Sightseeing at Buchanan State Forest
Several historic sites are located within Buchanan State Forest.
In Bedford County, there are several pre-Civil War cemeteries, as well as a cave where saltpeter was mined for gunpowder before and during the American Revolution.
Two CCC camps were located in the Bedford County part of the forest. One was along Blankley Road and the other adjoined the Sweet Root Picnic Area.
A third camp built in 1933 was located along Oregon Road in Fulton County, and a fourth camp at Bear Valley in Franklin County. The
Sideling Hill History Trail Brochure and Map (PDF) shows a 2-mile loop trail that traverses historically important sites at the former CCC camp at Oregon Road.
The Oregon Road area also includes a stone aqueduct built in the 1880s by masons brought from Sicily for an aborted railroad project.
The aqueduct is 15-feet high, 10-feet wide, and 199-feet long, and is easily accessible from Oregon Road on Railroad Arch Trail.
Built with native stone without mortar, the Sicilian masons created a structure that is as solid today as the day it was built.
The South Penn Railroad project also created the nearby tunnels that were used by the PA Turnpike before being abandoned in 1970. The tunnels can be reached by walking the abandoned turnpike, which is open to hiking and biking.
A parking lot on Oregon Road is adjacent to the abandoned turnpike.
Buchanan State Forest Vistas
Several excellent vistas are maintained in the forest, including two on Blankley Road and others on:
Martin Hill and Bark Roads
PA Route 915
Fisher Road
End of Tower Road on Tuscarora Mountain
Summit Road on Sideling Hill