Mckean County: Kinzua Bridge, Trails and History

At the Kinzua Viaduct, the walkway extends 600 feet along the remaining support towers. Along the way, you can look out over Kinzua Gorge; at the end, a partially glass-floored platform offers a view straight down. The 339-acre Kinzua Bridge State Park in Mckean County is home to the redesigned viaduct. Alongside this striking destination, the county offers trails, local history, and museums with a range of focuses.

Kinzua Bridge and Outdoor Trails

Kinzua Bridge State Park is open daily year-round from 8:00 a.m. until sunset. Weather and maintenance work may affect individual facilities and access to the walkway. It is therefore a good idea to check current notices before your visit. The Visitor Center and Park Office offer views, self-guided exhibits, and information about the surrounding area. Visitors can fish for native brook trout in Kinzua Creek. The Kinzua Bridge Scenic Byway is designated as a shared corridor for hikers and cyclists. The reservoir known as Kinzua Dam, which is named Allegheny River Reservoir, is also part of the landscape: it covers 7,647 acres and lies partly in Mckean County.

The trails vary in length and layout. The Community Parks Trail in Bradford is an easy, 3.4-mile paved loop. It connects the city’s parks, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford campus, and the Historic District. The R.E. McDowell Trail in Bradford, by contrast, is a 1.4-mile paved point-to-point trail with moderate inclines. Features include a trout-stocked stream, bridges, benches, and a pavilion.

Other routes offer different lengths and highlights: The North Country National Scenic Trail west of Bradford is designated for backpacking, hiking, and camping and extends 96.3 miles. The Rimrock Overlook Trail is 1.3 miles long and features a scenic overlook. The accessible Timberdoodle Flats Interpretive Trail consists of two loops totaling 1.75 miles. Near Bradford, the Crook Farm Trail is a three-mile loop for hiking; in Kinzua Bridge State Park, the 1.6-mile General Kane Trail is designated as an easy hiking trail. The Kinzua Valley Trail is designated for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, and dispersed camping and extends 10.5 miles. The Potato Creek Trail System connects directly to Allegheny National Forest and the surrounding Mckean County trail systems.

Local History and Regional Culture

In Smethport, the Smethport Mansion District Walking Tour uses a numbered map to guide visitors through the village streets to more than 30 selected properties. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on the tour is an example of English Gothic Revival architecture; it was designed by William Halsy Wood. The Melbury House on the tour once served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, a network that helped enslaved people escape north. In Bradford, Main Street is part of the Historic District; mansions dating from the oil boom stand along Congress Street. The History Trail connects historic attractions in Smethport, Port Allegany, Eldred, Bradford, Mount Jewett, and Kane.

Several museums explore the region’s history from different perspectives. The Zippo/Case Museum covers 15,000 square feet and houses a Zippo repair clinic and a Zippo/Case flagship store. The Eldred World War II Museum presents the history of World War II and features special wartime exhibits. It also highlights a munitions factory that operated in the Eldred area during the war. The museum’s Robert A. Anderson Library contains more than 8,500 volumes, including rare and out-of-print books.

The McKean County Historical Society’s Old Jail Museum is housed in a renovated former jail and serves as an educational resource that shares stories of local communities. The Society’s museum displays the Emery-Lewis firearms collection, Civil War objects, and exhibits on early industry. The Historical Society’s cultural program includes history walks, bus trips, lectures, reenactments, dinner theater, and festivals; dates for individual programs may vary. The Penn-Brad Oil Museum tells the story of the development of the world’s first billion-dollar oil field through people, equipment, and stories. Serenity Glass Park explores the history of glassmaking in Port Allegany and also highlights the importance of the natural gas and lumber industries to the community. At the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, Bromeley Family Theater presents concerts, theater, dance, and community performances year-round.

When choosing a hotel, you can first decide whether your trip will focus more on trails and views, local history, or museums and cultural events. The type of trail also offers a practical planning guide: Bradford has a loop and a point-to-point route, while the North Country National Scenic Trail covers a much longer distance.

Discover more destinations: Mount Jewett, Bradford, Schuylkill County, Bedford, Carbon, Adams, Clearfield, Lebanon.

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