A one-day Scranton itinerary from a Dunmore base

Set aside the morning for Steamtown, keep the middle of the day for downtown, and leave the afternoon for Nay Aug Park. This order takes you from railway exhibits and historic grounds to city landmarks, then out to the park’s natural features.

For the drive, the general directions are to take I-81 to Exit 185, continue onto the President Biden Expressway, follow signs to Mifflin Avenue, turn right onto Lackawanna Avenue and left onto Cliff Street. The bridge near the entrance has a clearance of 13 feet, 7 inches, so take note if you are driving a camper or RV.

Steamtown’s visitor hours vary by season, and it closes on New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Check the official site before you go for current hours and visitor details.

Begin at Steamtown National Historic Site, where you can spend the morning exploring the history of steam railroading in the United States. The site preserves and interprets that history in downtown Scranton, with visitor areas that include a History Museum, Visitor Center, Technology Museum, Roundhouse, Locomotive Cutaway Exhibit, Railyard and grounds.

There is no entrance fee and no entrance pass is required. Train rides need tickets, with prices varying by ride; the short rides take 30 minutes and travel around the historic railroad yard. Steamtown recommends calling ahead to confirm scheduled Locomotive Shop tours, which are usually offered at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on most days.

Allow time to move between the indoor visitor areas and the outdoor grounds. The site is accessible except for some historic locomotives and railroad cars, and some train rides and excursions are not accessible. If railway history is the main focus of your morning, the Steamtown National Historic Site visitor guide covers the site in more detail.

Use the middle of the day to see Scranton’s historic sites downtown and pause for a meal before heading to the park. Steamtown itself is in downtown Scranton, so it makes a natural starting point for this part of the itinerary.

For a closer look at the city’s iron-making past, add the Scranton Iron Furnaces to your downtown history stops. The Scranton Iron Furnaces guide focuses on this landmark and the city’s iron-making history.

Keep this section flexible: the route facts support a downtown history stop, but do not establish a particular restaurant or a walking route between landmarks. Choose your meal break around the places you plan to visit.

Spend the afternoon at Nay Aug Park, Scranton’s largest park, where walking trails lead into a landscape that includes a gorge and waterfalls. The gorge and waterfalls are designated a National Natural Landmark.

The park also has picnic areas, two playgrounds, two Olympic-sized swimming pools, a waterslide complex and the Everhart Museum. Its pedestrian footbridge, which opened in 2007, provides access to parkland across Roaring Brook.

You can focus on the trails and natural scenery, or combine time outdoors with one of the park’s other features; the Nay Aug Park trails and visitor planning guide covers those features.

Finish your day at Nay Aug Park, then drive back toward Dunmore. Keeping the park for the final stop gives the itinerary a clear sequence: railway history in the morning, downtown landmarks and a meal break midday, and outdoor time in the afternoon.

Build your schedule around the parts of Steamtown you want to see, especially if you hope to take a train ride or join a Locomotive Shop tour. Train rides require tickets, and tours should be confirmed by phone ahead of time.

Is there an entrance fee for Steamtown National Historic Site?

No. Steamtown has no entrance fee and does not require an entrance pass. Train rides require tickets, and prices vary by ride.

How long are Steamtown’s short train rides?

Short rides take 30 minutes and travel around the historic railroad yard.

What can you see at Nay Aug Park?

Nay Aug Park has walking trails, a gorge, waterfalls, picnic areas, playgrounds, swimming pools, a waterslide complex and the Everhart Museum.