14 Pennsylvania Road Trips So Good You’ll Want To Keep Them Secret
Pennsylvania hides some of the most beautiful roads in America, winding through forests, mountains, and charming small towns that feel frozen in time. Most travelers speed past on highways, missing the real magic tucked away on backroads and scenic byways.
These incredible road trips will make you fall in love with the Keystone State all over again, revealing hidden waterfalls, covered bridges, and breathtaking views that locals have been keeping to themselves.
1. Pennsylvania Route 6
Stretching 400 miles across the top of Pennsylvania, this legendary highway deserves a spot on every road trip bucket list. Route 6 rolls through forests so thick they block out the sun, past family-owned diners serving homemade pie, and alongside rivers where fishermen cast lines at dawn.
Small towns appear like postcards, each with its own story and character. You’ll pass antique shops, historic theaters, and farm stands selling fresh produce.
Pack snacks, fill your tank, and prepare for one seriously unforgettable adventure across Pennsylvania’s wild northern frontier.
2. Pine Creek Gorge
Who needs Arizona when Pennsylvania has its own Grand Canyon? Pine Creek Gorge plunges nearly 1,500 feet deep, carving dramatic cliffs through Tioga County’s wilderness. The canyon walls glow orange and gold during fall, creating a spectacle that rivals any national park.
Start your loop in Wellsboro, a charming town with gas-lit streets and welcoming cafes. Drive to overlooks like Leonard Harrison and Colton Point for jaw-dropping views that’ll make your camera work overtime.
Bring binoculars to spot eagles soaring below you, yes, below!
3. Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway
Southwestern Pennsylvania shows off its prettiest side along this winding route through the Laurel Mountains. PA-711 and PA-381 twist past waterfalls, state parks, and mountain vistas that change with every season. Spring brings wildflowers, summer offers cool green shade, fall explodes with color, and winter transforms everything into a snowy wonderland.
Historic sites dot the route, including Fort Ligonier and covered bridges that creak under your tires. Stop at roadside overlooks where the mountains roll away like waves.
Your playlist will match the scenery perfectly here.
4. Fallingwater & Kentuck Knob Architecture Circuit
Architecture fans, start your engines! This Mill Run area circuit showcases Frank Lloyd Wright’s genius in the Fayette County woods. Fallingwater literally hangs over a waterfall, defying gravity and common sense in the most beautiful way possible.
A few miles away, Kentuck Knob offers a completely different Wright design, proving the architect never repeated himself. Both homes blend seamlessly with their natural surroundings, creating harmony between human creativity and Mother Nature’s designs.
Book tours ahead, these masterpieces fill up faster than a parking lot at a pancake breakfast.
5. Ohiopyle Waterfalls & Overlooks Loop
Ohiopyle State Park packs more natural beauty per square mile than seems physically possible. Waterfalls thunder year-round, sending mist into the air that catches sunlight like diamonds. The Youghiogheny River carves through gorges, creating white-water rapids that thrill kayakers and rafters.
Drive the loop to discover overlooks revealing layer after layer of forested ridges. Cucumber Falls drops 30 feet in a perfect curtain of water, while Ohiopyle Falls spreads wide across the river.
Wear comfortable shoes, you’ll want to hop out constantly to explore trails and viewpoints.
6. Presque Isle Peninsula Loop
Erie’s sandy surprise juts into Lake Erie like Pennsylvania’s beach vacation destination. This horseshoe-shaped peninsula creates sheltered bays perfect for swimming, kayaking, and watching spectacular sunsets over water that stretches to the horizon.
The loop road circles the entire peninsula, offering beach after beach, each with its own personality. Lighthouse lovers can photograph the iconic Presque Isle Light, while bird watchers spot migrating species by the hundreds.
Pack a beach towel and sunscreen, this doesn’t feel like Pennsylvania, and that’s exactly the point of this delightful escape.
7. Delaware Water Gap & Route 209 Drive
Where Pennsylvania meets New Jersey, the Delaware River slices through mountains in one of the East Coast’s most dramatic geological features. Route 209 hugs the riverbank from Milford southward, offering constant views of cliffs, forests, and rushing water.
