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Route 6, that engaging rural ribbon of macadam and concrete cuddling across Pennsylvania’s northern tier, has – according to cultural-tourism promoter HeritagePA – “been voted the number one motorcycle road in the Northeast for the second year in a row.”
You could rummage through the Web to find details of who voted, how, when and why (the blurb emailed by HeritagePA lacked specificity), but seriously, why bother? This isn’t about methodology, or even motorcycles.
Anyone who has passed through the region’s Endless Mountains via the “Grand Army of the Republic Highway,” as the cross-country route that skirts Scranton was named, knows that it is rich in history, hospitality and vista-laden hills.
U.S. Route 6 is the East Coast epitome of classic motor touring, except you don’t need a motor. It has been designated for decades as a BicyclePA route.
It enchants from the sweeping bends of the Delaware River east of Milford to the stirring gorge of Pine Creek west of Wellsboro (a village still sporting real gas lights on tree-lined Main Street), and into Allegheny National Forest – Pennsylvania’s only National Forest.
Along the way you can visit sites – directly on the route or a short hop from it – that include Grey Towers near Milford, the home of Gifford Pinchot, first chief of the U.S. Forest Service; the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum near Galeton; the Zippo/Case Museum in Bradford, which houses that American icon Zippo lighters; and the U.S. Brig Niagara flagship in Erie.
That’s only a smattering. There are small towns boasting their own allure, recreational opportunities galore, and tidbits that can be as memorable as they are remote. Hunt down the Kinzua Skyway, the remains of what once had been billed among the world’s longest and highest railroad bridges, complete with a glass bottom near the end that lets you stare straight into the steel engineering that held it up.
And of course, there are few places more idyllic than Route 6 in fall foliage season.
So by all means, take a ride along this touchstone of Keystone State history. But don’t think for a moment that Route 6 is the only byway that puts the “sylvan” in Pennsylvania.
For road-trip-planning purposes this summer, you can start at heritagepa.com, which offers “twelve unique Heritage Areas, each highlighting Pennsylvania’s rich history and vital role in the nation’s development.”
Or check out some of our more familiar local roads leading to compelling views, from state Route 115 as it opens up the view of Wyoming Valley, to the mammoth rock cuts on Interstate 81 near Hazleton, or state Route 11 as it wends its way along the Susquehanna River.
Likewise, the back roads leading to Council Cup overlook near Wapwallopen can be as bucolic as the vista itself.
The point is simple: We live in a state and region where roads are more than a means of getting from A to B; they can be destinations unto themselves.