Dan Glotz, a Warren County Commissioner and president of the Route 6 Alliance board, said the route through Warren County selected for potential inclusion as a scenic byway intentionally included key areas.

“When we identified the route through Warren County, we intentionally included Business 6 through the city of Warren and Old Route 6 from Irvine through Youngsville along Main Street,” Glotz recently told The Times Observer. “By doing so, travelers are encouraged to stop and patronize the businesses in our downtown areas as they pass through town. The City of Warren has a lot to offer to visitors, both along the route and along its intersecting roadways. For instance, there is a Railroad Museum in Sheffield, Chapman State Park, Kinzua Dam, Allegheny National Forest, Historic Downtown Warren, Wilder Museum, the Winery in Youngsville, camping and hiking opportunities, to name just a few. There are tourists who intentionally look for and travel Byways nationwide.”

Glotz and fellow Commissioner Ken Klakamp were among the nearly 100 regional officials who recently attended a ribbon cutting for the designation of Pennsylvania Route 6 as an official Pennsylvania Scenic Byway. The event, hosted by the PA Route 6 Alliance, marked the culmination of years of collaboration to recognize Route 6.

The four-county recognition is Pennsylvania’s 24th scenic byway and its longest.

A sign congratulating the PA Route 6 Alliance is pictured.

The newly designated section spans 211 miles through Warren, McKean, Potter, and Tioga counties, encompassing the main roadway as well as extensions and offsets of U.S. Route 6. The corridor passes through 34 municipalities, all of which passed resolutions in support of the designation, underscoring widespread, regional commitment to preserving the scenic and cultural integrity of the Route 6 corridor.

“From an economic standpoint, byway designation will open us to opportunities for tourism and economic development,” Glotz said. “The state publishes a Byway Map that identifies all of the approved routes as well as key destinations along those routes. This, in turn, attracts visitors to those routes and destinations and increases visitor spending at our local businesses. There are also grant programs available for dollars that can be used to promote the byway and amenities along it. PennDOT provides appropriate signage that is erected along the route. This helps in identifying the route.”

The Scenic Byway designation is reserved for corridors that exhibit exceptionality in at least one of the following qualities: historic, cultural, natural, archaeological, recreational, and scenic qualities. PA Route 6 qualifies across the board. The scenic viewsheds are key, and Route 6’s spanning vistas are exceptional. Businesses along the corridor can proudly display their on-premise signage, and PennDOT’s review of off-premise signs helps ensure that signage enhances and preserves the byway’s scenic charm.

The stretch of Route 6 across northern Pennsylvania includes some of the state’s most iconic destinations, including the Allegheny National Forest, Kinzua Bridge Skywalk, Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, and 22 state parks.

“To be considered for byway designation, a candidate roadway must possess at least one of six ‘intrinsic qualities’ – historic, cultural, natural, archaeological, recreational, or scenic,” Glotz said. “All six “Intrinsic Qualities” exist along designated Route 6. This particular byway includes four counties; Tioga, Potter, McKean, and Warren. The byway spans 211 miles and passes through 34 municipalities, each having previously adopted resolutions in support of the designation. That in itself is a huge testament to the local belief in the byway concept.”

Dan Glotz, a Warren County Commissioner and president of the Route 6 Alliance board, speaks during the recent opening of the new Route 6 Scenic Byway that includes Warren County.

The Pennsylvania Scenic Byway Program, managed by PennDOT, recognizes and promotes corridors with outstanding scenic, cultural, recreational, natural, and historic qualities. Byway status enhances opportunities for tourism, economic development, and scenic conservation. The PA Route 6 Alliance, a 501(c3) corporation, was established in 2003 to manage the PA Route 6 Heritage Corridor and to implement the Management Action Plan, branding and marketing plans, community development programs, and other planning efforts along the corridor. The alliance includes representatives from all 11 counties, nine convention and visitor bureaus, four heritage areas, local development districts, local business owners, Chambers of Commerce, and other interested parties along the corridor.

Overall tourism spending in the Pennsylvania Wilds increased 5.32% from 2023 to 2024. Warren County’s total tourism spending grew by 13.36% from $190.8 million in 2023 to $216.3 million in 2024. That was followed by Tioga County (10.31%) and Jefferson County (9.72%). That trend was born out in all the categories measured in the 2024 2024 Economic Impact of Travel and Tourism report released recently. In most categories growth in Warren County was more than the Pennsylvania Wilds region as a whole and was typically larger than even counties in the region that grew. Spending on lodging, for example, shrank by .2% in the Pennsylvania Wilds region but grew 7.79% in Warren from $7.7 million to $8.3 million. The next-largest gain was 5.13% in Potter County.

Food and beverage spending by tourists increased 5.07% in the Pennsylvania Wilds region from $461.8 million to $485.2 million – but Warren County’s tourist spending on food and beverages increased 15.22% from $41.4 million in 2023 to $47.7 million in 2024. Recreation spending increased 8.15% in the Pennsylvania Wilds from $384 million to $415.3 million. Warren County’s growth in food and beverage spending by tourists increased 14.33%, second in the region behind Tioga County’s 15.94% increase.

Retail spending increased 3.06% throughout the region, with Warren’s 8.5% growth from $34.1 million to $37 million the highest percentage growth in the region, followed by 8.11% in Jefferson County.Transportation spending by tourists increased 6.72% year over year, with Warren County’s 15% increase to $82.8 million the highest percentage of growth followed by Tioga County at 11.9% and Jefferson County at 10.28%.

“Outdoor recreation/tourism is a $19 billion industry in Pennsylvania and we here in Warren County deserve a piece of that pie,” Glotz said.

Dan Glotz is pictured with fellow Warren County Commissioner Ken Klakamp at the recent ribbon cutting for the newly designated Route 6 Scenic Byway that includes Warren County.