Last updated: April 12, 2026
Thing to Do
Summer Programs
NPS Photo
Costumed demonstrations
2026 program dates:
June 5 to August 30- Fridays through Tuesdays
September- Saturdays and Sundays
Costumed rangers conduct a variety of program offerings that vary from day to day. They include stone cutting, rope making and natural dyes. They are generally held between 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the morning and 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon.
The programs are weather and staff dependent. For additional information and to find out what program is offered on the day of your visit, please inquire at the visitor center or call 814-886-6150. No reservations are required!
Lemon House Tours
2026 program dates:
June 5 to August 30- Fridays through Tuesdays
September- Saturdays and Sundays
Staff dependent, a park ranger is available from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the morning and 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon to greet visitors and answer questions about the tavern and its operations during the days of the Allegheny Portage Railroad.
No reservations are required!
Details
Activity
Cultural Demonstrations
Pets Allowed
Yes
Pets are welcome at Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site! Responsible pet care is expected of all visitors.
- Pets are not permitted in any public building or office except for service animals.
- Pets are permitted on park grounds and must be on a leash of no more than 6 feet in length at all times.
- Pets should not be tied to park features or facilities, thus leaving them unattended, while owners go into park buildings.
-
Pet excrement must be removed from picnic areas, trails, and areas of heavy public use.
Service Animals
National Park Service policy defines a service animal as being individually trained to perform a specific task that assists a person with a disability. Service dogs are legally permitted anywhere that visitors can go.
Emotional support, therapy, and companion animals are not service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), they have not been trained to provide a task directly related to a disability. Emotional support animals are considered to be a pet.
Activity Fee
No
Entrance fees may apply, see Fees & Passes information.
Reservations
No
Time of Day
Day
Accessibility Information
To reach the Engine House No. 6, the old stone quarry and the Lemon House, park at the visitor center and walk the Boardwalk Trail or the old Gallitzin Road.
- Wheelchairs are available for loan at the Visitor Center, free of charge. Please inquire at the front desk.
- An electric scooter is available for loan at the Visitor Center, free of charge. A safety brief is required.
- With advance notice, a 5 seat golf cart may be available to assist mobility impaired visitors to more easily visit the Lemon House and Engine House No. 6 Exhibit Shelter.
Boardwalk Trail
- The boardwalk trail weaves through a heavily forested area.
- There is a railing on one side of the path in areas where there is a large drop off.
- There are few benches along the path.
- The path is:
- Length: 940 feet (.18 miles)
- Width: 5 feet
- Average running slope: 2 Degrees
- Max running slope: 4 Degrees for about 100 feet
- Average cross slope: 1degree
- Max cross slope: 1 degree
- The end of the trail splits; turning right will take you to Engine House 6 while going left will take you to the stone quarry.
- This is an old single-lane road, off limits to vehicles.
- Sometimes the old pavement has eroded away leaving gravel sections.
- There is a small metal ramp that leads from the paved walkway to the front doors of the Engine House.
- Inside you can learn about the history of steam engines and the cables used in the engine houses to help trains up very steep inclines along the railroad line. The exhibits require a side approach.
- Some of the interactive exhibits are heavy or may difficult to operate with a closed fist.
- There is a second exit door that takes you to a platform looking out over the interior of the engine house, the tracks, and train equipment.
- The stone quarry is located on a short spur trail of the boardwalk trail.
- The trail is steep, 102 feet in length, asphalt, and approximately 6 feet wide.
- There are stones with cut marks on the on the ground nearby.
- Live demonstrations of stone cutting are offered seasonally. Check at the visitor center to learn more.
Lemon House
Parking for the Lemon House is available at the Visitor Center lot.
- Visitors can walk to the historic Lemon House by:
- Parking at the Visitor Center and following the boardwalk or old Gallitzin Road.
- Parking at the picnic area and taking a 0.5-mile trail through dense woodlands.
- Entering the front yard of the house requires going across a wooden bridge over the railroad tracks.
- Ramped asphalt has been added to either end of the bridge and these ramped areas are steep.
- The asphalt path continues across the yard to the house entrance where the path changes to a brick and abruptly slopes up meet the entry threshold.
- There are no landings at the top or bottom.
- After entering the Lemon House, the tavern is located on the left.
- There is a bar, a small spittoon, a stone fireplace, and a few sets of tables and chairs in the tavern room.
- Next to the tavern, there is a parlor room that is glassed off and only available to look into.
- To the right is a dining area with multiple tables set and a few have fake food, all of which is available to touch.
- Through the dining area across the room is a small exhibit room.
- There is ample room to navigate through the exhibit space.
- Exhibits mainly consist of vertical panels.
- This room also has an elevator which can be used to access the bathrooms and water fountain in the basement.
- There is a restroom and water fountain in the basement that can be accessed via the elevator on the right side of the building.
- The Steam Cycle exhibit in the engine house has visible captions.