Using this book as your guide, you can take yourself to over 40 places that provide outdoor adventure, exploration and fun in a relatively small part of Pennsylvania called the Laurel Highlands. Within this mountainous area covering about 40 miles north-south and 20 miles east-west, one can visit an eclectic mix of destinations that all offer a delightful and intriquing nature experience.

Nowhere else can the nature traveller find such an unusual range of nature-oriented activities. From the largest wind farms in the eastern US, to the best whitewater river fun in the country, to two organic Frank Lloyd Wright houses, to 70 miles of totally pristine bicycle trails where trains once rumbled along, to cross country skiing on wooded ridgetops that average ten feet of snowfall annually, to hiking along sparkling clean rivers and waterfalls, outdoor enthusiasts of all ages can find plenty to see and do year round in the Laurel Highlands. Active sports like hiking, biking, and swimming can be as extreme or as easy as one chooses, while places like waterfalls or the Wright houses offer opportunities for peaceful relaxation in idyllic natural settings.

Whether this is your first introduction to this most remarkable area, or you have been here before, this guide describes enough activities to keep anyone busy for days or weeks. An appendix is provided at the back of the book to give precise directions to and from all destinations, sparing the reader the wasted time and frustration in getting lost. If you are interested in nature, the outdoors, and the excitement of nature-oriented travel, this book will surely surprise and delight you. Prepare yourself for a journey into the realm of lush forests and magical mountains. . . in Pennsylvanias Laurel Highlands.

Above Left- The front door to Kentuck Knob, the organic house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1953. You can take a guided tour of the home, the 70-acre property, and the outdoor sculpture collection of the new owner, Lord Peter Palumbo of Great Britain.

Above - High on Laurel Ridge, a person is dwarfed by the 200 foot towers of the Mill Run Wind Farm near Bear Run Nature Reserve and Fallingwater. The Laurel Highlands have recently become home to the largest wind farms east of the Mississippi River, generating clean, renewable electricity.

Above Right - The view midway along this wonderful level trail, 60 miles long, spanning the Laurel highlands from Meyersdale, Pennsylvania westward to Connellsville, Pennsylvania. From Connellsville, you can continue another 50 miles to Pittsburgh on trails once used by trains crossing the mountains. Soon, the 20-mile section from Meyersdale to Cumberland, Maryland will be completed, finalizing the 300-mile trail connection from Mt. Vernon, Virginia to Pittsburgh and beyond.