To most people Pennsylvania might not seem like a must see place outside of maybe a visit to Philadelphia. However, you would be missing out of some of the best parts of the state. Pennsylvania isn’t just about soft pretzels, cheesesteaks, Heinz ketchup, shoofly pie, and Rocky.
Pennsylvania is home to many amazing and beautiful places. Some of the best scenery on the East Coast can be found in PA. Places like Pine Creek Gorge, Ricketts Glen State Park, Hyner View, Laurel Highlands, and so many more. You can find just about anything in the Keystone State.
If you are short on time when you visit PA, we put together 5 of the Must Do Road Trips in PA. Each one you can spend a day doing or take your time and spend a couple of days exploring everything on the different routes.
Philadelphia to Pittsburgh via Route 30 (Lincoln Highway)
A Philadelphia to Pittsburgh road trip will take you through many interesting and unique areas within the state. You start off and end in the two biggest cities in the state. While on the route you will travel along smooth flat areas that will soon begin to roll into nice rolling hills and near the end go through steep and winding mountain roads.
Along the way you will pass by many amazing and unique places. You’ll pass by the Philadelphia Zoo, Villanova College, Museum of Farm Machinery, PA Amish Country, Dutch Wonderland, the Turkey Hill Experience, the Shoe House, Blue & Gray Bar and Grill, General Lee’s Headquarters, Mister Ed’s Elephant Museum, Abandoned Turnpike Tunnel, Flight 93 National Memorial, Fort Ligonier, Lincoln Highway Experience, the Duquesne Incline, and many more notable places to stop along the way.
You will also come across numerous Outlet malls, farm lands, and antique shops.Plus so many amazing mom and pop shops to check out along the route. The places for you to stop at are endless and each place is well worth a visit.
You will pass through many towns and cities too! Places like Greensburg, Bedford, Gettysburg, Lancaster and many more. Here you will find plenty of places to stay the night so you can continue your trip the next morning.
This road trip is over 300 miles and will take you over 8 hours without stopping. You better plan on making a couple of stops along the way. We suggest spending the night in Gettysburg.
It’s not the perfect halfway point but it has plenty of hotels and restaurants in the area.
We really enjoy grabbing a burger at the Blue & Gray Bar & Grill or a meal at Gettysburg Eddie’s. A visit around the battlefields is also a must. As well as a visit to the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum.
River Rd and 611
River Road along the Delaware River in Eastern Pennsylvania is arguably one of the most scenic routes in all of Pennsylvania. River Road starts in Morrisville in Southeastern PA and connects to Route 611 in Kintnersville in northern Bucks County. 611 continues north till you hit the Delaware Water Gap (possibly the next US National Park). From here you could stop or continue on 611 north west through Mt Pocono and ending in Tobyhanna.
Or you could go north east and jump onto 209 and take it to the New York State Line in Port Jervis. No matter which way you decide to take you will witness some amazing scenery along the way. It really is a beautiful and peaceful drive anytime of year. Just beware if you are traveling along River Road south of New Hope after a heavy rain storm. The road has been known to flood and will even be closed due to the rising Delaware River.
The first road trip I ever took was with my friends when we were 16 and we traveled along river road up to New Hope. Back then it was a far trip for a couple of 16 year olds. Today that short half hour drive is nothing.
I remember the scenery being amazing back then and not much has changed now almost 25 years later. The only difference between now and then would be the traffic. So much more traffic today but the ride along river road still remains one of my favorites. I will still drive it today even though there are much quicker routes for me to take.
Some of the notable stops along the way include Washington Crossing Historic Park, Bowman’s Hill Tower, The city of New Hope, Virginia Forrest Recreation Area, Sand Castle Winery, Delaware Canal State Park, Crayola Experience, and the Delaware Water Gap. Easton and New Hope are the two populated areas along the route. However, you will also pass through many smaller towns. Just note that outside of those two areas, there is not much in the way of food or gas.
Once you get to the Delaware Water Gap and wish to continue there are plenty to see and do. It just depends if you decide to take 611 or 209.
If you take 611 you will pass many chain stores, Pocono Premium Outlets, Great Wolf Lodge, Tobyhanna State Park, and a couple of mom and pop shops. The Candle Shoppe of the Poconos is a popular place to check out. Desaki is a popular hibachi and sushi restaurant in the area too. What this area lacks in amazing scenery it makes up for in the amount of things you can do.
If you decide to continue on following route 209 you will see even more amazing scenery. You will be going right past Bushkill Falls which claims to be the “Niagara of Pennsylvania”. This route will also take you by Dingman Falls which could be the easiest and most spectacular waterfall to get to. While this route lacks many shops and restaurants, it makes up for it with the amazing scenery.
Most of the route is surrounded by State Game Lands, State Parks, and State Forest which make for some beautiful sights. Pack a picnic style lunch to enjoy all the wonderful outdoor areas while you listen to the river flowing behind you.
PA Wilds
The PA Wilds has got to be my favorite area of Pennsylvania. If I wasn’t driving in a car it would almost feel like I was transported back in time. This is the way life should be. Laid back and relaxing.
I could spend days driving around the area exploring everything that it has to offer. There are plenty of different road trips you could do within the PA Wilds. Perhaps the best would be to just follow along Route 6.
Start off in Wellsboro and head west towards Warren. Along the way there are plenty of amazing places right off of the road. Some are only a minute or two off the road while others might take a little longer. There are at least 7 different state parks along the route that only require a short drive off of Route 6.
Places like Colton Point State Park, Lyman Run State Park, Cherry Springs State Park, and Kinzua Bridge State Park are just some of the State Parks along the route. The PA Lumber Museum, Coudersport Ice Mine, abandoned Ski Resort at Denton Hill State Park, and the Austin Dam and just some of the unique places you can stop and see. If you go in the fall you will be in for a real treat.
