Inside the tunnels can be extremely dark and damp. The pavement is broken in spots, but easily traveled. If you think the old tunnel and surrounding area look. In the 1880s railroad mogul Cornelius Vanderbilt began to build a railroad to compete with the Pennsylvania Railroad. The trail is entirely on old turnpike roadbed. When a new road was built in 1968 this old turnpike became obsolete. The Pennsylvania Turnpike was in fact a railroad before it became a highway. The old roadway continues a bit until reaching the western access near US 30. At approximately 3.5 miles farther on (with some slight rolling hills along the way), hikers will come to Ray's Hill Tunnel, which is about 0.5 miles long.
This tunnel is approximately 1.3 miles long with a slight crest in the middle. The tunnels are dark (in the longer tunnel, neither end is visible from the center) and offer not only a unique, chilling sensory experience but also a cold respite from the heat and exertion outside.įrom the east side, it is a short hike to the larger of the two tunnels: Sideling Hill Tunnel. There are some gentle climbs and descents along the length of the trail. The old road has two dark, damp, and abandoned tunnels along 8 miles of history that is slowly reverting to nature. These access points lie between the two tunnels: Rays Hill is about three miles west and Sideling Hill is about two miles east.This hike explores a section of America's first long-distance, limited-access highway that was taken out of service in 1968 when the turnpike diverted over and around the mountains instead of through them. Oregon Road runs parallel and adjacent to the abandoned highway for much of its length, and several clearings in the forest allow for parking and access to the road. A forest service path called Oregon Road leaves US Route 30 at that highway's intersection withPennsylvania Route 915 in the village of Crystal Spring and runs north for several miles before reconnecting with PA 915 near Valley-Hi. This access point lies near the site of the former Cove Valley Travel Plaza and about one mile east of the Sideling Hill Tunnel. A parking lot exists on the trail at the eastern end of the turnpike off Pump Station Road north of US 30 the entrance is a service road just south of where a turnpike overpass was removed in 2005. Rays Hill Tunnel lies about two miles east of this point.
Parking is available in front of the orangesnow fence at the bottom of the hill. There are three access points to the public section of the abandoned highway: The intersection of Tannery Road and US 30 in Breezewood sits near the western end of the turnpike, which can be reached by climbing a small hill. The bypass is located just east of the heavily congested Breezewood interchange for Interstate 70 (I-70) eastbound at what is now I-76 exit 161. In this case, the Sideling Hill Tunnel andRays Hill Tunnel were bypassed, as was one of the Turnpike's travel plazas. The Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike is the common name of a 13-mile (21 km) stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike that was bypassed in 1968 when a modern stretch opened to ease traffic congestion in the tunnels. Please do not visit without express permission from the land owner.
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