The top 7 things to do on a Route 6 road trip in Pennsylvania

Among America’s more unsung road-trip corridors is U.S. Route 6’s passage across northern Pennsylvania, a throughway rich in sylvan scenery, history, and cultural heritage.

From the industrial landmarks of “Electric City” to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, there’s much in store for you along this wonderful drive as it passes through the rolling farms and small towns of the Allegheny Plateau.

Our recommended route

U.S. Route 6 runs some 3,200 miles from the California oasis of Bishop to the tip of Cape Cod in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Four hundred miles of that cross-country course traverse the Keystone State from west to east, great for a 1- or 2-night road trip.

Though the Pennsylvania Route 6 Heritage Corridor, as the highway’s run through the state is officially known, hits some larger communities—the midsized city of Scranton being the biggest—this is mostly a rural drive serving up plenty of serene vistas and some of the darkest skies in the East. Parts of the route are formally classified as Pennsylvania Scenic Byways, including the reach around Tunkhannock in the plateau-lands evocatively called the “Endless Mountains.”

When to drive it

Beauty awaits on Pennsylvania’s Route 6 year-round, though there’s no question that fall—with its overload of gorgeously colored foliage—is the most all-around photogenic season to cruise.

7. Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

(milepost 397.7)

At Milford, Route 6 affords access to this long, linear unit of the National Park Service, anchored by the ridge-cutting Delaware Water Gap itself and home to splendid forests, impressive waterfalls, historic sites, broad river vistas, and more than 100 miles of hiking trails.

Where to stay

• Hampton Inn & Suites Warren (3291 Market Street, Warren, PA)
  This AAA Three Diamond hotel offers a fitness center and swimming pool just outside of Warren next door to a shopping complex.

• Hilton Scranton & Conference Center (100 Adams Ave., Scranton, PA)
  This pet-friendly Three Diamond hotel, just a few minutes’ walk from Steamboat National Historic Site, includes multiple restaurants, a 24-hour fitness center, and a 50-foot lap pool.

Where to eat

• Lamb's Creek (200 Gateway Dr., Mansfield, PA)
  Tuck into prime rib, Texas grilled meatloaf, the signature Lamb’s Creek salad, and more at this casual eatery, which includes an outdoor patio.
  
• Twigs Restaurant & Café (1 E. Tioga Street, Tunkhannock, PA)
  This friendly establishment serves wraps, paninis, and much else amid great ambience conjured by brickwork, stained-glass windows, antique ceiling tiles, and other fetching design features.
• Cooper's Seafood House & Ship's Pub (701 N. Washington Ave., Scranton, PA)
  It’s hard to imagine that any more mid-20th century kitsch could be stuffed into this casual seafood restaurant and tavern. The walls are jam-packed with a mix of nautical and pirate artifacts, old photos of Scranton, and memorabilia from The Office, which fictionally took place in town.