This guide to the abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike explains how to get there, bike or walk the 13-mile stretch and its tunnels, and keep yourself safe.
The abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike sits in the hills near Breezewood and runs through Bedford and Fulton Counties. This retired four-lane highway covers close to 13 miles and includes two mountain bores, Rays Hill Tunnel and Sideling Hill Tunnel. The road opened for traffic in 1940, then went quiet in 1968 when a new bypass climbed over the ridges to ease traffic jams at the old two-lane tunnels.
Locals call the corridor Pike 2 Bike, Old PA Pike Trail, or just “the old pike.” The Federal Highway Administration says visitors use this route on an at-your-own-risk basis while counties work toward resurfacing, drainage fixes, and tunnel lighting.
What This Old Pa Pike Trail Is
The line that became the turnpike started as an unfinished railroad project in the late 1800s, the South Pennsylvania Railroad. Crews had already bored partway through Rays Hill and Sideling Hill. Engineers reused those bores in the 1930s when they built the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which opened in October 1940 and was praised as “America’s first superhighway.”
The early turnpike cut through seven mountain tunnels, all single tubes. Traffic in each tunnel funneled into one lane each way, and backups grew worse every year. The Turnpike Commission fixed the choke point near Breezewood by building a new four-lane alignment over the mountains and around Rays Hill Tunnel and Sideling Hill Tunnel. That bypass opened on November 26, 1968, and the old highway was left behind.
In 2001 the Turnpike Commission transferred most of the retired roadway to the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy for $1 so it could become a public trail. Bedford and Fulton Counties later formed the Bedford Fulton Joint Recreation Authority, now promoting the Old PA Pike Trail and hunting grants for upgrades.
Access Points, Distances, And Quick Facts
You can reach the western gate just east of Breezewood at US-30 and Tannery Road. A short but steep climb takes you up to the empty four-lane slab. From that point it’s about 1.5 to 2 miles of nearly level walking or riding to Rays Hill Tunnel. On the east side, parking sits off Pump Station Road near the old Cove Valley plaza. From that lot, Sideling Hill Tunnel sits about 1.1 miles up the old roadway on a mild uphill grade.
A middle access point, Oregon Road, has small gravel pull-offs between the tunnels. Motor vehicles are not allowed on the abandoned pavement. Local planners call this corridor Pike2Bike and pitch a bike / walk / horse trail once grant money lands. The Pike2Bike project plan lays out parking lots, drainage fixes, and tunnel lighting goals.
| Access Spot | Distance To Tunnel | What To Expect |
|---|---|---|
| Breezewood Gate (Tannery Rd / US-30) | ~1.5 mi to Rays Hill Tunnel | Short uphill at start, then level pavement. Dirt pull-off parking. |
| Pump Station Rd Lot (Sideling Hill Side) | ~1.1 mi to Sideling Hill Tunnel | Mild climb on cracked asphalt. Passes the ruins of Cove Valley Travel Plaza, once a rest stop and later a State Police range. |
| Oregon Rd Pull-Offs (Mid-trail) | 2-3 mi west to Rays Hill / ~2 mi east to Sideling Hill | Gravel access in the woods. Handy for riders who want both tunnels in one loop. |
The full Breezewood-to-Sideling Hill stretch runs close to 13 miles. Most hikers sample one tunnel and turn back, which keeps the round trip under 5 miles. Cyclists often ride the full length through both tunnels, then set up a car shuttle so they don’t need a 26-mile round trip on beat-up pavement.
Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Tips For Visitors
This place is open to the public, but it’s not a groomed state trail with rangers. The Federal Highway Administration calls it “not officially open,” and says you enter at your own risk while local leaders work through resurfacing plans and tunnel lighting proposals. Translation: you may meet broken pavement, guardrail shards, loose glass, and puddles with oil sheen or ice. Kids can tag along, but adults should set rules before anyone steps on the asphalt.
Bring real lighting. Phone flashlights feel weak halfway through a mountain bore. A headlamp keeps both hands free for balance, and a spare handheld light helps if one light dies. Closed shoes with grip matter too. Water drips through the ceilings year-round, which leaves slick algae patches and puddles that can freeze in winter.
Layers help. Even in July, air inside Rays Hill Tunnel and Sideling Hill Tunnel feels chilly, while the open highway bakes in direct sun. Graffiti runs from cartoon murals to harsh words, and some walls include adult themes. Parents who want to skip those images sometimes stay near each portal, snap photos, and turn around without walking the darkest center stretch.
