The Kinzua bridge viaduct was completed in 1882 and at the time was the highest railroad viaduct in the world. As trains got heavier after 1900, it became necessary to rebuild the entire iron structure out of steel. As freight traffic declined, its use was discontinued. In 1963 it was repurposed as a state park. Through the the 1980’s and 1990’s it carried excursion trains through the Allegheny National Forest. In 2002, it was determined that the rusted steel was in dire need of repair, the bridge was closed to all traffic, and restoration began soon after. In July of 2003, a tornado with wind speeds reaching 112 mph, struck the side of the Kinzua Viaduct. Eleven towers were torn from their concrete bases and thrown to the valley floor. Throughout all this, the structure and the vision of its creators prevails. Today, park visitors can walk on the tracks, view the beauty of the valley below, and glimpse the power of both nature and the human spirit. Though changed in nature, the Kinzua Viaduct is reborn.
I have visited this park several times, the first of which was on a scenic train trip across the bridge when it was still intact. Today, this is a wonderfully scenic stop in Northwestern PA. Follow along to see what we found to do!
Viaduct in Early Fall
My first visit after the Sky Walk opened was with 4 small kids in September of 2015. We didn’t hike the trail all the way down to Kinzua Creek, but we did enjoy the Sky Walk with its glass floor observation deck!
Viaduct in Summer
When the kids were a little older, we returned as a family to check out the newly opened visitor’s center and hike the roughly 1-mile roundtrip trail into the gorge. The visitor’s center had fantastic exhibits on the history of the bridge, the tornado that tore it down, and all the engineering feats in between! It also had restrooms and a gift shop. Outside near the parking area, a food truck is often parked, and picnic tables are plentiful.
Viaduct during peak Fall color
For my most recent visit, a friend and I tried to hit peak fall foliage. We visited the park on October 3rd. Considering my day job requires me to be an adventure travel weekend warrior, we may have missed peak by a couple of days. But is was still gorgeous!
The first weekend of October is probably the busiest of the year. Getting an early start helped with avoiding the crowds. It is also a pretty steep descent, so make sure that you are wearing appropriate shoes if you continue from the observation platform all the way to the creek.
Once back up at the top, the sun had come out in full force. We walked to the end of the Sky Walk one last time to see the foliage in full sun. Then headed out as the park began to fill up.
Directions to the parking area and visitor center can be found here.
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