Autumn at Ohiopyle Falls

Ok I admit it. After just one non-waterfall post, I'm back at it again.  Pennsylvania has an abundant supply of surface water and a very hilly topography.  Add that together and you can find lots of waterfalls in the state.  I have visited Ohiopyle State park several times this year and I find something new each time.  Ohiopyle is thought to have been derived from the American Indian word ohiopehhla which means white frothy water.  

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Hell's Hollow

This weekend was awesome!  I had made a good commitment to get some great photos over the Columbus Day weekend.  I ventured up to McConnell Mills State Park again and I took an early morning hike to Hell's Hollow trail.  I have seen some great pictures of the trail and the waterfalls on the web, so I figured I'd check out the fall foliage.  I was quite surprised to see that even though it is fall, there was still water of the Hells Run Creek flowing over the rock features.  Well this was my favourite one of the morning.  I used a 5 stop Neutral Density filter to get a 45 second exposure at f/5.6 and my trusty warming polarizer to cut the glare on the rocks.

Fall and Motion

Today I took a trip to one of the nearby Pennsylvanian State Parks near Pittsburgh.  The Fall foliage is slowly developing so I wanted to do some scouting of the area for some great scenes.  I visited McConnell's Mill State Park north of Pittsburgh,PA.  The Slippery Rock Creek Gorge is the cause for the attraction as it brings lots kayakers to the area.  So I liked the way the yellow leaves, flowing water and red fallen leaves all come together. I used a 5-stop Neutral Density filter to obtain a 5 second exposure at f/8 and a warming polarizer to make the colors pop and cut the glare on the water.

Taughannock Falls from the Base

I decided to take the lower pathway that went to the base of the Taughannock Falls.  It was only a 25 minute hike that was flat in elevation.  I was unhappy with the views from the viewpoint at the base.  I hopped over the retaining wall and I was able to get a better perspective.  I love the gracefulness of the water dropping 215 ft to the ground with the detailed rock backdrop.  With some luck, I managed to wait for the cloud to fill the bluesky triangle.

©Matt Graham 2010 - Taughannock Falls from the Base

Taughannock Falls Viewpoint

I really wanted to see Taughannock Falls.  In the travel brochure I had, it said that these falls are the tallest east of the Rocky Mountains!  Amazing! A waterfall higher that Niagara Falls??  You bet!  These falls are 215 feet (65 metres) and makes it 33 feet (15 metres) taller than Niagara Falls! This is from the viewpoint from the upper parking lot.  I was amazed by the beauty and powerful nature of this waterfall so I decided to walk down to it. More on that in tomorrow's post!

©Matt Graham 2010 - Taughannock Falls Viewpoint

Rainbow Falls

Heading up the gorge at Watkins Glen State Park, I was still amazed at the scenery and the great photo opportunities that came upon me.  Here is Rainbow Falls.  It is a famous scene that a lot of tourism brochures used and actually encouraged me to visit!  I like how there is a little shelter on the left for people that do not want to get wet as the walk under the falls!

©Matt Graham 2010 - Rainbow Falls

Cavern Cascade Pathway

As I said in my previous blog post, Cavern Cascade is a waterfall that you can walk under to get to the next level of the gorge. It's quite cool to walk under a huge volume of water falling right over your head.  The stairs in the foreground spiral up through a manmade opening which is quite the feat!

©Matt Graham 2010 - Cavern Cascade Pathway

Cavern Cascade

This is the first amazing waterfall at the Watkins Glen State Park.  It is called Cavern Cascade and to get up to next level of waterfalls you have to walk behind the waterfall.  It is a 60 foot plunging impressive waterfall! 

©Matt Graham 2010 - Cavern Cascade