Just what is the abandoned turnpike, you ask?  I’ve blogged about it many, many, many times before, but here’s the TL/DR:

The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940 as a 160-mile stretch between Carlisle and Irwin (just east of Pittsburgh).  The twin tunnels you see today didn’t exist back then.  Originally, Turnpike traffic had to be crammed through single two-lane tunnels.  By 1969, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission had opened twin tunnels for all but three tunnels — the Sideling Hill, Rays Hill, and Laurel Hill tunnels were all bypassed instead.  The Laurel Hill tunnel remains privately owned and is off-limits, but in 2001, the PTC sold the 13-mile stretch containing the Sideling Hill and Rays Hill tunnels to the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy for the lofty sum of $1.  The SAC has opened this segment to the public in the form of a walking / biking trail.

You can see a map of the area here.  I can’t describe what, exactly, is so awesome about walking down a deserted four-lane superhighway is slowly being choked with vegetation and decay after decades of neglect.  Nor can I tell you exactly why the tunnels and their rusting machinery are so appealing.  But it is and they are.  Being on the abandoned turnpike is a unique opportunity to anyone even remotely interested in photography, history, abandoned places, or all of the bizarre culture like this that makes up our state.

This will be an all-day event with an early-morning (no later than departure from Harrisburg.  Depending on the group’s interest and experience level, I’m comfortable hiking as little or as much of the trail as we see fit.  I’ve done the whole 20-mile end-to-end double-double-back already, and I’ll do it all again in a second.  At the very least, we’ll go out through the Sideling Hill tunnel and back, which should be roughly 5 miles round-trip.

I have room for 3 in my car, but I’m sure we can find more volunteers to carpool if the group is large enough.  Barring weather complications, I’m thinking of doing this April 24th or May 1st (both Saturdays).  If you’re in, drop me a line or track me down on Twitter.  Note that this hike is not suitable for children; there are a number of open drainage tunnels around that would easily swallow ME, to say nothing of a 5-year-old.

FYI – additional picture sets can be found here and here.  If you talk about this on Twitter, use the hashtag #pikeup.  Thanks!

The Road is a critically-acclaimed, brutal story about the end of civilization.  My words can’t do it justice, but the book is available on the cheap through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and the like.  You can read the Wikipedia entry for a spoiler, but trust me:  Get the book.

The film adaptation was shot at various points along the abandoned turnpike.  From watching the trailer (0:27 and 1:26), it appears that several tunnel scenes were filmed at the eastern portal of the Rays Hill tunnel.  On the trip, we saw a substantial amount of paint that suggests filming may have also taken place at the eastern and western portals of the Sideling Hill tunnel.

There are three ways to access the abandoned turnpike.  One puts you in the middle, one puts you on the far western end, and one puts you on the far eastern end.  Personally, I prefer to start in the middle.  For most of you reading this, the easiest is to take the Pennsylvania Turnpike to the Breezewood exit (about an hour west of Harrisburg).  After paying your toll, you’ll drive down what seems like an extremely long 4-lane ramp.  This is actually the original turnpike; the bypass begins at the tollbooth.

As you drive, you’ll see a sign for Route 30 East.  This sign marks the approximate location of the original Breezewood interchange.  In fact, if you look to your right, you can clearly see the original ramps.  These dead end under a disused bridge, also formerly part of the ‘pike.

After exiting the turnpike, take Route 30 east.  You’ll go up a steep hill and will eventually parallel the current-day Turnpike.  When you see signs for Route 915, turn left onto the gravel access road.  Bear right, and you’re on Oregon Road.  Follow this single-lane gravel road down the hill until you see a parking area on your left (big enough to hold at least a dozen vehicles).  This is where we normally park.

On this trip, however, we followed Oregon Road a bit further just to see where it went.  As it turns out, there’s a large clearing just a little further up the road that will get you considerably closer to the Sideling Hill tunnel.  I’m not sure if this is an official parking area or not, so park at your own risk.  The abandoned turnpike will be about a tenth of a mile uphill.

What continues to amaze me about the abandoned turnpike is the condition of the roadway.  For nearly half a century, the road surface has endured the brutal cycle of harsh Pennsylvania winters and spring thaws with absolutely zero maintenance.  The fact that it still looks like a road is impressive.

From our new-found secret parking spot, the Sideling Hill tunnel was barely a 10-minute walk.  As the longer of the two tunnels at roughly 1.3 miles, Sideling Hill definitely makes a much better low-light photography playground.

