meadow run
overview
39.85405 / -79.49749 Following these coordinates will lead to the primary parking area within Ohiopyle State Park, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, for the Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only (DHALO), Keystone Select portion of Meadow Run. Fishing from here is “walk-in” via the Cascades Trail and Meadow Run Loop Trail. Reach the parking area from SR 2011, also known as Dinner Bell Road. Rte. 40 provides access to Dinner Bell Road from the south. SR 381 provides access to Dinner Bell Road from the north, at the Borough of Ohiopyle.
stream Access
Additional parking within the DHALO, Keystone Select section can be found about a half-mile farther north at the “Natural Water Slides,” a popular swimming area in hot weather. Follow Dinner Bell Road north to its intersection with Rte. 381, then turn right (north) and continue north a short distance toward Ohiopyle Borough. Parking is on the right if headed north. Even more parking within the Special Regulation section is provided near the whitewater rafter staging area upstream. From the coordinates provided above, proceed south on Dinner Bell Road for a quarter-mile, then turn right onto a dirt road. Parking lies along the creek ahead. These parking areas provide more convenient access to fishing. But be careful of slippery rocks and precarious footing at the “Water Slides” area downstream.
The origin of the name “Meadow Run” is not clear, although the stream originates in what was once a mountaintop bog (a meadow?) atop Chestnut Ridge, near the village of Chalk Hill to the southwest. The bog was long ago excavated, dammed, and made into a lake for a private residential development that surrounds the lake. The lake’s outflow continues to be the primary source of Meadow Run, though the stream receives the major tributary, Beaver Creek, just upstream from Ohiopyle State Park boundary.
DHALO KEYSTONE SELECT
The entire 2.2-mile DHALO Keystone Select span flows within Ohiopyle State Park so is open to public fishing. Fishing is open year-round, but no trout may be killed or possessed except during the period from June 15 to Labor Day, when the creel limit is three (3) trout, minimum size 9 inches.
Meadow Run is a singularly appealing, moderately sized stream, with some large cascades, and many stretches of fast runs, interspersed with intimate pools. Large boulders accent the flow. A good system of marked trails (most with yellow blazes) follow the stream throughout the state park. The downstream end of the DHALO section is at Meadow Run’s mouth at the impressive Youghiogheny River confluence—a good place to hook into a large, holdover “river” brown or rainbow.
The Fish and Boat Commission stocks Meadow Run twice each spring and once in the fall. Rainbow and brown trout are planted. Some large trout also ascend Meadow Run from the Youghiogheny River.
Meadow Run holds trout well throughout the summer, despite sometimes warm water leaving the lake upstream at Meadow’s origin. Beaver Creek tributary helps maintain temperatures, as well as large hemlocks lining the banks, treated against the scourge of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid by Ohiopyle State Park and volunteers from the Chestnut Ridge Chapter, Trout Unlimited.
Hatches
Insect hatches reflect the primary species and emergence dates expected in the region, with an improving green drake hatch in late May over recent years.
ATTRACTIONS
Nearby points of interest include Ohiopyle State Park, Bear Run Nature Reserve and Fallingwater, Fort Necessity National Battlefield, and several attractive wineries.