Pennsylvania is blessed with 124 state parks. All are important and special in their own ways, one often being proximity to where one lives. Centre County is fortunate to have five state parks — Black Moshannon, Penn Roosevelt, Poe Valley, Poe Paddy, and the large Bald Eagle State Park.
All are special, but there are some state parks that I would elevate to the “super special” category. These are parks, such as Ricketts Glen with its 22 named waterfalls or the towering virgin forests in Cook Forest, that fit in this category. Last Sunday, I visited another park that I would add to that category because of its uniqueness.
Kinzua Bridge State Park is located in northern McKean County — part of the Pennsylvania Wilds. The park’s 339-acres are centered around what was once the tallest and longest railroad bridge in the world. The land and bridge were purchased by the state in 1963. The park opened in 1970.
My father was deeply interested in the history of Pennsylvania, and I actually visited the bridge as a youngster before it became a park. What has happened since is amazing. The forward-thinking vision of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has turned the park into a major tourist attraction.
History of the Kinzua Bridge
Construction of the Kinzua Bridge Viaduct began in 1881 and was completed in 1882. It was over 300 feet tall and 2,053 feet long. The bridge spanned a totally-forested Kinzua Creek Valley and was an alternative to building eight miles of additional track. Trains using the bridge hauled timber, coal, oil and people. As trains got heavier, in 1900, it became necessary to replace the original iron structure with stronger steel. It took 100 to 150 men only 105 days to complete the replacement.
Freight traffic was discontinued in 1959. Between 1987 and 2002, excursion trains took tourists from Marienville to see the bridge. During a 2002 inspection, it was determined that the bridge was unsafe, and it was closed to train and pedestrian traffic. Work began to refurbish the bridge the following year.
Tragedy struck on the afternoon of July 21, 2002, when a tornado with wind speeds over 100 mph struck the side of the bridge and toppled 11 steel towers that had formed the middle of the bridge. An investigation determined that the weak link allowing tornadic winds to topple the bridge involved the iron anchor bolts holding the bridge towers to their concrete supports.
A reimagined experience
The bridge was reimagined as the Kinzua Skywalk — built on the six restored towers that were spared by the tornado. The 600-foot-long, 225-foot-high walkway opened in 2011. It allows visitors to view the remaining part of the bridge on the opposite side of the valley and the twisted, toppled towers as they fell in 2002. You can even look straight down through Plexiglas panels at the end of the skywalk. The bird’s eye view of the valley below is breathtaking. A state-of-the-art visitor center opened in 2016.
The visitor center is quite impressive, with parts of the original iron bridge as well as salvaged steel. Large windows provide a great view of the skywalk. The visitor center has bronze statues of the men who made the bridge possible, 5-foot long model rail cars to demonstrate products hauled over the bridge and many historical photos. There is a nature room, interactive exhibits and a gift shop. Be sure to take in the short video that explains more of the bridge’s history than I can detail here.
If time permits, you can walk the steep trail to Kinzua Creek and cross the stream to walk among the wreckage. Note: the trail is labeled “most strenuous” by the park and the designation is no exaggeration.
The best time to visit is now
Fall is the most popular time to visit the park. Oct. 12 was a beautiful day and the park had an estimated 4,000 visitors. I was shocked to see over 100 cars in the parking lot on the following day — a rainy Sunday. The park estimated 3,000 visitors that day.
A planned evaluation was done regarding the Skywalk in September in preparation for improvements. Visit now, because the skywalk and the trail to the bottom will be closed for a multi-year project beginning Nov. 19. If all goes well, it will be reopened temporarily for the autumn 2025 fall foliage viewing. DCNR anticipates the project will be completed in fall 2027.
The leaves are beautiful right now and will continue to be so as the oaks take on their fall colors.
Centre County is considered the gateway into the Pennsylvania Wilds. Kinzua Bridge State Park is a 2.5-hour drive (112 miles almost due north) from State College — a pleasant drive with lots of color. Here’s a bonus for your trip there — nice country restaurants can be found in and around Brockway and Ridgway.
Mark Nale, who lives in the Bald Eagle Valley, is a member of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and can be reached at MarkAngler@aol.com.
