List of Pennsylvania Scenic Byways

Last updated

Pennsylvania Scenic Byways
System information
Formed2001 [1]
Highway names
Interstates Interstate X (I-X)
US Highways U.S. Route X (US X)
State Pennsylvania Route X (PA X)
System links
Pennsylvania Byway marker along the US 202 Parkway Pennsylvania Byway marker on 202 Parkway.jpg
Pennsylvania Byway marker along the US 202 Parkway

The Pennsylvania Scenic Byways system consists of 20 roads recognized for their scenic or historic qualities.

Contents

History

In 1991, the National Scenic Byways Program was created by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, in which roads that were designated state scenic byways could be designated a National Scenic Byway. In the early 1990s, Pennsylvania used federal funding to create the Pennsylvania Scenic Byways program. The state underwent a State Scenic Byways study, with four byways created by the Pennsylvania State Legislature. In 2001, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's Program Management Committee created a scenic byway program. The first byway to be designated under this program was the Kinzua Scenic Byway in McKean County. [1]

Byways

Blue Route

The Blue Route north of US 1. I-476 north of US 1.JPG
The Blue Route north of US 1.

The Blue Route Scenic Byway follows I-476 between I-95 in Chester, Delaware County and the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-276) in Plymouth Meeting, Montgomery County. The byway provides access to many sites in and near the Brandywine Valley in Delaware County including Ridley Creek State Park, Media Theatre, the Brandywine River Museum, Tyler Arboretum, and the Pennsylvania Veterans Museum. [2]

Brandywine Valley

The Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway follows PA 52, former PA 100, and PA 162 in Chester and Delaware counties. The byway runs through the countryside of the Brandywine Valley, providing access to attractions such as Longwood Gardens and the Brandywine River Museum. [3]

Bucktail Trail

The Bucktail Trail Scenic Byway runs along PA 120 from Ridgway, Elk County east to Lock Haven, Clinton County. The byway passes through forested areas of the Pennsylvania Wilds, passing through St. Marys and serving Kettle Creek State Park. [4]

Conestoga Ridge

The Conestoga Ridge Byway runs along PA 23 between US 322 in Blue Ball and PA 10 west of Morgantown, passing through farmland in Lancaster County along with the communities of Goodville and Churchtown. The byway was designated in 2013. [5] [6]

Crawford Lakelands

The Crawford Lakelands Scenic Byway runs from Jamestown to Linesville in Crawford County, following PA 285, PA 618, PA 18, and US 6. The byway runs through rural areas, serving Conneaut Lake Park and Pymatuning State Park. [7]

Delaware River Valley

The Delaware River Valley Scenic Byway runs from Easton to Riverton in Northampton County, following PA 611, Little Creek Road, PA 611, and Belvidere Highway. The byway runs through rural areas of farmland along the west bank of the Delaware River. [8]

Exton Bypass

The Exton Bypass Scenic Byway follows the Exton Bypass portion of US 30 bypassing Exton in Chester County. The byway is located near the historic Lincoln Highway and is near points of interest including the QVC Studio Tour, the American Helicopter Museum, and Fox Leap Vineyards. [9]

Gateway to the Endless Mountains

The Gateway to the Endless Mountains Scenic Byway runs along US 6 in Tunkhannock, Wyoming County. The byway is in the Endless Mountains region and provides access to various sites including the Dietrich Theater in Tunkhannock and the Bird Song Winery in Dushore, Sullivan County. [10]

Governor Casey

The Governor Casey Scenic Byway runs along the US 6 freeway in Lackawanna County between I-81 in Dunmore and PA 247 in Jessup. The byway provides access to historical sites including Steamtown National Historic Site, the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum, and the Lackawanna Coal Mine. [11]

Grand View

The Grand View Scenic Byway runs along Grandview Avenue, McArdle Roadway, and Sycamore Street in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County. The byway features views of downtown Pittsburgh and provides access to sites such as the Monongahela Incline, the Duquesne Incline, and the Mount Washington overlook. [12]

High Plateau

High Plateau Scenic Byway along PA 144 in Noyes Township, Clinton County Wisps.jpg
High Plateau Scenic Byway along PA 144 in Noyes Township, Clinton County

