Getaway Mavens

by Malerie Yolen-Cohen

WHY GO: Time for some restorative Forest Bathing? Visitors to the 514,000 acre Allegheny National Forest Region – also known as the PA Wilds – generally come for a breath of fresh air. Located in Northwestern Pennsylvania, and extending just over the border into New York, the ANF might take awhile to get to, but, as they say, “getting there is half the fun,” and “nothing worthwhile is ever easy.”

Rivaling the more famous Adirondacks in New York, the Allegheny National Forest, a bonanza of public lands, is a stunning, overlooked area of our country. But there are other reasons to visit the PA Wilds aside from camping and recreation.

This region is home to the Victorian-age engineering marvel-destroyed-by-nature Kinzua Bridge, the Zippo Lighter Museum, what’s left of Bradford’s “Billion Dollar Oil Field,” breweries, distilleries, a Marilyn Horne Museum, and several luxury inns. Although the Pennsylvania Wilds are on few tourist “hot spot” lists, the Getaway Mavens are here to tell you it should be. More