Inside Rays Hill Tunnel
Rays Hill Tunnel stretches about 3,532 feet, or roughly two-thirds of a mile. It was the shortest of the original seven turnpike tunnels and still shows classic 1940s concrete styling at the portals. You enter from Bedford County on the west side and exit into Fulton County on the east side.
Step inside and daylight fades fast. Echoes get loud, and your headlamp beam bounces off paint, rust, and old power cables. PennDOT once used this quiet roadway for rumble strip tests and paint trials, which explains the odd fresh stripes you’ll see in patches near the tunnel mouth. Small cinderblock rooms flank each portal; they held fans and control gear.
Road History Snapshot
These mountain bores helped sell the Pennsylvania Turnpike as “America’s first superhighway,” and highway planners across the country studied them as proof that long car tunnels through steep ridges could work.
Inside Sideling Hill Tunnel
Sideling Hill Tunnel runs about 1.3 miles and has a slight hump in the center, so for a long stretch you stand under solid rock with no daylight ahead or behind. Water seeps through cracks and pools on the floor, then freezes into slick sheets and even ice curtains in winter. Rays Hill Tunnel and nearby roadway scars also showed up in the film “The Road” (2009), which helped spread word about this place to a wide audience.
About a mile west of Sideling Hill Tunnel sits the ghost of Cove Valley Travel Plaza, once a turnpike rest stop. After the bypass opened, the plaza lot served for a time as a Pennsylvania State Police shooting range. You’ll still see cracked pads, busted pump islands, and old walls collapsing into weeds. Many riders grab photos here, then head back to the car.
What To Pack For The Old Pike Trail
This retired toll road looks like an easy stroll, but gear choices set the tone for the day. Pike2Bike planning from Bedford and Fulton Counties lays out a trail with bikes, walkers, and horses once grants hit, but for now you bring your own lighting, water, and first-aid basics.
| Item | Why You Want It | Pro Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Headlamp / Flashlight | The tunnels run up to 1.3 miles with zero working lights. | Carry a spare light and fresh batteries; phone LEDs feel weak. |
| Water & Snacks | No fountains, no vendors, no shade on open asphalt. | Sun pounds the old lanes, so sip often. |
| Layers / Light Jacket | Tunnel air stays cold even on a hot day. | A thin hoodie works well for most visitors in both tunnels. |
| Sturdy Footwear | Cracks, holes, and loose gravel line the old roadway. | Closed shoes with grip beat sandals on wet patches. |
| Bike Helmet | Falling concrete chips and sudden bumps can surprise riders. | Most cyclists wear one already, and this route gives extra reasons to keep it on. |
Grab GPS coordinates before cell signal drops in the ridges. Breezewood side: 39.999862, -78.228380. Sideling Hill side: 40.048790, -78.095869. If you plan to pedal end to end, line up a shuttle car so you’re not stuck riding a 26-mile round trip on beat-up pavement after dark.
There are no bathrooms or food stands on the trail. The active Pennsylvania Turnpike Sideling Hill Service Plaza off I-76 / I-70 has fuel, snacks, and restrooms, and the Turnpike Commission shares rehab updates about this corridor. Turnpike Commission news on the Old PA Pike Trail describes state and federal grant money for resurfacing the old lanes and adding safer trailheads.
Safety, Rules, And Respect
The Bedford Fulton Joint Recreation Authority now owns most of this corridor and brands it The Old PA Pike Trail. Crews chase grants for fresh pavement, tunnel lighting, guardrail work, and formal parking. Until that build-out lands, treat the road like backcountry. Pack out trash. Stay away from fenced service roads that tie into the live I-76 / I-70 ramps.
Spray paint cans don’t belong here. The portals and walls already wear layers of graffiti from decades of visits and film shoots like “The Road” (2009). Fresh tags only add cleanup work for the small local authority that now steers the trail.
Last tip: tell a friend where you’re going, carry a small first-aid kit, and stash an external battery for your phone in case you drain it filming tunnel footage. Cell service drops fast once you leave Breezewood. If weather turns nasty, the tunnels give solid shelter from wind and rain, but puddles and algae inside can turn slick, so slow steps matter.
A careful visit delivers something rare on the East Coast: mile-long highway tunnels with no cars, Cold War-era concrete control rooms sitting open to the breeze, and long empty miles of four-lane slab that once carried coast-to-coast traffic. All of it sits minutes from Breezewood, Pennsylvania, right off I-70 / I-76.