The High Plateau Scenic Byway follows PA 144 between Snow Shoe, Centre County and Renovo, Clinton County. The byway runs through the Sproul State Forest and serves sites such as the Two Run Rock Vista, Fish Dam Run Scenic View, Chuck Keiper Trail, Cranberry Swamp Natural Area, and St. Severin's Old Log Church. [13]

Journey Through Hallowed Ground

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Scenic Byway runs along US 15 and US 15 Bus. from the Maryland border to Hunterstown in Adams County. The byway passes through Gettysburg, a historic town where Gettysburg National Military Park is located. [14] The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Scenic Byway is part of a National Scenic Byway called the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway that continues south from Pennsylvania to Monticello, Virginia. [15]

Kinzua

The Kinzua Scenic Byway runs along SR 3011 between US 6 and PA 59 in McKean County. The byway provides access to Kinzua Bridge State Park, the site of the Kinzua Bridge. Nearby the byway is Bradford, which is home to Crook Farm Homestead and the Zippo/Case Visitors Center. [16]

Lake Wilhelm

The Lake Wilhelm Scenic Byway runs along Creek Road in Mercer County, serving Maurice K. Goddard State Park, which is home to Lake Wilhelm. [17]

Laurel Highlands

The Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway runs along PA 381 and PA 711 from the West Virginia border in Fayette County north to Seward in Westmoreland County. The byway runs through rural areas of the Laurel Highlands, providing access to Ohiopyle State Park, Fallingwater, Kentuck Knob, Laurel Caverns, and Fort Ligonier. [18]

Lebanon Cornwall

The Lebanon Cornwall Scenic Byway follows PA 419 between Cornwall and Newmanstown in Lebanon County. The byway runs through the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, serving the Middlecreek Wildlife Preserve, the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail, and the Cornwall Iron Furnace. [19]

Longhouse

Longhouse National Forest Scenic Byway marker along PA 321 Pennsylvania State Route 321 southbound past PA 59.jpg
Longhouse National Forest Scenic Byway marker along PA 321

The Longhouse National Forest Scenic Byway follows a loop along PA 321, PA 59, and Forest Road 262 in Warren and McKean counties. The byway is located in the Allegheny National Forest, passing by the Allegheny Reservoir. [20] [21]

National Road

The National Road Scenic Byway follows the historic National Road along US 40 between the West Virginia and Maryland borders in Washington, Fayette, and Somerset counties. The byway serves historical sites including Fort Necessity National Battlefield, the Brownsville Northside Historic District, and Bowman's Castle. [22] The byway is also part of an All-American Road called the Historic National Road. [23]

Seaway Trail

The Seaway Trail Scenic Byway runs from the Ohio border to the New York border in Erie County, following US 20, PA 5, PA 5 Alt., Bayfront Parkway, PA 5 Alt., and PA 5, where the Seaway Trail continues into New York. The byway provides access to many sites along Lake Erie, including Presque Isle State Park, the Erie Maritime Museum, the Presque Isle Lighthouse, the 1867 Land Lighthouse, Mazza Vineyards, the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, and the USS Niagara. [24] The Seaway Trail is also a National Scenic Byway. [25]

U.S. Route 202 Parkway

The U.S. Route 202 Parkway Scenic Byway follows the US 202 parkway between PA 63 in Montgomery Township, Montgomery County and PA 611 in Doylestown Township, Bucks County. The parkway contains a shared-use path and is designed to blend in with the physical surroundings. [26]

Viaduct Valley Way

The Viaduct Valley Way Scenic Byway passing under the Tunkhannock Viaduct Compared to the town.JPG
The Viaduct Valley Way Scenic Byway passing under the Tunkhannock Viaduct

The Viaduct Valley Way Scenic Byway follows PA 92 between Tunkhannock, Wyoming County and Lanesboro, Susquehanna County. The byway provides access to two railroad viaducts, the Starrucca Viaduct and the Tunkhannock Viaduct, along with the Susquehanna County Historical Society Museum and The Florence Shelly Preserve. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