The first thing you notice when you approach the tunnel is how massive it is.  The mouth of the tunnel is easily twenty feet tall, and there’s a huge ventilation room above.  Dry, cool air comes out from the mouth with a gentle-but-persistent breeze; convection currents push the air out of both ends thanks to an interesting engineering trick.  Water from nearby springs has penetrated the tunnel, and the irregular sound of dripping echos and amplifies into an unidentifiable rock-on-metal pinging sound.

Inside the tunnel there is virtually no usable light.  By the time your eyes become accustomed to the darkness, you’re already beginning to approach the other end.  Any interior photography is going to require manual exposure, controlled flashes, and a lot of patience.  Bring extra batteries.

Although this stretch of the Turnpike was bypassed in 1966, it’s actually a sort of twice-abandoned highway.  In the 1880s, William H. Vanderbilt began plans to expand the South Pennsylvania Railroad from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh.  By the mid-1890s, plans for the railroad were scrapped.  The details on this are far beyond the scope of my blog (this site has an excellent history), but the project was not fruitless.

Ever wonder about those piers that start on the west shore and seem to disappear into the Susquehanna?  Those are all that was built of the railroad’s Susquehanna bridge.  But more importantly, every tunnel on the mainline Turnpike except for the Allegheny tunnel was first bored in the 1880s as part of Vanderbilt’s Folly.  That’s right; the next time you’re driving to Pittsburgh, most of the tunnels you’ll pass through are well over 125 years old.

Much of the right-of-way was used to push the PA Turnpike through the otherwise impassible mountains in the 1930s.  Evidence of this can be clearly be seen when exiting the eastern portal of the Sideling Hill tunnel.  Look for the 8- to 10-foot wide stretch of raised, level ground, and you’ve found the never-used railroad bed.

The abandoned turnpike is unofficially officially open / closed (officially unofficial) to the public (nudge nudge, wink wink) thanks to the efforts of the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy.  The road itself is a deceptively easy hike.  If you’re going to be staying on the roadway, wear sneakers.  Hiking boots were not meant for pavement.  Believe me, I speak from experience.  Watch for open drainage pits in the median; stick to the pavement and you’ll be fine.

The tunnels are another story.  Because they were never intended for tourism or pedestrian traffic, there exists a very real possibility for severe injury and/or death.  Holes and open pits are present throughout the area, and no safeguards are present.  None of the structures are inspected or examined regularly.  Cell phone reception is spotty at best.  So be careful.

Warnings aside, the abandoned turnpike is a unique experience that every Pennsylvanian should partake in, because hey – how often do you get to walk down a four-lane superhighway?  It’s also a fascinating look back at what state-of-the-art transportation meant in the 1930s.  You can see my complete gallery here, along with two other abandoned turnpike galleries here.

As I mentioned, I left Harrisburg just after noon.  After a quick jaunt down I-81 and through that tractor-trailer clusterfark known as “Carlisle”, I made it onto the Turnpike.  For westbound travel, the Carlisle interchange saves a few bucks on tolls compared to using any of the Harrisburg interchanges.  And as an added historical bonus, you’re getting on at the original western terminus; the Turnpike wasn’t extended to Philly until 1950.

PROTIP:  If you’re a gas station around the massive interchange of 76 / 81 / 11, and it’s winter, consider stocking washer fluid.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a peculiar road for so many reasons.  Most Pennsylvania highways are unlikely to have more than three or four miles of straight road in a single shot.  The Turnpike has a 12-mile stretch of straightaway from Carlisle to Blue Mountain.  While this may not sound impressive to any non-Pennsylvania residents, believe me when I say that any road with more vertical deviation than horizontal is truly a rarity in this state.

As you drive the ‘pike today, you can easily tell which tunnels were built in the 1880s (finished in the 1930s) and which were built in the 1960s.  In this picture, the westbound tunnel (on the right) is the original; note the differences in the curved facade above the tunnel.  The change in building materials is also clearly visible above the right-hand edge of the current garage door (which was also added, or at least moved and modified, in the 1960s).  Also, the left tunnel lacks the distinctive “stepped” appearance common to all the original tunnels.  Finally, although all the tunnels were refinished and tiled in the 1960s, the original ceilings remain throughout the system.  Careful observers will be able to see the circular holes in the ceiling for the original above-tunnel lighting.

