The Youghiogheny River, or the Yough River for short, is a tributary of the Monongahela River, approximately 122 mi (195 km) long, in the U.S. states of West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. It drains an area on the west side of the Allegheny Mountains northward into Pennsylvania, providing the drainage for extreme western Maryland in the watershed of the Mississippi River.
Upstream from Confluence, Pennsylvania, approximately 6 mi (10 km) north of Pennsylvania border, the river is impounded by the 184 ft (56 m) high Youghiogheny Dam to form the Youghiogheny River Lake, a reservoir that stretches upstream into northern Maryland. The dam was completed in 1944 primarily for flood control.
In the colonial era and in the early United States, the valley of the river provided an important route of access through the mountains for settlers and military forces from Virginia to the Ohio Country of Western Pennsylvania. In 1754, as a militia officer of the British colony of Virginia, George Washington followed the river in an attempt to find a water route to Fort Duquesne, then held by the French.
During the uncommonly severe winter of 1787-88, American pioneers to the Northwest Territory departed New England and cut trails westward through the mountains. At Sumrill’s Ferry, present-day West Newton, Pennsylvania, on the Youghiogheny River, the men built flatboats which carried them down the Youghiogheny River to the Monongahela River, and then to the Ohio River, and onward to the Northwest Territory.
A former pioneer fort at Somerville, Pennsylvania was inundated by the building of the Youghiogheny Dam. Perryopolis in northern Fayette County, Pennsylvania is the site of the George Washington Grist Mill. The Youghiogheny River Trail follows the river in southwestern Pennsylvania southeast of Connellsville.
Fallingwater, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is located in the river valley southeast of Connellsville.
A portion of the river in Maryland has been set aside by the state as Youghiogheny Scenic and Wild River.
The Youghiogheny is popular for whitewater kayaking and rafting. Three sections of the river, varying in difficulty, are available on a predictable basis for whitewater recreation:
The Youghiogheny is also known for fishing, having brown and rainbow trout, as well as smallmouth above the power plant discharge.
The Youghiogheny River, or the Yough River for short, is a tributary of the Monongahela River, approximately 122 mi (195 km) long, in the U.S. states of West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. It drains an area on the west side of the Allegheny Mountains northward into Pennsylvania, providing the drainage for extreme western Maryland in the watershed of the Mississippi River.
Upstream from Confluence, Pennsylvania, approximately 6 mi (10 km) north of Pennsylvania border, the river is impounded by the 184 ft (56 m) high Youghiogheny Dam to form the Youghiogheny River Lake, a reservoir that stretches upstream into northern Maryland. The dam was completed in 1944 primarily for flood control.
In the colonial era and in the early United States, the valley of the river provided an important route of access through the mountains for settlers and military forces from Virginia to the Ohio Country of Western Pennsylvania. In 1754, as a militia officer of the British colony of Virginia, George Washington followed the river in an attempt to find a water route to Fort Duquesne, then held by the French.
During the uncommonly severe winter of 1787-88, American pioneers to the Northwest Territory departed New England and cut trails westward through the mountains. At Sumrill’s Ferry, present-day West Newton, Pennsylvania, on the Youghiogheny River, the men built flatboats which carried them down the Youghiogheny River to the Monongahela River, and then to the Ohio River, and onward to the Northwest Territory.
A former pioneer fort at Somerville, Pennsylvania was inundated by the building of the Youghiogheny Dam. Perryopolis in northern Fayette County, Pennsylvania is the site of the George Washington Grist Mill. The Youghiogheny River Trail follows the river in southwestern Pennsylvania southeast of Connellsville.
Fallingwater, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is located in the river valley southeast of Connellsville.
A portion of the river in Maryland has been set aside by the state as Youghiogheny Scenic and Wild River.
The Youghiogheny is popular for whitewater kayaking and rafting. Three sections of the river, varying in difficulty, are available on a predictable basis for whitewater recreation:
The Youghiogheny is also known for fishing, having brown and rainbow trout, as well as smallmouth above the power plant discharge.
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