A Pure Michigan Byway is the designation for a segment of the State Trunkline Highway System in the US state of Michigan that is a "scenic, recreational, or historic route that is representative of Michigan's natural and cultural heritage." The designation was created with the name Michigan Heritage Route by the state legislature on June 22, 1993, and since then six historic, seven recreational and seven scenic byways have been designated by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), and another two have been proposed. These byways have been designated in both the Upper and Lower peninsulas of the state. The current name was adopted on December 30, 2014, and it references the Pure Michigan tourism marketing campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Scenic Byway</span> United States category of road

A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Congress in 1991 to preserve and protect the nation's scenic but often less-traveled roads and promote tourism and economic development. The National Scenic Byways Program (NSBP) is administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 52</span> State highway in Chester County, Pennsylvania, US

Pennsylvania Route 52 is a 11.8-mile-long (19.0 km) state highway located in southeast Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at the Pennsylvania-Delaware state line near Kennett Square, where the road continues as Delaware Route 52. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 322 Business in West Chester. Near the Kennett Township community of Longwood, it has about a 1-mile (1.6 km) wrong-way concurrency with US 1. PA 52 passes through suburban and rural areas along its route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 59</span> State highway in Pennsylvania, US

Pennsylvania Route 59 is a 39-mile (63 km) long state highway located in northwest Pennsylvania. The route links Warren to Smethport, terminating at U.S. Route 6 at both ends. PA 59 acts as a northerly bypass to US 6, directly connecting Warren and Smethport while US 6 dips south to serve Kane and Mount Jewett.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 92</span> State highway in Pennsylvania, United States

Pennsylvania Route 92 is a 66-mile-long (106 km) north–south state highway located in northeast Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 11 in West Pittston. The northern terminus is at the New York-Pennsylvania border in Oakland Township, where the road continues northward as New York State Route 79 (NY 79).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Lakes Seaway Trail</span> Scenic route along Lake Erie in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania and New York

The Great Lakes Seaway Trail, formerly named and commonly known as the Seaway Trail, is a 518-mile (834 km) National Scenic Byway in the northeastern United States, mostly contained in New York but with a small segment in Pennsylvania. The trail consists of a series of designated roads and highways that travel along the Saint Lawrence Seaway—specifically, Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the Saint Lawrence River. It begins at the Ohio state line in rural Erie County, Pennsylvania, and travels through several cities and villages before ending at the Seaway International Bridge northeast of the village of Massena in St. Lawrence County, New York. It is maintained by the non-profit Seaway Trail, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware Route 52</span> State highway in New Castle County, Delaware, United States

Delaware Route 52 (DE 52) is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. The route runs from U.S. Route 13 Business in downtown Wilmington north to Pennsylvania Route 52 (PA 52) at the Pennsylvania border near Centerville. DE 52 runs through the city of Wilmington and passes through areas of the Brandywine Valley north of Wilmington. DE 52 intersects Interstate 95 (I-95)/US 202 and DE 2 in Wilmington and DE 100/DE 141 and DE 82 in Greenville. The entire route is designated as part of the Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway and Delaware Byway, while most of the route is also designated as part of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway of the Delaware Byways system. The road was built as the Kennett Pike, a turnpike, between 1811 and 1813. The Kennett Pike was bought by Pierre S. du Pont in 1919 and was widened and paved before being sold to the State of Delaware for $1. The road received the DE 52 designation by 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delaware Route 100</span> State highway in New Castle County, Delaware, United States

Delaware Route 100 (DE 100) is a state highway in New Castle County, Delaware. The route runs from DE 4 near Elsmere to the Pennsylvania border near Montchanin, where it continues into Pennsylvania as State Route 3100. The road runs through suburban areas of northern New Castle County. The route intersects DE 2 in Elsmere before forming separate concurrencies with DE 48 and DE 141 from west of Wilmington north to Greenville. In Greenville, there is an interchange with DE 52. North of Greenville, DE 100 continues by itself to the Pennsylvania border, intersecting DE 92 in Montchanin. DE 100 was first designated in the 1930s to run from DE 52 to the Pennsylvania border, where it connected to Pennsylvania Route 100 (PA 100) until the southern terminus of that route was truncated away from the state line in 2003. By the 1970s, it was extended south to DE 4. The route was realigned to follow parts of DE 48 and DE 141 by 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 842</span> State highway in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States

