It may sound a little cliché but when I think of camping at Kinzua two things come to mind; peace and tranquility. Cliché or not this is exactly what we get every time we camp at Kinzua.
We like to camp as much as possible during the summer months in Northern PA. While we always have a great time, quite often some of our trips are missing the staples or, tenants of camping, as I like to think of them. As I stated previously, peacefulness; this would include not only your physical surroundings but an overall mental state as well. In other words the ability to let go and relax. My wife would say that my other ‘must have’ would be electric, but that’s not always the case. A lateral step to peacefulness would be tranquility; the fresh air, the smell of wood smoldering in the firepit, and the late night s’mores dripping with chocolate and marshmallow. These are some of the things that fuel my desire to camp and these can be found in abundance at Kinzua, well, the s’mores you will have to make on your own.
Our journey to Kinzua takes us around 3 hours but don’t let that discourage you. Once you find yourself in the thick of the Allegheny Forest you find that whatever distance you may have traveled was well worth it. As you wind through the mountainside you are greeted with breathtaking beauty that, if nothing else, certainly validates your journey.
We stayed at the Kiasutha Campground this year. This campground sits about halfway up of what seems like Mt. Everest. Kiasutha offers sites for under $30.00 with water sites also available if you book early enough. A swimming beach and playground are also situated on the property and even extra picnic areas in case you want to have a day by the water.
After setting up we built a fire, had a beer and relaxed. I would recommend this course of action for everyone and don’t worry if you brought kids they are usually more than happy to get away at this point. We spent the rest of that night ‘relaxing’.
Day two arrived and we were feeling ambitious. Fishing pools in hand we decided to rent a boat and try our luck at the reservoir. In the past we would have opted to go skiing but someone doesn’t trust me to pull them on her skis anymore, I won’t mention any names. We headed down to the Dam and made our way to the Wolf Run Marina located only a few miles away from our site.
The marina has everything you need for a day on the water; a bait shop, pontoon and house boat rentals, and even a café. The Docksiders Café which, after a long day on the water can serve as an oasis for your thirst and hunger. Long story short, we forgot the bait on shore and therefore didn’t catch any fish but, we still enjoyed the Dam which seemed as endless as the forest that surrounds it.
After a night of fire grilled steaks and more ‘relaxing’ we were ready for our final day. The Kinzua Skywalk Bridge located about 40 miles away, is a must see full of incredible views and fascinating history. We approached the bridge, and I must say it makes you pause for a minute at first site. At its highest point the bridge stood 302′, almost twice the height of the Dam and if that doesn’t scare you maybe the fact that it was built in 1882 will. However, the bridge had been updated a few times before it was ultimately cut in two by a tornado in 2003. Nowadays the bridge spans halfway across the dense gorge and reminds us of not only what man is capable of but Mother Nature as well.
We walked out on the remining 600′ that was left standing. There’s no need to worry as the bridge has been completely retrofitted for safety and even offers a see-thru floor at the very end. Here you will find kids usually jumping up and down hoping to test the integrity of the think layer of glass. At its now peak you are witness to all of the beauty that Kinzua has to offer.
The park has constructed a walkway that allows visitors to travel to the bottom of the gorge and view the mangled steel wreckage that lay untouched since 2003. Warning: the walk down is much more pleasant than the walk back up. A visitor center has been recently constructed for those who want to learn more about the bridge.
Our long weekend came to an end and although we were ready to go home there’s always a small part of me that wants to stay. I guess that’s the impression a good getaway should leave on us.