Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway · PA-381 & PA-711

The heart of the Laurel Highlands: you leave Ohiopyle on PA-381, pass Fallingwater, Mill Run and Normalville, continue through Indian Head and Champion and take PA-711 through Donegal and Stahlstown to Ligonier. It's 35 miles of two-lane road through forest and farmland, with easy curves and a village now and then, fine for any pack. Ohiopyle and Ligonier both have coffee and food. Heads up: PA-711 is closed in Ligonier Township for a pipe replacement until early November 2026, so check 511PA before you ride.

This route rides part of the Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway, the tourism bureau's 68-mile drive on PA-381 and PA-711. It starts in Ohiopyle, the village at the center of Ohiopyle State Park, where the Youghiogheny River drops over 20-foot Ohiopyle Falls and the Great Allegheny Passage trail crosses the river on a high trestle. A few miles north, PA-381 passes Fallingwater, the house Frank Lloyd Wright designed over the falls of Bear Run for the Kaufmann family, built between 1936 and 1939 and now part of a UNESCO World Heritage listing.

Fallingwater is visited on guided tours booked in advance and is closed on Wednesdays, so plan ahead if you want to go in. The route ends in Ligonier, where Fort Ligonier, a 1758 British fort from the Forbes Expedition, has been rebuilt on its original site next to its museum. Keep in mind that PennDOT closed PA-711 in Ligonier Township, between Slater Road and Route 2045, from October 14, 2026 until early November for a pipe replacement, with a posted detour. Check 511PA before you ride.