Pennsylvania Route 842 is a state highway in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The route runs from PA 841 in West Marlborough Township to U.S. Route 322 Business in downtown West Chester. PA 842 runs through rural areas with some development between PA 841 and West Chester as a two-lane undivided road. Along this stretch, the route forms a concurrency with PA 82 in Unionville, where it intersects the western terminus of PA 162. In West Chester, PA 842 is routed along one-way streets. PA 842 was first designated by 1928 between PA 82 in Unionville and US 122/PA 5/PA 62 in West Chester. The route was extended west to PA 841 in 1937.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pennsylvania Route 321</span> State highway in Elk and McKean counties in Pennsylvania, United States

Pennsylvania Route 321 (PA 321) is a 43.8-mile-long (70.5 km) state highway located in Elk and McKean counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 219 (US 219) in the community of Wilcox. The northern terminus is at PA 346 within the Allegheny National Forest. PA 321 heads northwest from Wilcox through rural areas to the borough of Kane, where it forms a brief concurrency with US 6. North of here, the route passes through the national forest and runs along the shore of the Allegheny Reservoir. PA 321 runs east briefly with PA 59 before winding north through more forest to its northern terminus. A portion of the route along the Allegheny Reservoir is designated as the Longhouse National Scenic Byway, a Pennsylvania Scenic Byway and National Forest Scenic Byway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dinosaur Diamond</span> Scenic road in Utah and Colorado in the United States

The Dinosaur Diamond is a 486-mile (782 km) scenic and historic byway loop through the dinosaur fossil laden Uinta Basin of the U.S. states of Utah and Colorado. The byway comprises the following two National Scenic Byways:

The Santa Fe Trail Scenic and Historic Byway is a 188-mile (303 km) National Scenic Byway and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in Prowers, Bent, Otero, and Las Animas counties, Colorado, USA. The byway follows the Santa Fe National Historic Trail through southeastern Colorado and connects to the 381-mile (613 km) Santa Fe Trail Scenic Byway in New Mexico at Raton Pass, a National Historic Landmark at elevation 7,834 feet (2,388 m). The byway visits Amache National Historic Site and Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, both National Historic Landmarks, and winds between the Spanish Peaks and Raton Mesa, both National Natural Landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trail of the Ancients</span> National Scenic Byways in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, United States

The Trail of the Ancients is a collection of National Scenic Byways located in the U.S. Four Corners states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. These byways comprise:

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area is a federally designated National Heritage Area in portions of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia.

Minnesota Scenic Byways are a system of roads in the U.S. state of Minnesota which pass through areas of scenic, cultural, or recreational significance. There are currently 22 scenic byways in the system with a total length of 2,948 miles (4,744 km). Eight of these byways are also designated as National Scenic Byways, and the North Shore Scenic Drive is further designated as an All-American Road.

References

  1. 1 2 "Pennsylvania Byways History". PennDOT. Archived from the original on December 25, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  2. "Blue Route". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  3. "Brandywine Valley". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  4. "Bucktail Trail". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  5. "Pennsylvania Byways" (PDF). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  6. Reilly, P.J. (October 22, 2012). "Route 23 stretch designated a heritage byway". LancasterOnline. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  7. "Crawford Lakelands". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  8. "Delaware River Valley". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  9. "Exton Bypass". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  10. "Gateway to the Endless Mountains". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  11. "Governor Casey". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  12. "Grand View". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  13. "High Plateau". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  14. "Journey Through Hallowed Ground". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  15. "Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway". National Scenic Byways Program . Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  16. "Kinzua". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  17. "Lake Wilhelm". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  18. "Laurel Highlands". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  19. "Lebanon Cornwall". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  20. "Longhouse National". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  21. "Longhouse Scenic Byway". National Scenic Byways Program . Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  22. "National Road". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  23. "Historic National Road - Pennsylvania". National Scenic Byways Program . Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  24. "Seaway Trail". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  25. "Great Lakes Seaway Trail". National Scenic Byways Program . Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  26. "U.S. Route 202 Parkway". VisitPA.com. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  27. "Viaduct Valley Way". VisitPA.com. Retrieved March 27, 2012.