Anniversaries at Allegheny
After we finished our Airbnb time and returned to our RV, the thought of having several long travel days in a row seemed exhausting. We had already traveled from NH, through VT and NY, then through OH to IN, and now we'd be making our way back to NH again. Instead we decided not to rush - a tendency of many newbie full-timers. We had an opportunity to go to a place that neither of us had been, that would offer us beautiful foliage and the quiet of the deep woods. We canceled our first two weeks of bookings in NH and instead reserved a National Forest campsite at Allegheny in PA for 10 days.
We stayed at Buckaloons Recreation Area, after going back and forth between that and Red Bridge. We'll talk more specifically about these campgrounds in a future post, but we were more than happy with our site at Buckaloons. Our lakefront house Airbnb gave us time to slow down and soak in the serenity, and we knew we needed more of that. Our wooded site offered a perfect respite. Because we were camping in the off-season, the campground was quiet and mostly empty until Columbus Day Weekend. The campground has a trail by the river, and we were visited by deer on more than one occasion. If we couldn't have the forests of the White Mountains, this was a valid second choice.
Our 10 days at Allegheny would bring us through two big anniversaries: our 7-year wedding anniversary on October 4 and our 1-year anniversary of having our RV on October 7. We didn't have any big celebratory plans, and that was exactly what we wanted. We wanted to sit and watch the leaves change, go on some hikes and sightseeing excursions, and see what this area has to offer. Anthony lived in Pittsburgh during grad school but never ventured up here. I had seen Allegheny mentioned in a few outdoor enthusiast articles over the years and put it on my bucket list. Basking in the country sounded like the best way to ring in our October milestones.
The first plan of action during our woodsy escape was to become one with nature, autumn-style. I told Anthony, if we get our trailer back by fall, I was going to decorate it. I bought some garland, copper flameless candles and a real autumn scented candle, plus some fall canvases and curtains to change out our eucalyptus ones, and even some pumpkins for our doorstep. Getting everything put away after our displacement was an arduous process, but decorating made it so much better! The minute we finished and got to look at the warm colors and golden glow of the candles, we realized how important it is to keep our space enjoyable. Just because we're living tiny doesn't mean we can't redecorate once in a while. It's a form of self-care that we really missed since we sold the house.
As usual, we planned some hikes that would be Tanner-appropriate, plus some others that were a little more intensive for us. There are a lot of beautiful overlooks at Allegheny, some that require just a short walk, and others that are drivable. We first took Tanner to the Tidioute Overlook. It was on the side of the forest closer to Buckaloons and had a little trail with two overlooks, one of the Allegheny River and one of the town of Tidioute. The leaves were just starting to change and there is a divide in the river that makes for a really cool vantage point. It was an easy, pleasant first hike in the forest.
The following day, Anthony and I trekked the most popular trail in the area according to All Trails: The Minister Creek Trail. There are a few loops within this trail, and if you take all of them you cover about 10 miles. The outer loop alone is 6.5, and then there are options for the smaller loops up to the overlook, which cover less distance but are pretty steep. We opted for the 6.5 mile loop, saving the overlook for the end. This trail was everything we hoped it would be from what we read in the reviews. It's rated as moderate and has some tricky sections, but mostly the trail is rolling hills. There is plenty to see even before the overlook, including little bridges over creeks, huge rock formations, and this time of year, the budding foliage. When taking the loop counter-clockwise, the overlook is in the last 1/2-mile and it doesn't disappoint.
Even though we hiked on a Sunday and the parking lot was nearly full, we didn't run into many people on the trail. The loops are large enough that people disperse pretty quickly, and we assume that most people were not taking the whole outer loop. Most of the hike was very peaceful, with just the sound of creaking trees moving in the autumn breeze.
