PA _ Centralia/Abandoned Turnpike

[IthakaBound]

I'll be passing through PA in what appears to be early August. I'm looking for some local information on access points/the unusual/routes to Centralia and some of the abandoned stretched of the PA Turnpike.

Any local insight would be appreciated.

Alan

[garry]

There's a tunnel you can get to between Somerset and Donegal. It's all closed up, but "Tunnel Road" takes you there. You can catch Tunnel Rd off route 31, maybe 100 yards west of the Hidden Valley ski resort entrance. There's a quarry there with some kind of conveyor or chute going over the road right near Tunnel Rd. Tunnel Rd is a very easy dirt road. Not much to see back there IMO beside some PA Turnpike maintenance stuff and a closed up tunnel, but you asked...

[IthakaBound]

Thanks for the help.

[bonjour]

To the west of Centralia is rt 125, it's been written up in some magazines, lots of hills and curves. To the east is rt 339, one of my favorites. Near it's end a slight detour would take you to Bill's Bike Barn, a small bike museum.
I don't know which direction you are going but a little east of there is rt 44 that'll go north to New York. There is a 60 mile stretch of it with lots of curves, hills and no stops signs.
Charlie

[spongebob218]

I went through Centralia during my honeymoon in December. Romantic, huh? If you go off of Rt 81, through Ashland, you can get right to it. There are still signs that say which way to go. You can actually drive right up on top of where it is burning, at least I did with our rental Trailblazer:cool:. The town is kinda creepy. Empty streets with no houses and BRAND NEW road signs.

[reverendlex]

Last year a few of us rode out from Philly to see the town that was.

It's not challenging off road work- heck, our friend on a V-star managed to get through it (though the GS and SV were much handier off road)

Closest hotel is in Frackville- not much to speak of.

But it's really neat to see the holes that spew white smoke...

[Tollster]

I was thinking of going sunday for a morning ride, if so, I will post some pics.

[Tollster]

Well, I made it today, not much there, it had been a couple years since I was in Centralia. This year is the 20 year anniversary of the government buy out.
The mine fire still burns, almost 100% of the old home have been removed, so you have allot of square road grids that used to be the neighborhood with no homes, just over grown trees and yards of what used to be, concrete steps from the road up to nowhere.
These are pictures I took today of highway 61, the road still exists, but has been permanently detoured, I was able to clear the large dirt piles to access this area, the crevices all have smoke flumes rising from them and the fumes are noxious, numorous heaves exists, some I would say are close to 4' high on the road. I would like to think it would be more of a site in the fall and winter, or after a hard rain. Not sure how night would look as I did not see any embers glowing.
For the record, this is the only town in the USA that the government bought out due to an undergrown minefire they could not extinguish.
Yes, someone started this by burning trash in a pit that contain a large coal vein, the rest is history.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/jammerjay/Centralia002.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/jammerjay/Centralia006.jpg

[leeloo]

I remember my ex, who was born and raised in W. VA telling me about that place. Sounds like a cool creepy place to ride to. Got any other pics?

[Tollster]

I remember my ex, who was born and raised in W. VA telling me about that place. Sounds like a cool creepy place to ride to. Got any other pics?
Not many worth a shit, the area is pretty inexcessable with dirt pile and guard rails. It wa cool to visit, but I didn't hang long as there where mre scenic places to go.