The gap itself rises 1,200 feet on both sides, creating a natural gateway that Native Americans traveled for thousands of years. Pull off at overlooks to photograph the iconic view or explore riverside trails.
Canoe rentals let you experience the gap from water level—a completely different perspective worth the paddle.
8. Bushkill Falls Side Trip
The Pocono Mountains hide Pennsylvania’s answer to Niagara, well, a much smaller, quieter version, but gorgeous nonetheless. Bushkill Falls actually features eight waterfalls connected by wooden walkways and hiking trails that wind through hemlock forests.
Main Falls drops 100 feet in tiers, creating photo opportunities around every bend. Bridges cross streams where water tumbles over moss-covered rocks, and the trail system offers routes for every fitness level.
Admission fees support trail maintenance, and the family-owned site has welcomed visitors since 1904, maintaining old-school charm that bigger attractions have lost.
9. Bucks County Covered Bridges Tour
Southeastern Pennsylvania preserves more covered bridges than any other county in the state, and Bucks County showcases them beautifully. These red wooden structures span creeks and streams, looking exactly like the puzzles your grandmother assembled on her dining room table.
Create your own route connecting bridges like Erwinna, Cabin Run, and Pine Valley, each with unique construction and history. The surrounding countryside features rolling farmland, stone houses, and roads that haven’t changed much since horses pulled carriages across these same bridges.
Bring a map—GPS sometimes gets confused by these backroads.
10. Amish Country Drive on PA-340 & Strasburg Rail Road
Lancaster County’s Amish farmland unfolds like a living history museum where buggies share roads with cars and time moves at a gentler pace. PA-340 cuts through the heart of this agricultural paradise, passing farms where laundry flaps on clotheslines and children play in yards without electronic distractions.
Roadside stands sell fresh produce, baked goods, and handmade crafts directly from Amish families. The Strasburg Rail Road adds steam-powered nostalgia, chugging through fields in vintage passenger cars.
Drive slowly, watch for buggies, and respect this community’s peaceful way of life.
11. Lehigh Gorge & Jim Thorpe Rail/Drive Day
Carbon County’s crown jewel combines outdoor adventure with Victorian architecture in one spectacular package. Jim Thorpe clings to hillsides above the Lehigh River, its colorful buildings and steep streets earning it the nickname “Switzerland of America.”
The gorge itself drops dramatically alongside the river, with trails and scenic overlooks revealing cliffs, rapids, and forests. Rent bikes to ride the rail trail, or simply drive the winding roads that climb above town for panoramic views.
Downtown shops, restaurants, and galleries make this more than just a drive-through destination—plan to linger awhile.
12. Allegheny National Forest
Northwestern Pennsylvania disappears under forest so vast you could wander for days without seeing the same tree twice. The Longhouse Scenic Byway loops through Warren County’s wildest corners, where elk bugle in meadows and black bears lumber across roads.
Ancient hemlocks tower overhead, creating cathedral-like groves that filter sunlight into green-gold beams. The Kinzua Dam creates a massive reservoir with countless coves and islands to explore.
Cell service vanishes here, consider it a feature, not a bug, as you disconnect from everything except nature’s spectacular show.
13. Elk Country Drive
Pennsylvania’s elk herd roams free around Benezette in Elk County, and autumn brings the rut when bulls bugle challenges that echo across valleys. Pull into viewing areas at dawn or dusk when these massive animals emerge from forests to graze in meadows.
Bulls can weigh 1,000 pounds and sport antlers spanning five feet, seeing one up close makes your heart pound. The Elk Country Visitor Center provides maps, viewing tips, and education about conservation efforts that brought elk back to Pennsylvania.
Bring binoculars and patience; wildlife keeps its own schedule.
14. Kinzua Bridge State Park
Once the world’s tallest railroad bridge, Kinzua now stands as a haunting monument to both human engineering and nature’s power. A tornado destroyed much of the structure in 2003, leaving twisted steel wreckage in the valley below while the remaining towers reach skyward like ruins of an ancient civilization.
Walk out onto the skywalk extending from the remaining section, with glass floors revealing the dizzying drop beneath your feet. The visitor center explains the bridge’s history and dramatic collapse.
This isn’t your typical scenic drive, it’s a pilgrimage to something truly unforgettable.