Our wedding anniversary fell on a Tuesday, so after a morning of work we ventured out to what is arguably the most famous part of Allegheny: Kinzua Bridge State Park. This park is home to the structure formerly known as Kinzua Bridge, now the Kinzua Skywalk. It used to be a railroad bridge that closed in 1959. The state of PA bought it in 1963 and it became a scenic railroad until 2002, when they deemed it too unstable for visitors. Evidently nature agreed, and in 2003 a tornado destroyed the bridge. Restoration began on the part of the bridge that was still standing, to make it the Skywalk that it is today. The railroad tracks still run down the center of the walk, leading to a dead end which is now the observation deck, complete with glass tiles that you can look down through to get a glimpse of just how high up you are, 301 feet to be exact. Below remains the tornado wreckage, twisted metal shards and the bridge supports still stuck in the ground. A hiking trail leads down there, which we hadn't planned on doing but couldn't resist seeing the debris up close and personal. The hike is quite steep and is definitely a calf-burner on the way back up, but the perspective was worth the climb.
Kinzua Bridge State Park has a rail trail that we would have loved to take our ebikes on that day, but it started raining, so instead we opted to head into the town of Kane for a late lunch where we could dry off after our hike.
The next day was the opposite weather, with the bright sunshine lighting up the sky. We chose this as our scenic drive day, stealing away a couple hours to drive route 59 through the forest. We took this road to get to Kinzua the day before but didn't stop anywhere along the way. We figured it would be a fun adventure with Tanner.
We stopped at the Kinzua Dam, Big Bend Overlook, Rimrock Overlook, Jakes Rocks Overlook, and ended back at Kinzua Bridge. Most of these lookouts are drivable, with options to hike. Jakes Rocks was the only one that required a short hike, but the lookout platform was outstanding, containing multiple levels with rock stairways to get from one to the next. You'll see in our family photo that we're all wearing bright orange. There are many game lands in the National Forest where hunting is allowed, so in case we went off the beaten path, we wanted to make sure we were visible. I like to jokingly call these our "please don't shoot us" clothes. Even Tanny has a reflective orange bandana, but it's hard to see it around all his floof.
We were excited to see Kinzua Bridge in the sunny weather, and the skywalk is pet-friendly, so Tanner got to enjoy the views as well. Unlike the day before, we also got to enjoy open hours at Lil Sister's Big Rig, the state park food truck, which serves classics like hot dogs, chicken, burgers, fries, and milkshakes. We even ordered a pup cup for Tanny!
The state park is easily one of the best we've been to facilities-wise. The food truck is adorable and there are multiple picnic tables, some alongside a field that has a little weather station. There are both port-a-potties and indoor restrooms in the visitors center, which are the most luxurious state park restrooms we've ever seen. The visitors center is two levels and has museum displays, a gift shop, and a patio with more tables and chairs for outdoor dining. The center also has floor-to-ceiling windows and a balcony with views of the skywalk. It felt more like a mountain lodge than a state park visitors center. There is so much to do that you could easily spend a day there, reading the history, hiking the trails, having a picnic, and if it's not too rainy, taking a bike ride on the rail trail.
We felt like we got a good introduction to Allegheny National Forest during our week and a half visit, seeing all the popular sights and getting in some good leaf peeping. We sometimes do things a bit backwards, so we ended up visiting the PA Visitors Center on one of our last days in the area, even though we drove by it constantly and it was only a few minutes from our campground. We mostly wanted to stop and take pictures of the St. Louis Arch.
Huh?! Yep, you heard me right. The town of Warren in Allegheny is home to Baby Arch, a miniature replica of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. This is because the famed arch was almost entirely constructed in Warren! Makes sense, given how western PA is known for its steel. Despite having been in Allegheny for over a week, we still got a lot of information at the visitors center and now have a list of activities we can do next time we're in the area. We're sure we'll be passing through again at some point.
Allegheny was a fantastic place to slow down and enjoy nature. We'd rather not let the disappointment of changed plans derail our travels. Instead, we find places that will suit our needs the best at a given time. The forest was so peaceful and all the locals are very friendly. It's one of those places where you feel you've traveled back in time, to when technology isn't at the forefront of everything and people still greet you with a smile, even if they're simultaneously wondering why they haven't seen you before. We had 10 days to sit outside and watch the trees, to embrace outdoor recreation, and to do work in our newly autumnal rig...while giving ourselves a pat on the back for making it through our first year as RVers.