The Ninth Annual American Whitewater Ohiopyle Over The Falls Festival
Sat, August 25, 2007
Cancellation date, in case of high water: Sept 8, 2007

Thanks to Kent Noble for the photo used above.

Ohiopyle Falls Update as of July 18 Although there has been a lot of discussion with Ohiopyle State Park, and we are optimistic about expanded access to the Falls, things are moving very slowly. We will not be having our tentatively scheduled Ohiopyle Clinic on July 22, 2007. See the Press Release for details. This year's Festival will be August 25, 2007, with a high-water cancellation date of September 15, 2007 if we need it. We also hope to again have the "How to Run a Waterfall Clinic" with tentative dates of July 22 or August 5, 2007. Keep checking with this webpage for updates. We have also presented another proposal to the Park to open Ohiopyle Falls up on a limited bases on other dates. Keep checking with this Web page for updates on all the above. Official date for the 2007 Event: August 25, 2007 (High-water Cancellation Date: Sept 8, 2007.) Read Barry Adams' 2005 Post-Festival Wrap-up Rap! Extra! News Story about the 2005 Falls Fest! from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 2005 Winners Compleat Race Results Photos of Previous Falls Events from Everclear Images Pre-race articles in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Shooting the Falls Park to consider expanding use of Ohiopyle Falls Info Sponsors Registration: Everyone must complete and submit a signed Waiver in addition to an Entry Form or a Volunteer Form. Entry Form (requires the Acrobat reader) Waiver (requires the Acrobat reader)  Minor Waiver (for participants under Age 18; requires the Acrobat reader) Volunteer Form (for those not intending to run the Falls) Classes and Prizes Registration form for Falls-running Clinics, July 8 & August 5 (requires the Acrobat reader) Waivers for the Falls Clinics will be posted as soon as we receive them--or participants will be asked to complete them at the clinics. Camping 2005 T-Shirt Design Last year's Silent Auction

(Click the above for large image of the 2005 t-shirt design.)

This is an opportunity to experience Pennsylvania's highest-profile recreational assets. It offers rail-trail biking, mountain biking, hiking, camping, magnificent scenery, photographic opportunities, history and culture. It's a non-competitive invitation to come out and do it, then party afterwards. The venue includes the rail-trail that connects Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., a matrix of trails in Ohiopyle State Park and the 70-mile Laurel Highlands Trail. Three sections of the Youghiogheny River offer all levels of rafting, kayaking and canoeing.

The Festival will bring in whitewater paddlers from all over the country to run and race over the spectacular eighteen-foot waterfall in the picturesque mountain village of Ohiopyle. Spectators can watch paddlers sprint and (freestyle) cartwheel, end-over-end, off the eighteen-foot waterfall. Experienced amateur paddlers provide edge-of-your-seat entertainment all weekend with recreational runs.

See registrations form for entry above. Fees have been substantially decreased this year and pre-registration discounts (by Aug. 13) are available. We also need volunteers and have discounts and events T-shirts for volunteers.

Schedule:
Saturday, 9 AM - Noon: Falls Practice Runs (open to racers and registered Falls-runners)
Saturday, Noon: Falls Race
200-yard whitewater course includes, two-foot, four-foot and eighteen-foot drops.
Saturday, following the Falls Race: Freestyle
Low-volume kayaks surf the rapid above the eighteen-foot drop in routines for points and cartwheel, end-over-end, off the edge.
Practice Runs continue after the competition.
Saturday evening: The Annual Entrance Upstream Race
The hardcore wildwater racers paddle from the Lower Yough putin down to the end of Entrance Rapid--and then back upstream to the putin! This machopaddler event is Ohiopyle's answer to the mountain stages at the Tour de France, as paddlers compete for the honor of Ohiopyle's Alpha Male (or Female). Click here for info. 

IMAX footage shot during the Falls races in 2000 opens "Pittsburgh's Big Picture," a signature film for the region, that was shown at the Carnegie Science Center's Omnimax Theater through 2005.
The event arena is the 19,000-acre Ohiopyle State (Super) Park. Ohiopyle businesses will hold a town party on Saturday Evening. The centerpiece for the party will be the eighteen-foot waterfall under lights. Event features include a Paddling Film Festival, music, booths of food and a Silent Auction. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PADCNR) and the Pennsylvania Organization of Watersheds and Rivers (POWR) will have exhibits and information about PA's exciting natural arenas, Greenways, and outdoor sojourns.

Ohiopyle State Park
AW Ohiopyle Falls StreamKeeper Page
AW Lower Yough StreamKeeper Page
Previous Years' Race Results:
1999 2000 2001 2002 2004 2005

Article: History of the Ohiopyle Falls Race, by Barry Tuscano (184k; requires the Acrobat reader)
This Event Weekend will benefit American Whitewater's Access Programs and local community and environmental causes chosen by PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Email
Race organizer Barry Adams
Ohiopyle Falls WebBoy Matt Muir