Heritage Areas

The second of twelve state-designated heritage parks in the Pennsylvania Heritage Parks Program, it tells the story of the western Pennsylvania’s early western Pennsylvania’s early industrialization through constellations, each representing a theme or era in the history of the Ridge– The Canal Era, Conquering the Ridge, Steel City, and The Kingdom of Coal.

Experience the fun of a whitewater rafting trip or a biking excursion through the Lehigh River Gorge between White Haven and Jim Thorpe or stop at nearby Hickory Run State Park and take in the vast sea of rock at Boulder Field, a remnant of the last ice age and a designated National Natural Landmark.

The Endless Mountains Heritage Region has been called Pennsylvania’s best-kept secret. As the region’s name implies, the landscape features a blanket of rolling hills, interspersed with charming historic towns, hamlets, farmsteads, pastures, and peaceful rambling roads.

The Lackawanna Valley’s story is both unique and distinctly American. Settled in the early 1800s, the rugged frontier valley rapidly grew to be a hub of commerce and manufacturing because of the enormous anthracite coal reserves just below the surface.

The journey is just as important as the destination-where road warriors can experience nostalgic America at its best.  The 200-mile Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor beckons you to ride the same ribbon of asphalt and concrete as your grandparents.
 

Come enjoy the starry skies with fellow astronomers at Cherry Springs State Park, canoe through the “Grand Canyon” of Pennsylvania or simply enjoy the peace and quiet of the Susquehanna Wild Area and learn about the history and heritage of our relationship with the forests along the way.

Conceived and built in the first half of the 19th century, it was the National Road that opened up the land west of the Alleghenies and allowed a budding nation to expand its boundaries westward.

Know where the first oil well was drilled? Not Texas: it was in a picturesque Pennsylvania valley in Venango County. The discovery shaped the nation and changed the world.

Pennsylvania Route 6 experience encompasses eleven counties, stretches over 400 miles across northern PA and encounters many of the Keystone State’s historic treasures and scenic places.

Discover the legacy of Big Steel as you explore the Pittsburgh area and the river valleys of southwestern Pennsylvania and the heritage of America’s Second Industrial Revolution.

The Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania’s first designated Scenic River, is central to the story of the colonization and industrialization of America.

Throughout American history, Lancaster and York Counties and the Susquehanna River Valley have played a key role in the development of our nation’s political, cultural and economic identity.