Thanks to Kent Noble for the photo used above. (Click the above for large image of the new 2007 t-shirt.)

The Tenth Annual Over the Falls Festival will take place on August 23, 2008. Mark your calendars! Extra! Extra! "How to run a waterfall" clinic (sponsored by Wilderness Voyagers) to take place on Sunday, June 22, 2008! Read about it here. 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. See the Press Release for details. This year's Festival will be August 23, 2008, with a high-water cancellation date to be announced. We also hope to again have the "How to Run a Waterfall Clinics." Keep checking with this webpage for updates. Check out the photos from last year's event, from the official photographer, Outdoor Adventure Photography: Falls Race Upstream Race Read Barry Adams' 2007 Wrap-up Wrap! New! Post-race Article on the 2007 Falls Race in the Tribune-Review! Article on the 2007 Falls Race in the Herald-Standard Press Release, July 18, 2007 Read the Herald-Standard's article about the 2006 event! Last year's Sprint and Freestyle results Ohiopyle, PA – American Whitewater, the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds & Rivers, and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources announce that the Ninth Annual American Whitewater Ohiopyle Over-The-Falls Festival will be held September 15, 2007. Whitewater paddlers nationwide will gather there to race over the spectacular eighteen-foot waterfall in the picturesque mountain village of Ohiopyle. Spectators are invited to watch paddlers sprint and cartwheel, end-over-end, off the waterfall. In addition, we will again hold The Upstream World Championships. Other event features include the Falls Under Lights, a Film Festival, Town Party, Live Music (Slim Forsythe & the Parklane Drifters), Silent Auction and food booths. The area also offers biking, hiking, camping, magnificent scenery, photographic opportunities, history and cultural activities. Please visit www.FallsRace.com for more information and registration details. News Story about the 2006 Falls Fest from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Read Barry Adams' Post-Clinic Wrap-up Rap! Pre-race (2005) articles in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Shooting the Falls Park to consider expanding use of Ohiopyle Falls Registration: Everyone must complete and submit a signed Waiver in addition to a Registration Form or a Volunteer Form. Click on "Registration," below. 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 an 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 the registration page, below, for entry forms. We also need volunteers and have discounts and event T-shirts for volunteers.

Schedule:

Saturday, August 23
Registration will begin at 8 AM in Ohiopyle State Park.
9:00 AM – 12 Noon: Waterfall Practice Runs
12 Noon: Two competitions: Falls Race
200-yard whitewater course includes two-foot, four-foot and eighteen-foot drops.

After race - Freestyle – Kayakers will surf the rapids above the waterfall's eighteen-foot drop, and do routines and cartwheels competitively, end-over-end, off the edge for points. Waterfall practice runs will continue afterwards until 5:00 PM.

6:15 PM: Upstream Race on Entrance rapid on the Youghiogheny River

7:30 PM: Ohiopyle Town Party
The party will feature a paddling film festival, live music, food booths,exhibits and a silent auction. Slim Forsythe & the Parklane Drifters will play at the Town Party. In addition, lights will be cast on the eighteen-foot waterfall, making it a spectacular spectacle and party centerpiece.

Proceeds benefit American Whitewater and the Ohiopyle Stewart Volunteer Fire Co. High water date or cancellation dates August 27 or Sept 17-18. 

For additional questions contact Barry Adams at: bj2adams@juno.com or 412-242-4562. Volunteers needed. There is a discount and T-shirt for volunteers. This event is dependent on getting enough Safety boaters. We have lowered the fees and the time commitment for volunteers.

2006 T-Shirt Design

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 description
AW Lower Yough description
Previous Years' Race Results:
1999 2000 2001 2002 2004 2005 2006 2007

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.