncliff Peninsula.

If you look at a map, it almost looks as though the river changes its mind.

It comes down through the falls, makes a huge turn, and then continues north.

You don’t really appreciate just how unusual the shape of the river is until you see it from above.

And then, after making that big loop, the Yough simply keeps going.

Because Ohiopyle isn’t the end of the river.

It’s not even close.

The Yough Keeps Going

The river continues north from Ohiopyle through the Laurel Highlands.

It passes through Connellsville and keeps working its way toward the Pittsburgh area.

Eventually, at McKeesport, the Youghiogheny meets the Monongahela River.

The Monongahela continues north into Pittsburgh, where it meets the Allegheny River at Point State Park.

And that is where the Ohio River begins.

From there, the water heads west.

The Ohio joins the Mississippi River, and the Mississippi carries the water south.

All the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

Which is a pretty remarkable destination for water that started as a little mountain stream near the Maryland-West Virginia border.

One River, Three Very Different Sections

It’s easy to think of the Upper, Middle and Lower Yough as three separate rivers because they offer such different experiences.

The Upper Yough is steep, technical and heavily influenced by scheduled releases from the Deep Creek hydroelectric project.

The Middle Yough is the calmest section, with Class I-II rapids and a much more relaxed character.

Then the river reaches Ohiopyle Falls and becomes the Lower Yough—a seven-mile stretch of Class III whitewater.

Same river.

Very different personalities.

And that’s what I find most interesting about the Yough.

The water that eventually carries a raft through a Lower Yough rapid has already traveled a long way.

It has started in the mountains.

It has passed through lakes and hydroelectric projects.

It has been held back by dams and released downstream.

It has traveled through Maryland and Pennsylvania.

It has gone over Ohiopyle Falls and around Ferncliff Peninsula.

And when it leaves Ohiopyle, it still has a long way to go.

McKeesport.

Pittsburgh.

The Ohio River.

The Mississippi.

And finally, the Gulf of Mexico.

All from one river that runs right through the middle of Ohiopyle.