Fall is the perfect time to take on this road trip. The scenery on the drive is simply breathtaking. It is one of the best drives you could take in the US, hands down. You just won’t find a better drive in the fall.
The trip from Wellsboro to Warren along route 6 covers 123 miles (give or take) and will last under 3 hours if you don’t stop. However, it will take you much longer than that since you will want to stop. Every mile along the way is picture worthy. I am not even kidding.
If you can try to line up your trip when the foliage is at its peak. I went as it started to fade but the views were still amazing even in the gloomy wet weather.
Here’s a little bit of fun information about US Route 6 that travels through PA. Route 6 actually starts in Provincetown, Massachusetts and you can follow it all the way to Bishop, California. It will take you along the banks of Lake Erie in Ohio, through Cleveland, Iowa City, Des Moines, Omaha, Lincoln, and Denver. It goes through 14 States. That’s pretty amazing.
Covered Bridges
Pennsylvania is home to the most covered bridges on the East Coast coming in with over 200 bridges. Between Pennsylvania, Vermont, Indiana, and Ohio there are over 550 covered bridges. If you are a fan of covered bridges, PA is the state you want to see them in. Thirty-four of the 67 Pennsylvania counties have covered bridges today.
The covered bridges throughout the state range in size and style. The shortest bridge, Ebenezer Covered Bridge, in Washington County is only 38 feet long. The longest bridge, Academia Covered Bridge, in Juniata County is 278 feet long. Many of the bridges still support vehicle traffic today. Just remember to take your time and wait for the other vehicle to pass through before you go. These are only one lane bridges.
Below we will list some of the covered bridges in the state and what counties you can find them in. This way you can decide which ones you would like to visit and make the best route for you.
Pack Saddle Bridge in Somerset County spans a small waterfall, while Barronvale bridge, also in Somerset County is the longest one in the county coming in at 162 feet long. In total you will find 10 covered bridges in Somerset County.
Lancaster County has the most covered bridges out of any other county in PA. You will find over 25 bridges still intact. Some of the notable ones are Colemanville Covered Bridge, Siegrists’s Mill Covered Bridge, Pine Grove Covered Bridge, Hunsecker’s Mill Covered Bridge, Shearer’s Covered Bridge, Kurtz’s Mill Covered Bridge, and many more.
Some of the other notable covered bridges include Loux Covered Bridge, Schofield Ford Covered Bridge, and Van Sant Covered Bridge in Bucks County. Sachs Covered Bridge in Adams County and McConnell’s Mill Covered Bridge in Lawrence county.
Taking a road trip to visit any of the covered bridges in PA will surely be an adventure. Who knows what you might come across when you travel from bridge to bridge.
Notable Waterfalls
Pennsylvania is home to many named waterfalls. Most can be found in State Parks and require a short hike to get to although those hikes might be very steep. Make sure you are in good physical condition when you attempt to visit many of the waterfalls found throughout the state.
Just like the covered bridges in the state, it is best that you decide which waterfalls you would like to visit when planning out a road trip. We will let you know about some of the more notable ones that you should check out for yourself.
Let’s start off first with the tallest waterfall in PA. Raymondskill Falls, found in the Delaware Water Gap, is an impressive 150 foot high waterfall. It is actually made up of three drops and offers many different viewing areas.
In Ohiopyle State Park you will find Cucumber Falls. While this waterfall is only 30 feet high, you can actually go behind the waterfall due to the rock overhang that forms the falls. Buttermilk Falls in Beaver and Indiana County both offer a chance to stand behind as well. I can tell you that there is something special when you are looking out into the flowing water from behind. It really brings a sense of calming.
If you are looking for a one stop approach to viewing waterfalls in the state of Pennsylvania, look no further than Ricketts Glen State Park. Here you will find over 20 named waterfalls. They range in height from 9 feet all the way to 94 feet. You could go and see them all in one day.
Another amazing but lesser known waterfall to visit has got to be Pigeon Run Falls in the Allegheny National Forest. Bent Run Waterfall is another lesser known waterfall in the Allegheny National Forest.
Every region of the state has a waterfall or two that you can hike to and explore. Just some are not that impressive while others will blow your mind. Where will your waterfall road trip take you?
Looking for the most unimpressive waterfall in the state of PA? If so, you must check out the waterfall at Ringing Rocks County Park in Bucks County. Just make sure to go after it rains, otherwise the waterfall might only be at a trickle. However, the waterfall at Ringing Rocks isn’t why you go here but we will leave that for another day.
A few years ago I took a road trip in the summer exploring some of the different waterfalls in the Laurel Highlands. Overall, the trip was amazing as we spent time camping in the PA Wilds, driving along route 30, and hiking some of the state parks in the area. The only thing that wasn’t so good were the waterfalls. It barely rained that spring and most of the waterfalls were just a small trickle.
I did learn a valuable lesson after that trip. If I am going to hike to see waterfalls, make sure there has been plenty of rain leading up to when I am going to go. On the plus side, we didn’t get rained on while we were camping or hiking that whole trip.
Are you planning an upcoming road trip? Have you considered doing one in PA? If you haven’t you really should.
National Geographic called the PA Route 6 as one of America’s most scenic drives. AAA named part of the Route 30 trip (PA Dutch Country) as one of the 18 Best road trips in the US in 2023.
Let us know what you are planning in the comments below. Also give us your best PA Road trip recommendations.
Kozmo Photos 
Taking a trip through Potter County in the Fall is a must do road trip for anyone living in PA. The colors are amazing!!!!!!!!
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