Kinzua Bridge - 9/30/2023
This afternoon Brian, Shawn and I headed out from Pittsburgh on the three hour drive to Kinzua Bridge State
Park near Mt. Jewett, Pennsylvania in the north cental region of the state.
Once we arrived at the visitor center we were only a short walk from the bridge.
The original wrought iron bridge at this site was built in 1882 and held the record for the tallest railroad
bridge in the world for two years. In 1900, that bridge was dismantled and simultaneously replaced with a
steel bridge to allow it to accommodate heavier trains. It stayed in commercial service until 1959.
The area eventually became a state park with the bridge as the centerpiece. Restoration of the bridge
began in 2002, but before it was finished a tornado struck the bridge on July 21st 2003, causing 11 of the 20
bridge towers to collapse.
The state decided not to reconstruct the bridge, but instead The Kinzua Sky Walk was opened on September 15,
2011.
As I walked along the sky walk and the valley floor descended below me, I felt more and more anxious as my fear
of heights increased.
About halfway, I realized that I wouldn't be able to walk the entire length, so I headed back. Brian and
Shawn made it all the way and managed to get some great pictures of their own.
Next, Brian and I hiked the trail to the bottom of the valley and along the way we were able to see more of the
structure of the bridge.
Once we reached the bottom of the valley we got some great views looking back up at the bridge and the
collapsed debris on the ground.
Most impressive was how close we could get to the massive fallen structure of the bridge.
As expected, the climb back up the hill was harder than the hike down. By now the sun was setting and it
was time for the long drive back to Pittsburgh.
Click here to see all of my pictures of Kinzua Bridge
It was a great trip with Brian and Shawn to this unique and impressive site.
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