Kinzua Dam & Allegheny Reservoir

Gorgeous area for day use with boating, fishing and hiking. So glad we took the time to stop. Will definitely plan a trip back to the region

This was our first trip to the dam. Very beautiful. One set of bathrooms were not open but the ones we found that were open were clean. Very pretty site.

Beautiful views and really cool to see the power of the water rushing out of the side of the dam. When we were visiting, the Army Corps of Engineers had a group out and they were scaling the cliff on the other side of the road. That was pretty cool to see. There is also a nice hiking path across the street that has a few nice waterfalls.
*I always see kids throwing bread to the HUGE Carp below. Its cute to see how excited the kids are about it!

Annual trip to see the dam, eat at the marina restaurant and side trip to the Kinzua Bridge. Must see when in this area of Pennsylvania.

It deeply pains me to write a review with regards to the Kinzua Dam and the Alleghany Reservoir since the waters backed up by the dam now cover the lands where I once played, hunted and fished as well as much of the lands of the Seneca Nation of Indians as was guaranteed to them by treaty, now broken, signed by none other than George Washington himself. Indeed the injustice done to the people of Seneca Nation prompted Johnny Cash to write one of the most profound songs he ever sang:
WARNING: This is a real tear jerker of a song.
As much as I despise the dam and waters backed up by it, it is a beautiful wondrous structure and the lake created by it, the Alleghany Reservoir, beautiful to the eye as it is basically surrounded by the 1.5 million acre Alleghany National Forest.
If you are in the area of near it, the dam is certainly worth seeing as it is a massive as well as impressive structure and the descriptive, educational visitor centers worth stopping at for a visit. However, put a grain of salt into the descriptions or lectures offered since they overlook the destruction the dam’s creation brought into the lives of so many people and the superior quality of the area prior to its construction.
Around the lake you’ll find plenty of boat ramps and recreational areas as well as two rather nice marinas, Wolf Run in Pennsylvania and Onoville in New York State.
The lake created by the dam and its surrounding areas are some of the most picturesque ever and teaming with wildlife. The problem with it all, however, is that because of the number of law enforcement agents involved with it, not very much fun. For example, the Corp of Engineers, by edict of its own prohibits not only the consumption but the mere possession of alcohol on the waters of the reservoir. If boating you can expect to be stopped, not just once but numerous times by numerous law enforcement agents, have your boat and cooler search and most like end up being cited for some minor or trumped up violation with the main purpose being the justification of their own existence.
For natural picturesque beauty, Five Stars.
For recreational fun and enjoyment, One Star.
For its checker past and dishonorable history, One Star.
Since the beauty of it is the work of nature, something for which I refuse to give any credit to any person or entity, especially the Corp of Engineers, and because of its less than honorable history as well as present day lack of being a fun place, One Star. But remember, I’m bias about it.