Kinzua Bridge State Park

Scenic Views: The bridge overlook gives great views of the viaduct and the Kinzua Creek Valley. The accessible overlook is great for viewing fall foliage and the Kinzua Creek Valley. Peak viewing times are the first two weeks of October.

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Picnicking: The picnic area has shaded picnic tables, water and a modern restroom. A picnic pavilion with electricity may be reserved up to 11 months in advance for a fee. If unreserved it is free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Make a reservation.

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Hunting: About 100 acres are open to hunting, trapping and the training of dogs during established seasons. Common game species are deer, bear and turkey. Hunting is not permitted from the bridge. Adjacent State Game Land 62 is open to hunting and general recreation.

Hunting woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, is prohibited. Dog training is only permitted from the day following Labor Day through March 31 in designated hunting areas. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and regulations apply. Contact the park office for ADA accessible hunting information.

Use extreme caution with firearms at all times. Other visitors use the park during hunting seasons. Firearms and archery equipment used for hunting may be uncased and ready for use only in authorized hunting areas during hunting seasons. In areas not open to hunting or during non-hunting seasons, firearms and archery equipment shall be kept in the owner's car, trailer or leased campsite. The only exception is that law enforcement officers and individuals with a valid Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms may carry said firearm concealed on their person while they are within the park.

Complete information on hunting rules and regulations in Pennsylvania is available from the Pennsylvania Game Commission Web site.

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Access for People with Disabilities

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If you need an accommodation to participate in park activities due to a disability, please contact the park you plan to visit.

 

This photo gallery contains images from after a tornado knocked down the Kinzua Viaduct. The images are .jpg versions. Click on the photo to enlarge it.

 

Men in hardhats survey the fallen steel towers of the Kinzua Viaduct.	The wooden planking of the bridge abruptly ends revealing the valley floor and fallen towers of Kinzua Viaduct.	A tree is twisted and broken.
Men look at the twisted metal that is left after a tornado destroyed Kinzua Viaduct.	Snapped off, twisted trees litter the day use area of Kinzua Bridge State Park.	Railroad rails bend down to the valley floor which is covered in knocked down trees at Kinzua Bridge State Park.
A twisted steel tower has fallen atop the railroad ties of Kinzua Viaduct.	Trees and branches litter the day use area.	The overlook is covered in tree leaves and in the distance is the fallen viaduct.
A tower lies on its side on the valley floor.	Trees are knocked down on a hillside next to the bridge.	Railroad tracks dive off the edge of the viaduct where it has been knocked down by a tornado.
Railroad tracks are bent down into oblivion off of the end of the broken viaduct.	Towers lie on the valley floor showing how they were twisted down by the tornado.	A huge pile of twisted steel girders lie on the valley floor.
Toppled towers lie crumpled next to standing towers of the Kinzua Viaduct.	A huge steel tower lies on its side amidst debris.	A huge steel girder lies bent, surrounded by debris.
A massive steel girder is twisted and bent.	Men are dwarfed by the fallen towers and hill.	A massive steel girder is nearly ripped in two.
In this aerial photo the blown-down trees, fallen towers and remaining viaduct are visiable.	This aerial photo shows the sides of the remaining viaduct and the fallen towers.	This aerial photo clearly shows the path of the tornado down one hillside, through the viaduct and up another hill.

 

Placement of the stone bases began in 1881 while the ironwork and entire bridge were completed in 1882. At the time, the Kinzua Viaduct was the highest railroad viaduct in the world. It was constructed as an alternative to laying an additional eight miles of track over rough terrain along the line leading to McKean County’s coal, timber and oil lands.

Built of iron, the original viaduct was 301 feet high, 2,053 feet long, and weighed 3,105,000 pounds.

Around 1900 it became necessary to rebuild the entire structure with steel to accommodate heavier trains. That May, about 100 to 150 men working ten-hour days completed the job in 105 days. The new steel viaduct had the same measurements, but now weighed 6,706,000 pounds.

Freight traffic ended in 1959. In 1963, Governor William Scranton signed a law that created Kinzua Bridge State Park. The park officially opened in 1970. In 1977, Kinzua Viaduct received national recognition when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks.

Beginning in 1987, excursion trains traveled from Kane, PA through Allegheny National Forest, stopping on Kinzua Viaduct before returning to its point of origin.