I actually do enjoy driving the Turnpike.  It’s easily the most scenic Interstate in Pennsylvania.  The stretch just east of Sideling Hill gets especially hilly, twisty, and rural.  Yet thanks to concepts such as banked turns and maximum grades (both laughably futuristic in the 1930s), it’s an exceptionally well-designed road.  For comparison, look at 581 through Camp Hill or I-83 around Harrisburg; both of them were built in the 1960s, and they’re terrible.

This is the eastern end of the abandoned segment, looking west.  Route 30 is directly behind me.  The cutaway in the top of this photo is the current Turnpike as it bypasses the Rays Hill and Sideling Hill tunnels, as well as the old Cove Plaza service station.  The concrete barracades exist to keep vehicular traffic off, as the weight of anything more complex than a mountain bike will cause undue wear on the 40-year-old pavement beneath.

This is just awesome.  I’m standing in the westbound lane, looking east.  Note the tiny, tiny size of the median (barely a lane) compared with modern Interstates; say, I-81 north of Harrisburg.  You’re looking at four lanes of history, people.  If it weren’t for the PA Turnpike, there’s a very reasonable chance that our Interstate system would not look the way it does today.

The snow was completely virginal, dotted only by the occasional deer and coyote prints.  I debated using a flash to help correct the brightness, but I chose not to.  Picture the scenario, and you’ll understand why:  The sky was overcast.  A fresh blanket of snow lay on the ground.  All I could see were trees and fields.  And the only sound was the muted, distant rumble of Turnpike traffic climbing Sideling Hill.  Yet despite the gray, bleak environment, life — the trees, the grass, the animals — relentlessly presses on.

As I walked down the abandoned snow-covered macadam, my thoughts turned to The Road.  It’s a Pulitzer-Prize-winning book by the same guy who wrote No Country for Old Men.  It follows the story of two people (unnamed) trekking southeast across the northeastern United States (presumably Pennsylvania, though that’s never specified) after an apocalyptic event (unspecified) wipes out modern civilization as we know it.  In the book, the sky is grey, snow is falling, and their encounters with other humans are fortunately rare.  The book has been turned into a film slated for a 2009 release, and a significant part of it was filmed along the abandoned turnpike.  Having read the book shortly before our original Turnpike excursion (but before I knew it was being made into a film), I wanted to see how the abandoned segment felt on a cold, dark, grey winter day.  The lack of evidence of humanity made the experience all the more desolate and depressing.

But that’s all fine, because a family of puppies showed up.  I don’t know where they came from, but given their tags and apparent good health, I assume they were off exploring from a nearby house.  It’s funny; as I rounded a corner, I saw the pups playing off in the distance.  Unsure if they were coyote pups — having just seen a number of fairly-fresh coyote tracks — I crouched down and observed from about 50 yards away. After a few minutes, I rose and started slowly moving forward.  As I got closer, their coloration gave them away as canis lupus familiaris.

It appeared to be a mother and her two pups.  As I approached, she started barking constantly and maintained a good 20-foot distance at all times.  Her pups were much more friendly, though, and immediately ran over and started “kicking” snow around me with their noses.  At first I wasn’t too crazy about having the little yappers following me around, but they had no intention of leaving their new-found person.

The more I thought about it, I figured it might not be a terrible idea to let the little guys follow me around.  At worst, their constant barking might help discourage any black bears that had awakened from their hibernation.  Since my destination was the Rays Hill tunnel — which makes a perfect hibernation environment due to its constant 50-something temperature, shelter, and relative isolation from humanity — I decided to let them tag along.  That’s their mother in the background, by the way; she never came closer than that.

Right about the time I decided to carry on (puppies in tow), I realized I had already gone another few hundred feet and was now just around the bend from the tunnel entrance.  Every time I’ve hiked the abandoned turnpike, the act of coming around a corner and seeing the long-forgotten tunnel entrance beckoning has been stunning.  Today it started to snow.

My camera started giving me the low-battery indicator, so I snapped off as many pics of the entrance with the falling snowflakes as I could.  This is my favorite.  For comparison, here’s the same tunnel in the summer:

By the time I actually reached the tunnel, my batteries had died.  I did bring a spare set — two spare sets, in fact — but true to form, I left them all back in the car.  Sigh.  The rest of these pictures came from my camera phone, so the quality isn’t as good.

About an inch of day-old snow was already covering the road, the structures, the trees, and everything else.  I find it interesting that the snow started coming down as I approached the tunnel, then let up as I left.

