Are you looking to get out of town for the day and don’t know where to go? I’m starting a new series of day trips from Pittsburgh to give you inspiration. First up, let’s go on a day trip from Pittsburgh to Laurel Caverns!
Sometimes I just can’t do the same old things we always do on the weekends. You just gotta change it up occasionally, you know? When the mood strikes to get out of town for the day, though, I often struggle to think of where to go. I’m guessing many of you are in the same boat, so I wanted to start a new series on Sara in Season that goes through day trip from Pittsburgh options.
First up, let’s head on down the National Road (Route 40) to visit Laurel Caverns. It’s approximately a one-hour drive from the south hills of Pittsburgh and as long as two hours if you’re coming from the north. This distance makes it the perfect day trip from Pittsburgh, whichever part of Pittsburgh you’re from.
Day Trip from Pittsburgh to Laurel Caverns
Background
Laurel Caverns is Pennsylvania’s largest cave. It contains over four miles of passages! Until recently, Laurel Caverns was privately owned and managed by the Laurel Caverns Conservancy. Although the Conservancy still runs the guided tours of the caverns, the land on which the cave sits was recently donated to the state of Pennsylvania to become the state’s first and only underground park.
How to get there
From Pittsburgh, you’ll head south to Uniontown, however that is best accomplished from your specific point of origin. From Uniontown, take Route 40 East to the top of Summit Mountain. It’s a steep one! When you reach the top, hang a right immediately past the Summit Inn onto Skyline Drive. You’ll follow Skyline Drive south for about 5 miles until you see the sign for Laurel Caverns State Park on your right.
In my experience, using the GPS was a little tricky. We opted to set the Summit Inn as our destination and then just followed the posted signs to Laurel Caverns from there.
Tour options
For those interested in touring the cave, you have two main options.
Maze tour
The most basic tour option is the Maze Tour, which is a 35-minute guided tour of the upper part of the cave. The passageways can be pretty tight, but there are no steps or super steep sections. Prices for the maze tour are $18 per adult, $16 per senior, $14 per youth, $12 per child, $4 per pre-schooler, and free for infants 2 and under. Military receive $4 off the price of admission.
Full lighted tour
If you want the full experience of the easily accessible part of the cave, you can continue on down 17 more stories when you opt for the full lighted tour. It lasts about an hour. I highly recommend the full tour if you are physically able to maneuver steps and steep inclines. Descending farther into the cave gives you some unique visual experiences and a waterfall.
Prices for the full lighted tour are comparable to the prices for the maze tour. It’s essentially $2 more per person to take the full tour, and the pre-schooler cost is the same. A worthwhile upgrade!
Extra tips
As always, I have extra tips to share from our day trip from Pittsburgh to Laurel Caverns that don’t fit nicely into a category. This will be the miscellaneous section.
Weather
Regardless of the weather outside, the temperature in the cave stays steady at about 52°F year-round. We wore jeans and sweatshirts and were perfectly comfortable during our hour-long tour.
Lunch
There aren’t a ton of options for grabbing lunch near Laurel Caverns. It’s on top of a ridge, after all! We packed a lunch on our day trip from Pittsburgh to Laurel Caverns, and it worked well. There are plenty of picnic tables near the parking lot and many other families had the same idea that we had. Just remember to clean up after yourself. Trash should go in the trash cans or be taken out of the park with you.
Gift shop
If you’re heading to Laurel Caverns with kids, be warned. There is a gift shop. Luckily, my kids were most interested in the sparkly rocks they had for sale, which were available for a reasonable price. It could be worse, but you should set expectations for souvenirs with your kids before you arrive.
Bonus stop: Fort Necessity
If you want to stretch your day trip from Pittsburgh to Laurel Caverns, considering adding on a second stop at Fort Necessity. You probably remember Fort Necessity from history class as the opening action of the French and Indian War and the world’s introduction to George Washington. If you’re like me, you don’t know much more. If you add a stop at Fort Necessity, you’ll learn much more!
Cost
There are no entrance fees at Fort Necessity. We love free!
Things to do
I highly recommend starting your time at Fort Necessity at the visitors center. They have a 20-minute introductory film that explains the history of the fort and the broader context for why the British and the French were in the area. It’s a well-done film. Even my 4-year-old paid attention. After the film concludes, there are a few displays in the visitors center to check out as well.
Once you finish inside the visitors center, head down the trail to the fort. There’s not a ton to see there, but the rangers are available for any questions and to provide some color to your visit. There are also occasional demonstrations of what it was like to be a soldier in the French and Indian War if you time your visit right.
Finally, you can walk to the Mount Washington Tavern, which was once a stop along the National Road. Now it’s a museum about life along the road and worth a quick stop.
Other posts
Looking for more family-friendly trips and activities? Check out these posts:
Have you added Laurel Caverns to your day trip list now? Where else should I explore on a day trip from Pittsburgh? Let me know down below or over on Instagram @sarainseason!