Bucktail State Park and Renovo Heritage Park: Beautiful Scenery and History

We followed Route 555 through Elk County and Elk Country, into Cameron Counties, then took Route 120 through the Bucktail State Park Natural Area in Cameron, and Clinton Counties on our way towards Hyner View State Park and our eventual destination in Potter County. The ride along the Bucktail State Park Natural Area and the Elk Scenic Drive is absolutely stunning, truly one of the finest in the state. The views are breathtaking. 

Here you can see the old Pennsylvania Railroad running along the highway, with some chilly waters running along just to the other side. 

Renovo is a beautiful little city with a seriously amazing landscape. The Renovo Heritage Park is located at an old rail yard that was located in town. It has an old Pennsylvania Railroad caboose and a rail car, along with an old sand and coal tipple. This is an old railroad town that was home to a 25 rail yard along with service shops. The Philadelphia and Erie Railroad was created to be a major thoroughfare for oil, iron ore, coal, and other raw materials to flow from Northwestern PA to the major markets on the East Coast, primarily Philadelphia and southeastern PA. While the railway was successful, it was not performing up to expectations due to strong competition from the New York Central Railroad. The line was absorbed into the Pennsylvania Railroad. Eventually the large shops in Renovo were phased out, with the work outsourced to the PRR's Altoona Shops. Renovo's facilities employed 2000 people at their peak and by the time they were closed, there were only a handful of workers. The right-of-way and a good portion of the infrastructure remains and it is spectacular when coupled with the surrounding landscape. 

The Philadelphia and Erie Railroad, later merged into the Pennsylvania Railroad, took this routing across the state. The line is still utilized by Norfolk Southern, though, sadly, it does not carry any passenger rail. This would be a fantastic train ride if it were open to passengers as either a tourist railroad, or as through service. Nonetheless, this is a spectacular area to sightsee and explore in, with amazing scenery. Hyner View State Park is located nearby, along with Renovo View, Lebo Vista, and Elk Country, Potter County, the PA Grand Canyon, and more are located just a hop, skip, and jump away.