Liston School Road is the gateway this beautiful area way off the
beaten path. It is quite popular with the locals but you probably
won’t find it in any tourist brochures. This mostly unpaved road
runs through State Gamelands #51 about 6 miles from Dunbar in
Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It has some rough spots but you
should be able to make it in an ordinary passenger car if you are
careful and take it slow. Do not attempt if there is snow or ice
because there is no winter maintenance. The road dead ends down at
Camp Carmel on the Youghiogheny River which is smack dab in the
middle of nowhere. It will be a very long walk back to civilization
if you end up stranded there. Please use the waypoints listed below
to guide you in to the first stage of this cache hunt. Some of
these waypoints are for navigational purposes only but others are
scenic points of interest that you may want to check out while you
are in the neighborhood. Three of them are located close to stages
in the cache hunt. The first, second, and third stages contain a
clue and coordinates for the next stage. Please let me know if
there are any problems. Your feedback is always appreciated.
Note: This area is currently under the stewardship of the
North Summit Hunt Club. You may not rock climb, camp, picnic, hunt,
carry firearms, or drive offroad vehicles on the property EVEN IF
THERE IS AMPLE EVIDENCE THAT OTHERS HAVE BEEN DOING IT! ATTEMPT
THIS CACHE AT YOUR OWN RISK. YOU ARE 100% RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN
SAFETY. THE LANDOWNER WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS
TO YOUR DUMB BUTT!
Directions: Follow Dunbar-Ohiopyle Road for approximately
5 miles from Dunbar and turn onto Kingan Hill Road by going
straight when the main road makes a hairpin turn to the right. This
road will take you directly to Liston School Road (no sign) which
begins (I think) at the very busy intersection of Kingan Hill and
Greenbriar Roads. Follow your GPS from here to the first stage of
the cache hunt. Good Luck!
Waypoints and Bonus Virtual Caches
39° 55.956', -79° 33.274' Turn from Dunbar-Ohiopyle Road to
Kingan Hill Road
39° 55.725', -79° 31.855' Junction of Kingan Hill and Greenbriar
Roads
39° 55.854', -79° 31.407' Pavement Ends
39° 56.132', -79° 31.291' Site of Liston School. This
one-room schoolhouse was still standing when I first visited this
area about twenty years ago. The road was unpaved and in very rough
shape the whole way in to this point and there were even fewer
people living back in this area at this time. I always wondered who
would have gone to school in this place. It is evidence that there
was a village or town in this area once upon a time.
39° 56.544', -79° 31.270' Laurel Furnace. This impressive
ruin of an old stone blast furnace was known as the New Laurel
Furnace (1812-1838). The Old Laurel Furnace (1797-1812) was about
one mile up the creek from this location. These furnaces produced
some of the iron for the Hampton
Forge Ironworks which was about one mile down the valley and across
the river from here. There was also a major logging operation in
this area from 1901 to 1906. The sawmill and lumber camp were at
this site and a narrow gage railway ran from here down to and
across the Youghiogheny River to the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad.
39° 56.981', -79° 30.591' Strip Mine. Park here. Stage #1
of the cache hunt is nearby.
39° 57.313', -79° 30.552' The Moon (aka Mount Elijah).
There is a panoramic 360° view from this hilltop. Look for the
windmills. There should be ten of them. Stage #2 of the cache hunt
is nearby.
39° 57.175', -79° 30.730' Krahlick Rocks (aka Craylick
Rocks, Gap Rocks). This is the highest natural rock outcrop that I
know of in southwestern PA. Enjoy the view! It is very popular with
climbers. It is likely that you will see some of them if you follow
the trails along the rim. Watch your step! Stage #3 of the cache
hunt is nearby.
39° 57.045', -79° 30.822' The Swimming Hole. This
waterfall and swimming hole were featured on the KDKA television
program “Evening Magazine”. It has been called the best secret
swimming hole in the Pittsburgh Area. The water is about 7 to 8
feet deep. Expect that it will be COLD. It is possible to slide
down the waterfall or jump from a high ledge. The final stage of
the cache hunt is nearby.
