Pennsylvania is packed with history, and plenty of it lives beyond the usual landmarks. Follow these hiking trails to abandoned ruins reclaimed by forests, weather, and time. These 9 former camps and industrial sites turn an ordinary afternoon hike into a trip through Pennsylvania’s past.
1. Flat Rock Trail at Linn Run State Park
Rector
Flat Rock Trail at Linn Run State Park offers a short half-mile walk through the Laurel Highlands. Along the way, hikers pass stone remains of the former McGinnis Rod and Gun Club. The trail ends at the broad rock formation that gives the route its name. Here, Linn Run moves around the rock before continuing through the forest.
2. Thousand Steps on the Standing Stone Trail
Mapleton
The Thousand Steps section of the Standing Stone Trail climbs Jack’s Mountain through Pennsylvania’s former quarry country. Workers built the steps in the 1950s to reach operations above Jack’s Narrows. As you climb, look for old dinkey grades once used by small trains hauling stone down the mountain. The concrete Dinkey House and other remnants offer a closer look at the former quarry operation.
3. Kinzua Creek Trail
Mount Jewett
The Kinzua Creek Trail takes hikers beneath one of Pennsylvania’s most recognizable ruins. This difficult, 0.8-mile out-and-back trail descends about 280 feet to the valley beneath Kinzua Bridge. A tornado partially destroyed the 2,053-foot viaduct in 2003, leaving massive steel towers across the valley floor. Look up from the wreckage for a different perspective on the Kinzua Skywalk which rises 301 feet above the valley.
Check current conditions before visiting, as the trail and skywalk may close during severe weather or for maintenance. Because of the steep sections, hikers on the Kinzua Creek Trail should be in good physical condition, wear sturdy boots, and use caution.
4. Ruins Trail at Dead Man’s Hollow Conservation Area
McKeesport
Nature has been busy at Dead Man’s Hollow Conservation Area. Once home to a quarry and a pipe factory, the property now offers approximately eight miles of hiking trails. Follow the trails into the hollow to find concrete walls and other remains from its industrial past. The Great Allegheny Passage also provides access to the conservation area near the Boston Trail Access.
5. Camp Michaux in Michaux State Forest
Gardners
Hidden within Michaux State Forest, Camp Michaux has served several different purposes since the 1930s. It began as a Civilian Conservation Corps camp before becoming a World War II prisoner-of-war interrogation site. Today, trails through the former camp reveal foundations and other structures from its history. The surrounding forest has reclaimed much of the property, but traces of the people once stationed there remain.
Consult the current Michaux State Forest maps before visiting to choose an appropriate route through the area.
6. Ironton Rail Trail
Whitehall Township, Coplay Borough, and North Whitehall Township
The Ironton Rail Trail follows a former railroad corridor through Lehigh County’s cement-producing past. Its loop and spur connect hikers and cyclists with industrial structures left beside the route. In Saylor Park, two rows of cement kilns rise approximately 90 feet above the surrounding landscape. Continue into Whitehall Parkway to find additional building ruins from the area’s manufacturing history.
7. Horse-Shoe Trail at Valley Forge National Historical Park
Valley Forge
History at Valley Forge extends beyond the Revolutionary War encampment. Follow the Horse-Shoe Trail toward Mount Misery to find the stone remains of the Colonial Springs Bottling Plant. Built beside a natural spring in the late 1800s, the plant once bottled water for commercial sale. Its walls now sit quietly within the woods, giving hikers another chapter of the park’s history to explore.
8. Austin Dam Memorial Park
Austin
The remains of the Austin Dam recall one of Pennsylvania’s most devastating floods. Heavy rain preceded the dam’s failure on September 30, 1911, sending water toward the nearby community. Today, trails through Austin Dam Memorial Park lead visitors beside towering sections of fractured concrete. The grounds also include remains connected to the former Bayless Pulp and Paper Company complex.
9. Rolling Hill Park
Gladwyne
Rolling Hill Park pairs a wooded hike with remnants of the communities once built around Mill Creek. Follow the Blue Trail past stone foundations associated with former millworker housing. The approximately 3.5-mile loop crosses uneven and sometimes steep terrain, giving hikers a more challenging route through the park. Bring your dog along and let the ruins interrupt an otherwise familiar walk in the woods.
Ruins are only one reason to lace up your boots. Explore more hiking trails across Pennsylvania and see what the next path has been hiding.