My Adventure ~ by Jacqueline Peterson

3/15/20

Jacqueline Peterson

My Adventure to Freedom Falls and The Woodhill Tunnel

Over the weekend I went to The Rockland (Woodhill) Tunnel located in Venango County. The original 4 mile Woodhill loop was transformed into a 2,868 foot tunnel. This tunnel made it much safer and faster to travel by train. Today it is a local bike trail and walking path. This weekend I also went to Freedom Falls which was located right down the road from the Rockland Tunnel. This was a unique smaller waterfall, but still made it worth the hour and ten minute drive.

To start off my trip let’s just say it did not go as expected. I envisioned that I would just be going to the freedom falls for the day for some hiking and sightseeing, but instead I stumbled upon the Woodhill Tunnel. As I drove down a dirt road my GPS said I had arrived at the Freedom falls location. There was no parking and no turn off I could park on without getting hit. So, I continued on my way down the road in search of parking. Shortly, not even a minute of driving, I was able to park. This happened to be the parking lot for the Woodland Tunnel.

As I began to eat my lunch I was halted when I saw to my right a massive hole in the hill. My first thought was “what the hell is that”, and I suddenly became curious. The people that had parked next to me started to walk toward the tunnel. They entered the dark pit and suddenly disappeared. All that was left to see was their flashlight slowly getting smaller and smaller. It was honestly pretty scary. But… me being me I had to see what this hole in the mountain was and where it went. You know when you’re walking outside in the dark, or in your house when you’re too lazy to turn the lights on, and you use your phone flash light to guide your way? In a tunnel let’s just say that a phone flash light works like shit in a tunnel compared to your room. So in other words, it was extremely hard to see where I was going as I got deeper into the tunnel.

        Something that I found interesting as I made my way through the tunnel was the graffiti scattered on the walls and cement walk path.I found it rather sad though   that the artist left behind their cans on the ground.

The people that I previously talked about were in front of us, but far enough that they seemed non existent. It was hard to make out their figures as they continued in front of us. This gives somewhat of a visual on how long this tunnel was. As I neared the end of the tunnel I began to hear water trickling in the distance. As a rounded corner water had been dripping from the top of the tunnel. This created a breathtaking view. As people say pictures don’t capture everything. Here is a picture of the water I just described. The people ahead of me had been waiting at the end of the tunnel as their children climbed the steep hill. I had asked them where exactly Freedom Falls was located. They informed me that to get to Freedom Falls it was in my best interest to go back through the Woodhill Tunnel. They had also informed me that if I choose to go along the path outside of the tunnel instead it would have been a four mile walk. I chose to go back through the tunnel.

I finally made it to Freedom falls, my original destination. Freedom Falls is something different. Personally I enjoy smaller waterfalls. Yes, Niagara Falls is gorgeous but with all the people and how much of a tourist attraction it has become I feel it is more of a one time deal for me. This waterfall was small but very pretty. I was able to go right up close to this waterfall as well as on top of it.

Not only did freedom falls have the beautiful waterfall it also has a large historic Rockland Furnace. The Rockland Furnace was built in 1832 by Andrew McCaslin. The furnace is known to be the only remaining evidence of the town Freedom, Pennsylvania. Here are pictures that I took while I visited the furnace.

This trip all together was a great outdoor experience. I would definitely recommend going to Freedom Falls, The Woodline Tunnel and the Rockland furnace. Not only did these three historic points make it worth it but the hour and ten minute drive was filled with such great scenery. The trees were just starting to gain color, which made it beautiful. Also driving along the River made the drive a bonus. Altogether I would definitely recommend taking a trip out to the Freedom Falls. I would recommend giving yourself a full sunny day.