"WELLSBORO - GATEWAY TO THE GRAND CANYON" Wellsboro by mtncorg

With a population of slightly over 3000 (nearly the same as it has been for the last century), Wellsboro is the county seat for Tioga County. The town offs an attractive main street area with lots of historic buildings - over 600 properties - included in the official historic district. I came through Wellsboro, as no doubt many others have, because the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania lies but a few miles to the west.
Everyone has to have a Grand Canyon and in Pennsylvania’s case, it is Pine Creek Gorge - also known as the Grand canyon of Pennsylvania. The canyon extends some 47 miles/76 km from near US 6 near Wellsboro, southwards. At its deepest, the canyon is 1450 feet/442 m near its southern end. At its most impressive viewpoints - Leonard Harrison and Colton Point State Parks - the canyon is more than 800 feet deep and about 4000 feet/1200 m across. Evolving from the glacial age, Pine Creek used to flow to the northeast but moraine dams pushed up by receding glaciers dammed the creek and a reversal in flow carved out the canyon you see today. The area is reforested since the early 1900’s with enough deciduous trees to make the area quite the draw during the Fall color season. The creek is a popular float, but some of the Gorge trails are even more so. A rail line ran along the creek at the canyon’s bottom for over a hundred years. Today it is a popular 67 mile rail trail open to hiker and bikers going from Ansonia in the north to Jersey Shore in the south. The West Rim trail covers 30 miles along the western edge - hiking only. Casual car-bound visitors can best experience the Gorge from either of the state parks - Leonard Harrison on the east rim and Colton Point on the west.