Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site · Pennsylvania

Staple Bend Tunnel Trail

2.2 mi of trail, end to end · about 20 ft of climbing · 90 ft of descent · 1,362 ft–1,445 ft · bike

1,442 ft 1,432 ft · 2.0 mi high 1,444 ft

Hike or bike to the Staple Bend Tunnel the Park Service's write-up

dogs allowed

Tunnel
Staple Bend Tunnel Photo: NPS

The Staple Bend Tunnel, the first railroad tunnel in America, can be accessed from the trailhead on Beech Hill Road in Mineral Point. Visitors can hike or bike approximately two miles each way to the 901 foot long tunnel following the old railroad bed. This section is also part of the Path of the Flood Trail as you parallel the Little Conemaugh River towards Johnstown. Visitors can imagine what it would have been like to travel on this important transportation. Interpretive panels help tell the story of the Main Line Canal, Allegheny Portage Railroad, the tunnel and the workers who blasted through the Allegheny Mountains.

Park grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset. Please note, there is no winter maintenance on the trail.

Accessibility From the parking lot in Mineral Point, the trail is approximately four miles round trip to the tunnel and back. It can only be accessed by hiking or by bicycle. Vehicle are not permitted on the trail. The trail is flat and the surface is crushed limestone.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 26 trails in Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic SiteFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.