A Road Less Traveled

On my way back home to upstate New York today, I decided to drive along a very scenic route in upstate Pennsylvania - PA Route 414 in Lycoming County.  Route 414 travels along Pine Creek as it exits the Pine Creek Gorge, also known as The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.  I had always noted this road when looking at maps as potentially scenic, and when I had a chance to drive this route last fall, I was not disappointed!  

So, today was a chance to make a return trip under a blue summer sky.  

this stretch of road is built into the side of a cliff, which had some damage sometime since last fal

Along this drive, I passed by this intersection...

beginning of Leetonia Road, at PA Route 414

...and was intrigued enough to take a side trip from my side trip.  This is marked as a state-maintained road, so I assumed (correctly) that this would be no worse than a gravel road.  18 of the 20 miles were, in fact, a gravel road barely wide enough for two cars traveling slowly - which wasn't an issue because I only saw 4 other cars the entire 20 mile stretch!  The road was in very good condition, actually; I was able to travel mainly between 25 and 35 MPH, and at times up to 40 MPH!  The packed gravel was better than some paved roads I've been on, including some stretches of PA Route 414 which I was just on.  It took me about an hour to travel this 20 mile stretch, including stopping to take these pictures...

last downhill stretch of Leetonia Road

The end of this road is never truly the end of the road.  At this point, I am now upstream from what makes this part of the state, and especially Pine Creek Valley, so scenic is the Grand Canyon of PA.  

There are two state parks on either side of the gorge.  Colton Point State Park is on the West "Rim"...

...and Leonard Harrison State Park is on the East "Rim"...

Along the road to the East Rim is an unmanned Observation Tower.  The bottom of the tower has a credit-card-activated gate which allows access to the top.

Views from the tower are below...