Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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Experience railroad history at this historic Pennsylvania site.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
114 reviews
Excellent
76
Very good
34
Average
4
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Susan P
Putnam, CT948 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Most people don't really know what a portage railroad is. Here is your opportunity to find out at this national historic site. You'll find a visitor center with exhibits and a film explaining the history of the Railroad. There is a trail leading to Engine House No. 6 Exhibit Shelter, a replica of the building that housed the steam engines. Beyond that is the Lemon House; the first floor of this historic building operated as a tavern during the days of the Railroad. Be aware that the trail leading to the Engine House and Lemon House is ADA compliant, so it slowly swirls down the hill. There are benches to rest on the way down and up. I enjoyed pausing to check out the wildflowers and berries along the way. Many more trails are available to explore. The buildings are open daily 9 am to 5 pm as are the trails. There is no entrance fee. They offer guided hikes and other programs. Allow 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Written January 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arthur G
Endicott, NY918 contributions
Oct 2019
It had been decades since our last visit and we appreciated the upgrades done to the visitors center. There is a boardwalk path through the woods to the railroad site. We backstory of the portage railroad was well explained. We did not have a lot of interaction with the staff.
Written January 21, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
karen123502
Greensburg, PA27 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
The Park Service has done a great job in designing this National Historic Site. The movie and exhibits tell a story I’m sure many don’t know. They also teach about the science of steam engines, water brakes and inclines. But best of all was getting an understanding of the social norms between the 1830’s to 1850’s. The area also is great for hiking.
Written February 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gostartraveler
Forked River, NJ1,911 contributions
Jun 2022
We typed into the GPS the name of the park rather than the street address. Big mistake. GPS took us one exit before the park, into the middle of a town. We were only five or so miles off, and the park entrance is right off Route 22.
The Ranger asked if my kid would be interested in the Junior Ranger program, and handed us the booklet. One activity per year of age. Kid was too busy exploring the VC, but as they're into puzzles and word searches now, it may be something to do in the future and mail in.
The Ranger also asked if we were interested in viewing a 20-minute movie on the railroad, and of course we said yes. What a beautiful auditorium, perhaps rivaling the one at First Ladies! I thought the movie was well done, just the right amount of time, and a lot of useful information within it. (We laughed at the railroad, in conjunction with the canal boats, cutting down the trip from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh from 23 to 5 days, something we can do now in a little over 5 hours!)
The VC was very well done, too. There was a mockup of a canal boat which one could go on, examples of cargo which were carried on the boats (explore what was carried by lifting lids of barrels), a full-size model of a typical engine of the day, a model of the area as it would have looked back in the day as well as mention of the Underground Railroad and how Allegheny Portage played a role in that.
And my kid enjoyed trying on the different outfits as would have been worn by people of that time, and pretending they were journeying on the canal boat. All in all, a nice way to get people of different ages and interests active in the site.
At the Ranger desk were the NPS stamps. Next to the Ranger desk is a small but also excellent shop, with several varieties of magnets and stickers, and other items such as mugs and Christmas ornaments, as well as books.
We left the VC and made our way down to the recreated engine house. There's a boardwalk with not too bad a downhill grade, and benches to pause at every turn. Again, something for everybody once at the engine house. We got to read the placards and imagine how the engine house would have looked, while my kid got to figure out how the safety car worked and watched a bit on how steam engines worked and tried to move a simulated piston in both the open and closed position.
Due to time, we didn't get a chance to see the Lemon House tavern.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this site, but were all glad we went. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Ranger asked if my kid would be interested in the Junior Ranger program, and handed us the booklet. One activity per year of age. Kid was too busy exploring the VC, but as they're into puzzles and word searches now, it may be something to do in the future and mail in.
The Ranger also asked if we were interested in viewing a 20-minute movie on the railroad, and of course we said yes. What a beautiful auditorium, perhaps rivaling the one at First Ladies! I thought the movie was well done, just the right amount of time, and a lot of useful information within it. (We laughed at the railroad, in conjunction with the canal boats, cutting down the trip from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh from 23 to 5 days, something we can do now in a little over 5 hours!)
The VC was very well done, too. There was a mockup of a canal boat which one could go on, examples of cargo which were carried on the boats (explore what was carried by lifting lids of barrels), a full-size model of a typical engine of the day, a model of the area as it would have looked back in the day as well as mention of the Underground Railroad and how Allegheny Portage played a role in that.
And my kid enjoyed trying on the different outfits as would have been worn by people of that time, and pretending they were journeying on the canal boat. All in all, a nice way to get people of different ages and interests active in the site.
At the Ranger desk were the NPS stamps. Next to the Ranger desk is a small but also excellent shop, with several varieties of magnets and stickers, and other items such as mugs and Christmas ornaments, as well as books.
We left the VC and made our way down to the recreated engine house. There's a boardwalk with not too bad a downhill grade, and benches to pause at every turn. Again, something for everybody once at the engine house. We got to read the placards and imagine how the engine house would have looked, while my kid got to figure out how the safety car worked and watched a bit on how steam engines worked and tried to move a simulated piston in both the open and closed position.
Due to time, we didn't get a chance to see the Lemon House tavern.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this site, but were all glad we went. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
Written July 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lynn D
Peoria, IL97 contributions
Jul 2022
First see the film to gain perspective of why the railroad was built and its importance to transportation in this part of the country. The visitor center's exhibits add visuals to what the boats were like, the locomotive and other bits of history. Best of all are the rangers and volunteers! They are all a wealth of information, a pleasure to spend time with - and a big bonus is many of them also work/volunteer/participate at the nearby Johnstown Flood Memorial. Thanks to Jim and Margaret for a great visit!
Written July 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
corkyc988
New Jersey120 contributions
Mar 2023
What a hidden gem! We originally decided to stop as we were looking for a place to stretch our legs for a bit and we are always up to explore a new National Park. This little park was excellent! Start off in the visitor center. The exhibit was so well thought out and captured the interest of all in our party. Be sure to see the movie as well. Afterwards, be sure to take a walk down to the engineering house and tavern. A wooden boardwalk with a gradual incline leads down to the area with signage along the way to help you interpret the sites. We had absolutely no idea about how transported boats across the Alleghenies, and it was fascinating to find out.
Written April 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Infognito
Cheswick, PA83 contributions
Aug 2022
This is a modern facility explaining how the portage railroad worked. Make sure to see the well done movie first. A great innovation when it was built, it supercharged trade for Pennsylvania. But trains were soon coming and put this out of business. So a nice tie in to this visit is to see the famous, nearby Horseshoe Curve. We really enjoyed the Portage Railroad National Historic site.
Written August 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pzini
Cherry Hill, NJ63 contributions
Oct 2019
The idea of dragging barges up a mountain, on rails, by horses and stationary steam-powered winches seems so preposterous that you really need to see it. The recreated Engine House No. 6 Shelter exhibit is well done.
Written March 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chrissn628
Pennsylvania117 contributions
Sep 2022
We were in the area to visit the Horseshoe Curve. This was much more interesting. There is a movie that explains the process of carrying canal boats up the mountain before the railroad was put in. The inside exhibits were also very good. There is a boardwalk that takes you down to one of the engine houses that pulled up the cars carrying the canal boats.
Written October 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
greglinmon
Las Cruces, NM1,042 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
A nice facility, staff were very helpful. The film is older but it really helped us, including two teenage boys, understand the concept and work involved. The displays were very well done. The underground railroad material was very enlightening and I found very well done.
Written June 7, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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