Skywalk and trail will reopen temporarily again for 2026 fall foliage

Mount Jewett, PA – The Skywalk at Kinzua Bridge State Park in the Pennsylvania Wilds will once again temporarily close for an ongoing multi-year rehabilitation and renovation project, with its last day open on October 31, 2025. The Skywalk and Kinzua Valley Trail below will be restricted from visitation. However, the state park itself, visitor center, educational exhibits and PA Wilds Conservation Shop retail location will remain open throughout the renovations.

The Kinzua Skywalk was temporarily reopened from August 8 to October 31, 2025, by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to allow visitors the chance to see the famous fall foliage from this unique vantage point.

A star attraction in McKean County and the PA Wilds region, the Skywalk’s temporary closure has impacted visitation to the park and nearby rural communities that rely on visitor dollars to support local small businesses. The temporary reopening each fall mitigates some of the tourism and economic impacts from the closure.

“The Skywalk typically attracts around 250,000 visitors a year to the PA Wilds,” said Ta Enos, CEO of the nonprofit PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship. “DCNR understands how much communities and small businesses rely on the park’s foot traffic, and we really appreciate them trying to schedule this important maintenance around the fall leaf peeping season so the Skywalk can be open each year during this busy time.”

The PA Wilds Center, the backbone nonprofit for the regional PA Wilds strategy to grow a sustainable outdoor recreation economy to help revitalize rural communities, has applied for funding from DCNR to help with public awareness messaging around the closures and reopenings, and storytelling and interpretation related to the maintenance that is happening. 

As part of its mission, the PA Wilds Center operates PA Wilds Conservation Shop gift shops at different recreation assets in the region, including at Kinzua Bridge State Park. The mission-driven shops focus on selling products that are made by local craftspeople and small businesses from the PA Wilds region. The Center’s Kinzua Bridge gift shop has more than forty small business vendors from rural PA. Staff are also trained to help pass foot traffic to nearby attractions and rural communities.

“We’re thankful that people have continued to shop for local artisan products at the Conservation Shop during the temporary closure, and we saw a wonderful uptick in purchases from August to the end of October,” said Libby Bloomquist, Sustainable Commerce Director at PA Wilds Center, who oversees the PA Wilds Conservation Shops. “The state park and shop saw a phenomenal number of visitors during the Skywalk’s temporary reopening this year, and we’re grateful to the park manager and staff for handling the crowds skillfully.”

Bloomquist invites visitors to the park even during renovations.

“We would love to see you at the Conservation Shop, which acts as a unique gift-giving destination for those looking for high-quality locally produced items. However, the shop is just one of many parts of the park that remain open during the renovation project. You can still enjoy the in-depth and interactive educational displays in the visitor center, the trail that connects the park to the nearby town of Mount Jewett, the views of the valley from the observation deck, and even check out this once-in-a-lifetime renovation project from a distance. It’s interesting to see the rehabilitation unfolding, and there are definitely people who are curious what the maintenance of such an incredible structure entails.”           

The renovation project has been ongoing since the end of fall 2024, and DCNR anticipates that the project will be completed in fall of 2027. Rehabilitation and renovations are needed to maintain the Skywalk and ensure its longevity for visitors for years to come. The multi-year project will replace and add new steel to some areas of the supports that have been impacted due to exposure to the elements. Workers will need to remove then reinstall the decking and railroad ties in order to access the bridge’s towers during this renovation.

In addition to maintaining the structural integrity of the Skywalk, some improvements will also be made to enhance the visitor experience, DCNR said. This includes installing new plexiglass at the end of the Skywalk, as the old glass section had become foggy and difficult for visitors to peer into the valley below their feet. The renovations will also replace the handrails along the Skywalk, and workers will blast, clean and paint all of the steel portions of the Skywalk.

The Kinzua Bridge Skywalk and Kinzua Creek Trail will be closed to pedestrian traffic during the project. The Skywalk is planned to reopen temporarily for about two months each year during renovations so that travelers can enjoy the fall foliage.

During the construction and renovations, Kinzua Bridge State Park Visitor Center will remain open. The world-class visitor center features great views, self-guided exhibits, retail services and information about the surrounding area. The park’s picnic tables, pavilion, playground, and observation deck also will remain open to visitors during the project. The last few hundred yards of the Knox and Kane Rail Trail that terminates in the park will also be impacted during the closure, but a detour will be provided so rail trail users can continue on to the park visitor center.

“Although no one wants to see the Skywalk temporarily closed, it is important for this maintenance to get done. We appreciate the Commonwealth investing in this special place and continuing to support outdoor recreation development in rural PA,” Enos said. “We are working with a lot of great partners to help promote the park, the Skywalk, and all the surrounding opportunities, including the Allegheny National Forest Visitors Bureau, PA Route 6 Alliance, Lumber Heritage Region, local chambers of commerce, and other area partners. Together, we’ll make the most of the temporary reopenings each year and coordinate strategies to best serve the area’s communities and small businesses.”

ABOUT THE PA WILDS

The Pennsylvania Wilds is a 13-county region that includes the counties of Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Warren, and northern Centre. The PA Wilds is home to the greatest concentration of public lands in the Commonwealth. The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to integrate conservation and economic development in a way that inspires the communities of the Pennsylvania Wilds. Based in the region, the Center is the lead nonprofit for the PA Wilds Conservation Landscape effort, a 15+year collaborative effort by local, state and federal partners to establish the region as a premier outdoor recreation destination as a way to diversify local economies, attract investment, inspire stewardship, improve quality of life and attract and retain the region’s working-age population. PA Wilds Center works closely with PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PA Department of Community and Economic Development, the region’s county governments, and other investors in the regional strategy.

For more information on the PA Wilds Center and the Wilds Cooperative, visit www.PAWildsCenter.org. Explore the PA Wilds and find locally made products at www.PAWilds.com.