One of Pennsylvania’s best views is scheduled to reopen for two months of prime leaf-peeping season.
Kinzua Bridge State Park’s Skywalk is scheduled to be open Sept. 1 through Oct. 31. The overlook in Mount Jewett, McKean County, is undergoing a multiyear rehabilitation project and has been closed for much of the past two years.
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources cautioned visitors that the skywalk and the Kinzua Creek Trail could be closed because of weather conditions or maintenance operations and to observe posted signage around the areas. The trail will open to visitors Sept. 5 through Oct. 31.
During the two-month opening, the DCNR said Kinzua Creek Trail will end at the southern bank of Kinzua Creek because a foot bridge was lost during recent heavy rains. Access to the northern side of Kinzua Creek is prohibited until further notice.
The park is scheduled to close again Nov. 1 so work can resume.
Visiting Kinzua Bridge State Park
Parking tends to fill quickly on weekends, the DCNR said, and on days when capacity has been reached, additional visitors will be turned back at the gate. “Gate closures will be conducted as a series of rolling closures throughout the day and will occur based upon observed visitor numbers,” the DCNR said. Visitors are not permitted to park elsewhere and walk into the park on Viaduct Road during such closures.
Those who enter the park from the MJ2KB section of the Knox & Kane Rail Trail should use trailheads outside the park and bike in.
Weekday visits are less likely to be affected, the DCNR said. Check the park’s website or Facebook page or call the park office at 814-778-5467 for status updates.
What to know about Kinzua Bridge State Park
The park is focused around the skywalk, which rises 301 feet above the valley floor. The viaduct on which it is built once was the longest and tallest railroad structure in the world, the Times-News previously reported. A tornado partially demolished the structure in 2003, and the skywalk was opened in 2011.
What’s being done to the Kinzua Bridge State Park skywalk?
The Erie Times-News previously reported that the project includes
- removal of decking and railroad ties to access the towers;
- the addition and replacement of steel “where thinning has occurred;”
- reinstallation of railroad ties and decking;
- installation of new plexiglass at the viewing area;
- handrail replacement; and
- blast-cleaning and paint of all steel.
