The Pennsylvania Route 6 experience encompasses eleven counties, stretches over 400 miles across northern PA and encounters many of the Keystone State’s historic treasures and scenic places.  Join us on a journey along Pennsylvania’s Route 6, and see for yourself why National Geographic called this span of road “One of America’s most Scenic Drives”. 

Route 6 in Pennsylvania enjoys a storied past.  The Route can be traced back to 1807 when state officials mandated a road be cut through the Moosic Mountains to enable easier travel to western parts of the state.  As the state and nation grew, so too did the road.  Carved out of hundreds of miles of wilderness, the road eventually united all of the County seats in Pennsylvania’s northern tier.  The fledgling highway quickly became a vital link between the industry of the west and the railroads in the east.  Along its length sprung up charming villages, plentiful farming communities and thriving towns.

In 1925, Route 6 in Pennsylvania was incorporated into a highway system that would connect the United States from coast to coast.  Named US Route 6, the road stretched from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Long Beach, California.  It became one of America’s first transcontinental highways, and today remains one of the longest highways in the nation.  In 1937, the remaining members of the Grand Army of the Republic, veterans of the Civil War, along with the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War successfully lobbied Congress to honor their sacrifice by naming the newly-named Route 6 as the “Grand Army of the Republic Highway” in all 14 states. 

Pennsylvania Route 6 bears witness to this illustrious past.  From the shores of Lake Erie to the heights of the Pocono Mountains, the road has seen many historical firsts: the first underground mine, the first electric trolley system, the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes, and the first Dark Sky Preserve in Pennsylvania.  But along Route 6, the scenery is as rich as the history.  The road passes through the heart of countless state parks, state forest, natural areas and the only National Forest in Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania Route 6 Heritage Corridor Corporation
PO Box 180
Galeton, PA 16922
814-435-7706

www.paroute6.com