May weather in SW Pennsylvania? Recommended "deep forest" photo sites?

[paullgj]

How is the weather in western PA right now and for May? Rainy and cloudy I hope? I'll be there in a few weeks to do some hiking and waterfall photography around Ohiopyle and Laurel Ridge. The cloudy overcast weather greatly helps with this type of photography. I plan to do some hiking in the deep forest - looking for that "stream in the forest" type of photograph. Besides Laurel Ridge (Forbes State Forest) and Ohiopyle, I'm planning Bear Run Nature Reserve near Ohiopyle. Are there any other recommended sites in the area? I have five days for the trip.

 

[Rick A]

This is a good question for Winger to answer, I know there are plenty of places to go, but I'm in north central, and dont know the names of the parks. I think "Falling Water" would be super, other than that, I'm at a loss for places.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

There's a book out there on waterfalls in the mid-atlantic. I completely forget the title (although I think I have it at home). Look that up and it will give you plenty of good resources. There are quite a few parks in that part of the country that would fit the bill, as well as venturing a few miles south into Maryland and West Virginia (Swallow Falls State Park is on the upper reaches of the Youghiogheny river, and has two very different waterfall types within a short hike of one another. (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

edit:

I found the book - Waterfalls of the Mid-Atlantic States: Maryland-Pennsylvania-New Jersey

 

[winger]

I would suggest 2 days for Ohiopyle - there are lots of streams along trails (assorted difficulty). Linn Run State Park, Forbes State Forest, and another near Forbes (I can't remember the name right now, but it's right next to it) are all full of streams with some waterfalls and plenty of other pretty spots.
Weather is barely predictable 2 or 3 days out, so all bets are off trying to guess what it'll be like in a few weeks. Today was sunny and in the 70s while tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and in the 50s. Weather forecasts are not frequently correct here, I've noticed (and I'm comparing to New England). Trees have started turning slightly green in some places, so it'll be looking fairly decent in a few weeks (hopefully). Things will start a little later in the highlands (like Ohiopyle), so I'm not sure how far along things are there. I do know there are trillium along the trail up behind Cucumber Falls in Ohiopyle and sooner in a park called Cedar Creek near route 51 in the Smithton area.
Hope this helps!

edit - Laurel Hill State Park. Here's a link for the state system - Dead Link Removed