Mount Jewett

Mount Jewett is in the Pennsylvania Wilds.

Understand

Mt. Jewett is a tiny borough, but it's the gateway to the Kinzua Bridge, an engineering marvel laid low by Mother Nature and restored to a modern tourist attraction.

See

Kinzua or Kinzu? "Kinzua" is a Seneca word meaning "fish on a spear". Pronounce it "KIHN-zoo" to sound like a local.

• 1 Kinzua Bridge State Park, 296 Viaduct Rd, ☏ +1 814 778-5467. Park open daily sunrise to sunset; visitors center open M-Sa 8AM-4PM (Jan-Feb), daily 8AM-4PM (Mar & Nov-Dec), daily 8AM-6PM (Apr-Oct); closed Thanksgiving, 25 Dec, 1 Jan. Originally built in 1882, the Kinzua Viaduct bridged the Kinzua Valley for the Erie Railroad. It was for a time the tallest rail bridge in the world. The original iron bridge was rebuilt with steel in 1900. The bridge was no longer in service by the 1960s, when it was sold to the state, which created a park around the famous engineering feat. Excursion trains traveled (slowly!) across the viaduct with tourists aboard. By the turn of the 21st century, the bridge's poor condition was becoming evident, and another reconstruction was begun, but in 2003 that was cut short by an F1 tornado that ripped through the valley, toppling several of the bridge supports. Today, the southern third of the bridge has been restored as the Kinzua Skywalk, with a viewing platform and glass floor at the end providing panoramic views of the valley and the fallen steel still strewn across it. The park also has a visitor center with a small museum and gift shop. Free. (updated Sep 2020)