DCNR Announces Contractor and Schedule to Allow Fall Foliage Viewing at Kinzua Bridge State Park in McKean County

​Mount Jewett, Pennsylvania -- The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources today announced the contractor and its schedule for the multi-year project to maintain the Skywalk at Kinzua Bridge State Park in McKean County.

The contract for the project has been awarded to Advantage Steel, of Saxonburg, Pennsylvania.

Advantage Steel will tentatively begin half-day inspections on September 16. The closures will occur on weekdays and may continue through October.

The Skywalk and the Kinzua Creek Trail will be closed to the public during the inspections, from the opening of the park until 12:00 PM.

The Skywalk and trail will be open from 12:00 PM until sunset on days that inspections will occur to allow for the very popular fall foliage viewing at the park. Inspection closures will not occur on weekends or holidays.

Currently scheduled inspection days are September 16, 17, 18-26. Additional inspection days will be scheduled at a later date.

Visitors are encouraged to visit the Kinzua Bridge State Park website and review the advisory section for the most current information regarding these closures.

Kinzua Bridge State Park offers visitors a chance to walk out and peer down for stunning views of the Kinzua Valley on a viaduct that was reimagined as a skywalk after being partially toppled by a tornado.

The multi-year project was announced in April 2024 to rehabilitate areas of the structure that have been impacted due to exposure to the elements.

The Skywalk is safe to access and able to be used by visitors during the 2024 fall foliage season.

The project will include:

• Removing the decking and railroad ties to access the towers

• Adding and replacing steel in sections where thinning has occurred

• Reinstalling railroad ties and decking

• Installing new plexiglass for the viewing area

• Replacing the handrails

• Blast cleaning and painting of all of the steel portions of the skywalk

The Skywalk will be closed November 19 through August 7, 2025 when it will reopen for a two-month period for leaf viewing season before closing again to allow the project to continue.

Visit the department's website for more information about Pennsylvania's 124 state parks, and check out the Calendar of Events for events on public lands.

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