Kinzua State Park and Skyway

This Sky Walk In Pennsylvania Will Make Your Stomach Drop

Mother Nature simply won’t take no for an answer but, then again, neither will the Kinzua Bridge. When Mother Nature unleashed her fury with a furious tornado that ripped through Kinzua State Park in 2003, she succeeded in bringing down all but one-third of the 2,053 foot long Kinzua Bridge.

But, despite the vicious storm, part of the Kinzua Bridge refused to collapse. Today, the 600 feet of bridge that survived has become one of the state’s most spectacular sky walks, promising visitors a stunning view of the forest floor and the remains of the bridge scattered haphazardly some 300 feet below.

Off we go on a virtual tour of the Kinzua Bridge Sky Walk in Pennsylvania that will make your stomach drop (and that will likely kick start your wanderlust).

Nestled in the Allegheny National Forest in Mt. Jewett, Kinzua Bridge State Park draws visitors from all over the state and beyond.

Yelp/Mike T.

Start your trek with a brief history of the Kinzua Bridge then embark on a stroll to the skywalk, a journey that....

Yelp/Wowee K.

Promises a spectacular view of the Kinzua Bridge...

Flickr/faithnow22

From different angles.

Yelp/Dan R.

Peer through the remaining towers from an observation deck below the bridge before climbing to the skywalk itself.

Yelp/Richard R.

A long walk - 600 feet - awaits atop the Sky Walk. At the end, you'll find a glass floor...

Flickr/Jonathan Smith

Stand on it - if you dare.

Flickr/Andy Arthur

Take a deep breath and look straight down...

Yelp/David C.

...301 feet, to be exact.

Flickr/Jim Mullhaupt

Enjoy a bird's eye view of the remains of the bridge...

Flickr/Sean-Franc Strang

Now lying dormant on the forest floor.

Flickr/Jim Mullhaupt

Take A Virtual Tour of the Kinzua Sky Walk

Now that you’ve seen the spectacular photos, check out this equally beautiful video.

How lucky are we to have this sky walk in Pennsylvania? But, the Kinzua Bridge Sky Walk is far from the only gem in our beautiful state. Check out this article to learn about other stunning places in Pennsylvania you have to explore at least once.

My Navy career began as many have at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. I entered boot camp in 1973. 

I was appointed Recruit Chief Petty Officer of our class. After boot camp, I was admitted to Hospital Corpsman School. also located at Great Lakes. In 1974, I graduated from Hospital Corpsman School and was accepted into the Operating Room Technician program, also at Great Lakes Naval Hospital. Graduation from Operating Room Technician School, I expected to be assigned to a Naval Hospital. I had asked, for some reason, to be assigned to the Charleston South Carolina area. So, when we received our assignments, I was surprised that I was assigned to the USS Sierra AD-18. A Destroyer Tender at the Charleston Naval Base. 

HM3 Kurt Fink, aboard USS Sierra AD-18 during Med. Cruise 1977

The 

Naval Station Charleston, S.C. Located in North Charleston, 

USS Sierra AD-18 (1975 - 1977)
Served at Hospital Corpsman (Operating Room Technician)
Received Sailor of the Quarter Honors from Captain Shaid

Was honored to fill in for a fellow sick corpsman aboard the USS Bowen FF-1079.
What a ride, had to take my seasick pills most of the time. 

Promoted to Petty Officer Second Class 

Was honored to be accepted to go to Naval Base Coronado, San Diego, CA 

Decided to leave the Navy and use my GI Bill and further my education at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, IL.  

After Winter Storms, Snow and Ice along Walnut Beach, Ashtabula, Ohio

The heavy winds, coupled with very cold temperatures, caused high waves along Lake Erie whic in turn caused these beautiful and unusual ice formations along the break water in Ashtabula, Ohio.

These formations look like ice mushrooms.

The Lakota gave this land its name, “Mako Sica,” meaning “land bad.” Located in southwestern South Dakota, Badlands National Park consists of 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest protected mixed grass prairie in the United States. It is desolation at its truest, where you can look for miles and see no sign of civilization. This land has been so ruthlessly ravaged by wind and water that it has become picturesque. The Badlands are a wonderland of bizarre, colorful spires and pinnacles, massive buttes and deep gorges. Erosion of the Badlands reveals sedimentary layers of different colors: purple and yellow (shale), tan and gray (sand and gravel), red and orange (iron oxides) and white (volcanic ash). Badlands National Park also preserves the world’s greatest fossil beds of animals from the Oligocene Epoch of the Age of Mammals. The skeletons of ancient camels, three-toed horses, saber-toothed cats and giant rhinoceros-like creatures are among the many fossilized species found here. All fossils, rocks, plants and animals are protected and must remain where you find them. Prehistoric bones are still being uncovered today by park officials. Custer State Park is famous for its bison herds, other wildlife, scenic drives, historic sites, visitor centers, fishing lakes, resorts, campgrounds and interpretive programs. In fact, it was named as one of the World's Top Ten Wildlife Destinations for the array of wildlife within the park's borders and for the unbelievable access visitors have to them. One of the nation’s largest state parks, just 15 miles from the city of Custer, South Dakota’s premier State Park comprises 71,000 acres.

 

Custer National Park, Mount Rushmore and Badlands South Dakota