This picture best sums up the abandoned turnpike in the winter.  It’s grey, cold, isolated, and very, very quiet.  The only sound is the distant, muffled rumble of traffic climbing the Turnpike above.  It’s a far cry from the summer visit, where everything was warm and vivid.  They couldn’t have picked a better location to shoot the film.

To get to the abandoned turnpike, take I-76 (the current PA Turnpike) to the Breezewood exit (161).  Take Route 30 east.  The easiest place to park is the triangular gravel area on your left, just over the hill past the Quality Inn.  The best place to park is the midway point — see my map of the abandoned turnpike for details — though this may be inaccessible if it’s snowy and/or you don’t have four-wheel drive.

The full set of pics from this visit can be found here:  http://picasaweb.google.com/floor9/Snowpike09#.  If you want to see the summer pics from last summer, which includes many shots from inside the tunnels, check out this album:  http://picasaweb.google.com/floor9/AbandonedPennsylvaniaTurnpike#.  

Remember that the area is “in development” as a bike trail and as such is “officially closed” (though all the warning signs go on to state that “helmets and lights are required” and you can visit “at your own risk”).  The land is owned by the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy, who has made it clear that the land is intended for public use — you are in no way trespassing if you visit and stick to the roads.  However, there are two nearby areas — west of Route 30 and east of Pumping Station Road — still owned by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and regularly patrolled by the PA State Police.  You can be cited for trespassing in those areas, so avoid them (again, see the map for details).

Finally, if you choose to go exploring, you are doing so at your own risk.  The roadway isn’t so bad, but the tunnels carry a risk of serious (if not fatal) injury.

Enjoy!

* – this is not true

There’s a movie coming out this November that features everybody’s favorite 13-mile stretch of abandoned highway.  The abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike was used as a major filming location for The Road due its post-apocalyptic appearance and relative isolation.  Look at slides #6 and #4 of the USA Today slideshow, and you’ll see the eastern portal of the Rays Hill tunnel and the bend as they approach one of the tunnels, respectively.

I’ve covered the history of the abandoned turnpike extensively in previous posts.  In case you missed them, the abandoned segment of the PA Turnpike lies just east of Breezewood.  In fact, that short, awkward drive as you get off the Turnpike at the Breezewood exit is actually part of the old Turnpike.  You can even see the remnants of the old Breezewood exit.  Most of the abandoned segment — from Route 30 to Pumping Station Road — is owned by the Southern Allegheny Conservancy and is open to the public, although you’re visiting at your own risk.  The tunnels are still more or less in-tact, and contain lots of exploratory goodness.

If you do plan on visiting, remember that the area is not maintained in any way, so take the weather into consideration.  Although the tunnels are open, they contain areas (including the ventilation shafts above and the drainage tunnels below) that are extremely dangerous and pose considerable potential for death and/or serious injury.  Don’t explore alone.

To get there, take the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76) to the Breezewood exit.  Take Route 30 East for approximately 3 miles.  At the sign for 915 South, turn left onto the unmarked gravel road.  Bear right and follow this road down the mountain until you see a gravel parking lot on your left.  The abandoned Turnpike will be clearly visible.  As you walk to the Turnpike, the Sideling Hill tunnel — the longer of the two — will be to your right (east), while the Rays Hill tunnel will be to your left.  You’re about halfway between the two, but I think Sideling Hill is more rewarding.

If you do plan on hiking through the tunnels, bear in mind that they are pitch black; you will need powerful flashlights.  A single 4D Maglite will be barely adequate.  Also, the hike can appear deceptively easy.  It’s 26 miles (round trip) of pavement, but if you’re not wearing decent shoes, it’s going to be a very unpleasant walk.

Stop by the Sheetz in Breezewood and grab some subs / some ice / a cooler before you go, and stop at your car for a picnic on the way back from the first tunnel.  Make a day of it.  The abandoned turnpike is quite possibly the most unusual and most accessible of the many strange things afoot in Pennsylvania.  Nature is slowly reclaiming the roadway, and in time, only the tunnels will remain.  And being over a century old (from the fabled Southern Pennsylvania Railway), they too will at some point be reclaimed.

Once the movie gets released (limited release on 11/14, nationwide release “afterwards”) I’ll update to reference anything specific in the movie.  I haven’t found any trailers just yet, but once they’re out, I’ll add them here as well.