Although the bridge received periodic inspections, it was not until a February 2002 DCNR inspection that engineers decided that the structure needed a full-scale inspection. In June, DCNR barred excursion trains from the bridge.

As the inspection continued, engineers found that sections of steel were rusted through. In August, the bridge was closed to all traffic, including pedestrians.

Engineers determined that high winds could create lateral pressure on the bridge. The wind hitting the bridge could shift the center of gravity, increasing the weight on one side. Such an event could send the whole bridge crashing to the bottom of Kinuza Gorge.

Beginning in February, 2003, W. M. Brode Co. of Newcomerstown, Ohio, a national leader in railroad bridge construction and repair, began working to restore Kinzua Viaduct.

On Monday, July 21, 2003, at approximately 3:15 p.m., an F1 tornado (wind speed 73 – 112 mph) struck the side of Kinzua Viaduct. Eleven towers from the center of the bridge were torn from their concrete bases and thrown to the valley floor. Fortunately no one was seriously injured.

Today, park visitors can once again walk a portion of the Kinzua Bridge. Built on six original towers (now restored and repaired), a pedestrian walkway (skywalk) leads to a 225-foot high observation deck that gives a towering view of the Kinzua Gorge. A partial glass floor in the deck reveals a breathtaking glimpse into the steel structure of the bridge. The eleven twisted and scattered bridge towers blown over by the tornado remain at the bottom of the gorge for visitors to view from the deck railings. A grand opening was held on September 15, 2011.

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Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation

Believing that each generation is responsible for leaving behind a better legacy of good conservation, the Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation (PPFF) was created in 1999 to give supporters and users of Pennsylvania's parks and forests a positive way to contribute to the conservation of our publicly-owned properties. The Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation welcomes the support of individuals and businesses who share a commitment to conserving, protecting, and enhancing the natural, scenic, and recreational areas of this commonwealth. www.paparksandforests.org

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Education Programs

We love when young people ask us how to get involved!

DiscoverE has programs for young people ages 4 to 17, provided by Pennsylvania State Park educators. By combining recreation and education, we hope to motivate children to learn more and return often, leading to a lifetime of outdoor enjoyment and conservation leadership. 

In Watershed Education, teachers and students assess water quality of a local stream on a quarterly basis and develop strategies to solve local water quality problems. 

ECO Camp - Exploring Careers Outdoors - is a week-long residential camp for a cross-section of high school youth from across Pennsylvania, sponsored by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). Participate in action-packed, hands on activities and recreational adventures in Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests that expose youth to conservation, recreation and careers in natural resources. Learn how people make a living working in the outdoors.

Explore education for more information on these and other programs.

Explore the Calendar of Events to find a program near you.

iConservePA

Do you take conservation personally? iConservePA is a Web site managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources whose vision is to inspire citizens to value their natural resources, engage in conservation practices and experience the outdoors. Take conservation personally.

Come Work with Us

Pennsylvania State Parks and the Department of Conservation and Natrual Resources offer a wide range of civil service and non-civil service jobs, from foresters, to rangers, to engineers, to educators, to botanists and so much more. Learn what is currently available.

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Kinzua Bridge State Park

Nearby Attractions

Information on nearby attractions is available from the Allegheny National Forest Vacation Bureau. www.visitanf.com

Explore Pennsylvania Wilds

Pennsylvania Wilds is two million acres of public lands for hiking, biking, fishing, boating, hunting and exploration in northcentral Pennsylvania. Within the twelve-county region are: 29 state parks, eight state forest districts (1.3 million acres); 50 state game lands and Allegheny National Forest (500,000 acres). www.pawilds.com/index

Maps and Downloadables

Below are many of the maps and publications for this park. You can read them or download them and might need special software (all free) to view the publications.

You must have the free Adobe Reader to view the maps and brochures that are in pdf format (.pdf).

Alternate versions of the text of the brochures are in rich text and text formats. Click on the files to view them. To download (.rtf) files:
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Recreational Guide

Kinzua Bridge State Park Map (.pdf) (249 kb, 3/11) 
Kinzua Bridge State Park Recreational Guide (.pdf) (486 kb, 4/13)
    large print version of the guide text (.rtf)

Interactive GIS Map

The interactive map uses Geographic Information Systems to create a map that does not need to be downloaded and features driving directions, searchable park amenities and customizable maps. Please note that the background maps are maintained by a variety of public sources.