{"id":223388,"date":"2026-06-19T20:03:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T20:03:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/223388\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T20:03:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T20:03:23","slug":"hagerty-road-of-the-year-2026-pennsylvania-route-144","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/223388\/","title":{"rendered":"Hagerty Road of the Year 2026: Pennsylvania Route 144"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\tStay up to speed with stories written by drivers, for drivers.<\/p>\n

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Packing hundreds of curves along its 109-mile length, Pennsylvania Route 144 runs\u00a0north-south\u00a0and\u00a0almost perfectly\u00a0bisects the mountainous northern half of the Keystone State. Paved nearly a century ago to provide an automobile-friendly connector to lumber and railroad towns, the road now delivers a recreational paradise. Outdoor pursuits on or near PA 144 include hunting, fishing, river rafting, hiking, off-roading, and of course, fantastic driving.\u202f<\/p>\n

[Following last year\u2019s Road of the Year<\/a> selection, the Cherohala Skyway<\/a>, we set our sights on the most densely populated region of the States. Millions of people live within a half-day\u2019s drive of an amazing road\u00a0they\u2019ve\u00a0probably never\u00a0heard of. This scenic two-lane snakes deeply through the Pennsylvania Wilds, an area where you can still lose yourself in curves and forests despite being within striking distance of New York and multiple other metro areas. Welcome to Hagerty\u2019s 2026 Road of the Year, Pennsylvania Route 144. \u2014Ed.]<\/p>\n

From the southern terminus, the road begins just off I-80 in the mountaintop borough of\u00a0Snow Shoe, population less than 700, where the Alleghenies start to rise. Within the first dozen miles, the route climbs to the Allegheny Plateau and enters the Pennsylvania Wilds, an area larger than the state of Connecticut.\u202f<\/p>\n

\"1983 Route 144 is proof there are still plenty of places to get lost right in our backyard.Cameron Neveu<\/p>\n

The Wilds encompass some 25 percent of the\u00a0state\u00a0yet house\u00a0only 4% of the people. Pennsylvania Route 144 passes by farms and runs through a dense forest of aromatic white pines and hardwoods before cresting on the high plateau region. The large-radius sweeping curves carved with\u00a0generally excellent\u00a0pavement cut through a less dense, sun-drenched area of pitch pine and scrub oak.\u202f<\/p>\n

\"1983 Blurring the trees in a 1983 Porsche 911SC along one of Pennsylvania Route 144\u2019s many curves.Cameron Neveu<\/p>\n

During two recent excursions, we\u00a0saw abundant wildlife but not another human for miles. Pennsylvania Route 144 is the eastern arm of the state\u2019s Elk Scenic Drive\u00a0loop,\u00a0so you might encounter a member of the largest elk herd in the Northeast.\u00a0Or\u00a0you might spot a bald eagle, as we did\u2014they have\u00a0made a healthy comeback.\u202f<\/p>\n

About 30 miles from\u00a0Snow Shoe, the road plunges down a canyon that follows Hall Run Creek. The curves are tight here, with tons of quick left-right transitions.\u00a0This is\u00a0where PA 144 is most like an amusement ride, hugging steep hillsides edged by steel guardrails. The descent lasts 6 glorious miles until the road deposits you on the southern bank of the West Branch Susquehanna River.\u202f<\/p>\n

\"Route-144-Penn-Map\"Hagerty Media<\/p>\n

Stretching about 300 feet across, the mighty West Branch was once a superhighway for the harvested lumber that built East Coast cities in the early 19th century. Not long after the first steam locomotive arrived in the U.S. in 1829, the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad built a line that traversed the state along the northern bank of the West Branch. Driving over the bridge that crosses the Susquehanna brings us to Renovo, the largest town on Pennsylvania Route 144.\u202f<\/p>\n

\"1983Cameron Neveu<\/p>\n

\"1983Cameron Neveu<\/p>\n

\"1983Cameron Neveu<\/p>\n

Dramatically ringed by mountains, Renovo was incorporated by the railroad in 1866 to
service a massive central locomotive service yard that once included a roundhouse. This classic boom town\u2019s population swelled to some 4000 in the early\u00a020th century. It was about this time that the new automobile sparked the state to build Pennsylvania Route 144 and link the various towns and villages along the route. When less maintenance-intensive diesel locomotives replaced the\u00a0steamies\u00a0and the\u00a0railroads\u00a0consolidated maintenance yards, the town started a long decline. A mere 1000 people call it home today, and sadly, even a Family Dollar sits abandoned.\u202f<\/p>\n

The hamlet is still a good breather stop and an interesting location for history buffs. Grab lunch at Socky\u2019s\u00a0Restaurant, which\u00a0retains\u00a0its vintage counter-type seating. Next door is the old Keystone Hotel, which wears a faded sign advertising \u201cRooms, Food, and Dancing\u201d but is now mostly a popular cocktail bar. Peruse the grand churches and the lone standing brick workshop of the rail yard. But\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0hesitate long\u2014there\u2019s\u00a0plenty of Pennsylvania Route 144 yet to explore.\u202f<\/p>\n

\"1983 In this sparsely populated area of north-central Pennsylvania, you might just have glorious PA 144 all to yourself.Cameron Neveu<\/p>\n

