The tunnel that outlived the turnpike

The Sideling Hill Tunnel is a 6,782-foot void in the mountains. It was the longest of the original Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnels. It was abandoned in 1968 after two massive realignment projects.

It sits in Buchanan State Forest, a place shaped by fire and regrowth. Lumber companies stripped the land bare in the 19th century. Steam trains sparked wildfires that left behind a wasteland of rotting stumps. The Civilian Conservation Corps cleared the forest and stream beds during the Great Depression, helping the forest regrow with thriving populations of hardwood trees.

Nearby, the ruins of Oregon Camp tell another story. The CCC built the camp in 1933 on Sideling Hill near Oregon Creek. It later served as quarters for conscientious objectors during World War II and was turned into a prisoner of war camp for German prisoners in 1944.

You can walk the Pike2Bike Trail now. It carries hikers through the abandoned roadway and the Sideling Hill Tunnel. The turnpike moved on, but the tunnels and roadway are commonly known as the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons