BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I'm into swimming holes, but I know of none withine 20 miels. Crocked Creek Lake , about 50 miles from town, is the closest I know - there is a campground there. Raccoon Creek Lake is about the same distance, maybe less, but they will fine you $185 for swimming in off-hours/out-of-desgnated-area. (Don't ask me how I know this.) Swimming in the Yough at Dravo Cemtary campground isn't like a pond, but it isn't like swimming in the Mon, either. There is a waterfall into a pond canlled "Blue Hole" near Perryopolis, but I dont' recall how to get there and have never biked there.

I wasn't sure whether or not everything on earth was on the internet, but now I am. Directions at the bottom-most post: http://www.city-data.com/forum/pittsburgh/280644-seeking-blue-hole.html

If you look up Creek Falls on dirtopia (I can't post the link here, it got blocked) you'll see exact directions and a Google Map link. It's not far from the GAP, but there are some real hills in the way. But it says it's off limits now.

I was at that place once, maybe 15 years ago; I recall it being pretty neat, and well worth a trip to explore it. You can find some interesting discussions about it on the Pittsburgh Off Road message board, e.g., supposedly there is a steam locomotive or other rail car at the bottom of the hole, which is extremely deep. When I was there you could drive in from above the falls with a good 4 wheel drive, and I understand you can get there by following the creek and trails up from the village of Jacob's Creek. Friends went there a few times in the middle of summer and reported a pretty rowdy scene: imagine the parking lot of a Kenny Chesney concert, but replace the police and security with a dirty-looking guy carrying an SKS rifle or something equally serious. If access from upstream is now blocked I would guess that it's not so bad in that regard. The last mile of Indian Creek in Fayette County, just before it empties into the Yough (across the river from Camp Carmel), was a similar place. It was very pretty, but on a hot summer day it was a redneck party scene. I think there are some good pools in the stream, but there is no easy way to get there by bike. However, someone posted a link recently about work on extending a bike trail to that area from upstream, which would be a very good thing.

The thought of something unseen at the bottom of deep water that I can't see into gives me the freaking willies just reading about it on a computer screen. Brrrr. I like pools.