Rivers and Streams

The South Fork of the Little Conemaugh River in the foreground with the South Abutment rising above.

NPS

The South Fork of the Little Conemaugh River, also known as the South Fork Creek, flows through the park and the remains of the dam. This rocky, shallow stream is approximately 20 feet wide with a swift current, especially in the spring. It was deemed an adequate water source for the South Fork Dam when construction began in the 1830s. It is one of the bigger creeks that flows down from the Allegheny Mountains, doubling the size of the others. It was one of the best trout streams in the state of Pennsylvania during the days of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club. It is the tributary of the Little Conemaugh River, where it joins in South Fork. From the South Fork Dam to Johnstown, following the river, is 14 miles.

John Parke, resident engineer at the Club House in the summer of 1889, described the South Fork Creek on May 31 as "a perfect torrent, sweeping through the woods in the most direct course, scarcely following its natural bed, and stripping branches and leaves from the trees five and six feet from the ground." -The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough.

The South Fork of the Little Conemaugh River can be viewed from the North and South Abutments and the Visitor Center.

Learn about the environmental impacts on the South Fork of the Little Conemaugh River.