The road ascends out of Renovo via switchbacks lined with northern hardwoods and wild rhododendrons. The air has a fresh, fecund feel.\u202fIn \u201cThe River,\u201d Bruce Springsteen sang about a struggling blue-collar couple who would \u201cdrive out of the valley\/down to where the fields are green.\u201d It\u2019s a great soundtrack when you\u2019re leaving Renovo, swinging through miles of curves and occasional farms yet seeing\u00a0few\u00a0other people.\u202f<\/p>\n

The road acends via switchbacks lined with northern hardwoods and wild rhododendrons.<\/p>\n

Thirty-seven\u00a0exhilarating miles and about an hour after Renovo,\u00a0Pennsylvania Route 144 enters Germania. This small hamlet was settled by, you guessed it, German immigrants who were promised an area\u00a0like\u00a0their native Black Forest. The cluster of about a dozen buildings\u00a0includes\u00a0two well-kept churches and a cute general store with homemade\u00a0chocolate whoopie pies. The old-growth hardwoods were logged out a century ago\u00a0and now the town relies on tourists, many of whom explore the miles of former logging roads with ATVs. If you\u2019re in the area this August, a raffle to\u00a0benefit\u00a0the Kettle Creek Music Festival and veterans offers a grand prize of \u201ca canoe full of booze.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"1983Cameron Neveu<\/p>\n

\"1983Cameron Neveu<\/p>\n

\"1983 Sheer rock walls line Pennsylvania Route 144 just north of the town of Renovo.Cameron Neveu<\/p>\n

\"1983 Our 2026 Road of the Year is within an easy day\u2019s drive from many parts of the East Coast, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Upper Midwest.Cameron Neveu<\/p>\n

A quick 7 miles north, Pennsylvania Route 144 ends at U.S. Route 6 in Galeton, where sawmills powered by Pine Creek processed the logs. History is never far away, as\u00a0evidenced\u00a0by the local Ace Hardware in an old tannery building, but Galeton\u2019s tourism caters to stargazers, who come for the nearby Cherry Springs State Park. A designated Dark Sky park, Cherry Springs has so\u00a0little light\u00a0pollution that\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0one of the best\u00a0places to view the solar system. Fitting, as Pennsylvania Route 144 is one of the best roads we\u2019ve discovered east of the Mississippi\u202f , and proof there are still\u00a0plenty of places\u00a0to get lost\u00a0right in\u00a0our backyards.<\/p>\n

On the Road<\/p>\n

\"1983Cameron Neveu<\/p>\n

\"PennCameron Neveu<\/p>\n

\"1983Cameron Neveu<\/p>\n

\"PennCameron Neveu<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh, about 200 miles from Snow Shoe<\/a>, is the closest major airport, but there are nonstop flights to State College<\/a>, home to Penn State University, from Washington, Philadelphia, and Chicago. State College is only about a half-hour\u2019s drive south of Snow Shoe and offers\u00a0numerous\u00a0hotels and inns.<\/p>\n

For an authentic forest experience, book a room at the Gateway Lodge<\/a>, a cozy log cabin built in 1934\u00a0and nestled in the heart of lush Cook Forest State Park. The Gateway includes a terrific restaurant and is\u00a0roughly a two-hour drive from either State College or Pittsburgh.\u202f<\/p>\n

\"1983Cameron Neveu<\/p>\n

Driving Pennsylvania Route 144 can take a few hours or an entire day, depending on stops. A fine\u00a0day could start with a short stroll through the \u201cForest Cathedral<\/a>,\u201d a stand of old-growth hardwoods\u00a0a few miles from Gateway Lodge. Or, if you start in Snow Shoe, at Galeton head 100 miles west on U.S. Route 6, itself a scenic byway, for a must-see visit to Drake Well.\u202f<\/p>\n

In 1859, Edwin Drake sank a well along the bank of Oil Creek and discovered the first oil deposit. The ensuing oil rush spawned the modern petroleum industry. The museum<\/a> has a reproduction of the original well. For us gearheads,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a mandatory visit. A full weekend would include exploring other rural roads. There are dozens. One thing is for sure: You will not be bored.\u202f<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

How We Pick The Road Of The Year: Although our selection process is entirely\u00a0subjective, aka at the whims of\u00a0this\u00a0magazine\u2019s\u00a0editorial team,\u00a0we do keep a few guidelines in\u00a0mind. First, the road has to be\u00a0no more than a one-day round\u00a0trip from a major urban center,\u00a0the thinking being that anyone\u00a0should be able to access the\u00a0route easily as a day excursion\u00a0and while perhaps visiting this\u00a0urban center for work or vacation.\u00a0Also, the pavement has to be in\u00a0good condition. Plus, it must have some\u00a0reasonably close\u00a0dining and\u00a0lodging amenities, and we lean\u00a0toward roads with outlets to other\u00a0roads, such that they can be run\u00a0in one direction rather than merely\u00a0to a turnaround point.<\/p>\n

This story is appearing in print in the July\/August issue of\u00a0Hagerty Drivers Club\u00a0magazine.\u00a0Join the club<\/a>\u00a0to receive our award-winning magazine and enjoy insider access to automotive events, discounts, roadside assistance, and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Stay up to speed with stories written by drivers, for drivers. Get automotive news, DIY tips, market trends,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":223389,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[6276,28,30,29,97090],"class_list":["post-223388","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-magazine","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news","tag-road-of-the-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223388"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223388\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}