Ohiopyle seeking votes as Top Adventure Town for outdoors fun
Fans of Ohiopyle’s many outdoors activities can vote for it to be recognized as a Top Adventure Town.
Nominated by the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau, Ohiopyle is among 80 communities in contention for four final spots in the ninth annual contest conducted by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine.
The online contest is meant to spotlight towns in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions that appeal to outdoors adventurers.
Because it’s a hub for a broad range of outings — including river rafting, biking, hiking and fall foliage viewing — many may not realize that Ohiopyle’s visitors vastly outnumber borough residents: less than 60, according to recent U.S. Census statistics.
As such, it is among 20 nominees in the contest’s “Tiny Town” category. Competing small locales include: Berkeley Springs, Davis and Fayetteville, W.Va.; McHenry, Md.; and Virginia’s and North Carolina’s Hot Springs.
Ohiopyle supporters have until Monday to vote before 10 Tiny Town contenders are determined for the contest’s second round. Votes can be cast daily by visiting contests.blueridgeoutdoors.com.
Further weekly voting rounds — ending on Sept. 9, 16 and 23 — will narrow the field to five, three and then the category winner.
The four winners, including others in small, medium and large town categories, will be announced online and in an upcoming issue of the magazine.
“This is the first year we added a Tiny Town category,” said the magazine’s associate publisher, Katie Hartwell. While noting that smaller towns can have a strong fan base rallying behind them, she said, “There’s a huge difference if you have 500 people who live there or 5,000.”
Nominating Ohiopyle for the Top Adventure Town honor was a “no-brainer,” said Anna Weltz, director of public relations and community outreach for the Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau. She said the town has become a mecca for outdoors enthusiasts of every kind, including families.
She said visitors are arriving in the “thousands on any given spring, summer or fall weekend — or weekday, for that matter. It has a remarkable diversity of hiking and mountain biking trails. It’s synonymous with adventure.”
Regional trails that converge at the town include the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail and the Great Allegheny Passage that is popular with bicyclists and hikers.
Traffic and parking improvements are under way at the popular Ohiopyle State Park, to enhance convenience and safety for visitors.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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