Well 2020 has been an interesting year! We ended up going to Florida right before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and since then we really have not been able to travel anywhere. Like most of you we’ve been at home self-quarantining, but with cases going down and us getting cabin fever we wanted to do something fun! We absolutely loved our trip to Florida and we miss the beach so much, so the closest “beach” to Pittsburgh is of course Erie!
It is about a 2 hour drive from Pittsburgh and while not the ocean it is the closest thing you are going to get. We actually visited Erie 2 years ago so if you want to check out that blog you can right here. If you want a beach the place to go is Presque Isle State Park. It is completely free and the beaches are actually quite nice. Many of them have full bathroom facilities and life guards.
If you want less people we would suggest going to one of the beaches that is further out. The water was actually quite warm and it was just nice to be outside and relaxing by the water.
After we relaxed for half the day we decided to check out Wintergreen Gorge, which is a must-see if you are in Erie and it is only about 20 minutes away from Presque Isle State Park. A lot has changed since the last time we visited Wintergreen Gorge, there is now a real parking lot, signs, and much more!
Wintergreen Gorge is filled with multiple waterfalls and swimming holes and while there is a trail that goes along the gorge we think the best way to experience it is by walking up the creek.
If you are looking for a nice day trip from Pittsburgh, Erie is a great choice and you can do both Presque Isle State Park and Wintergreen Gorge in the same day! Also there are plenty of great restaurants in the area too, we recently discovered the U Pick 6 Harbor House and their Carbonara Pizza, it might have been the best pizza we’ve ever had!
Erie, PA Photo Gallery
