Standing atop a rock outcrop, surrounded by a dense forest of evergreens and cathedral-like hardwoods, it is hard to hear the roar of the rapids, hundreds of feet below. Over the centuries as Pine Creek wound its way through the woods of North Central Pennsylvania, it created a steep, breathtaking ravine. Native Americans called this place Teeahdotton, or River of Pines. Today this ravine is known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. Surrounded by nearly half of the state's 2 million acres of public forest, Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon shows little signs of humanity's encroachment. And is one of the Chesapeake watershed's special places.
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All text and images courtesy of Watershed
Radio. More information can be found on their website.
The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania
Although not as famous as its bigger sister in Arizona, the canyon
formed by the Pine Creek River in North Central Pennsylvania is well
worth its nickname as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. Almost 50
miles long and up to 1,000 feet deep, this canyon is one of our watershed's
very special places.
The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania
Picture courtesy of Ken Frazier.
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This natural dam blocked the northeasterly flow of Pine Creek and
forced the river to reverse its flow and go to the south, cutting
a way through the Allegheny Plateau. Since that time, for tens of
thousands of years, Pine Creek has been silently eroding the rock,
creating the scenic gorge that you can see today.
The gorge and the surrounding national parks offer many opportunities
for outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, fishing, canoeing
and white-water rafting. The hiking trails are quite spectacular,
as they go through very rugged terrain and next to many steep cliffs.
In addition, an old railroad track through the bottom of the canyon
has been replaced by a bicycle path.
The best views of the Grand Canyon are from Leonard Harrison State Park on the west rim and from Colton Point State Park on the east side of the canyon. Picture courtesy of Ken Frazier.
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The best views of the Canyon are from Leonard Harrison State Park
on the west rim and from Colton Point State Park on the east side
of the canyon. The distance from rim to rim here is about 4,000
feet and the depth of the canyon about 800. The scenery is great
in every season but especially the autumn colors draw a large crowd
of spectators each year.
To ensure that the beauty of the Pine Creek River will be around
for many years and generations to come, the Pine Creek Headwaters
Protection Group was organized in 1987. "Dedicated to the preservation
and protection of Pine Creek and its watershed," this groups
works hard to protect the environmental quality of this subwatershed
of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
One of the group's major accomplishments was in 1997 when Pine
Creek River was declared an "Exceptional Value Stream"
from Galeton to Ansonia. For more information about their activities
you can visit the Protection
Group's website.
How to get to the Grand Canyon?
Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon is easily accessible to visitors.
Leonard Harrison State Park is located 10 miles west from Wellsboro,
on SR 660. Colton Point State Park is 5 miles south of U.S. Route
6 at Ansonia.
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