Bear Run Nature Reserve Professional Review and Guide

"There are a number of highlights on this hike. The trail begins in a pristine stand of pines, continues on gently rolling grassy roads, and finally leads to a heart-stopping view into the 1,700-foot-deep Youghiogheny River Gorge. Returning from the gorge, you pass Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece.

The Bear Run Nature Reserve is a 5,000-acre natural area owned and maintained by The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. On the east side of the reserve, you’ll find gently rolling grassy terrain, the visitor center, and a bulletin board of information about the trails. Across PA 381, on the western side of the reserve, it’s rugged, rocky terrain that ends at the Youghiogheny River Gorge. Here you’ll also find an unusual treat for a woodland hike: The conservancy also owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous structure Fallingwater, built of local sandstone and cantilevered over a waterfall on Bear Run."

--John L. Young, Hiking Pennsylvania (Falcon Guides).