Bradford is a city in Pennsylvania’s McKean County. It borders New York State and has a population of 7,825. It was chartered as a city in 1879 and went on to become a boom town in the 19th-century Pennsylvania oil rush. The area’s crude oil is free of asphalt constituents and has only a trace of nitrogen and sulfur. This makes it ideal for refining. Bradford was the producer of the popular Kendall racing oil. The city’s population peaked at 19,306 in 1930. Many notable people came from here. This includes opera singer Marilyn Horne, baseball hall of famer Rube Waddell, and all-star football player Stew Barber.
Many sites in Bradford are on the National Register of Historic Places. The Bradford Downtown Historic District includes 136 structures, including the Bradford Old City Hall, the Bradford Armory, and the Rufus Barrett Stone House.
Visitors to Bradford won't want to miss seeing the Zippo/Case Museum & Flagship Store. Here, you’ll learn about the development and use of Zippo lighters throughout history. Bradford has many outdoor spaces too. Marilla Bridge Trail provides a lovely one-hour walk around a scenic lake, and Luther’s Mill Covered Bridge is the last remaining bridge of its kind in Bradford. You’ll also discover an entrance to Allegany State Park here. This park provides visitors with opportunities for camping, hiking, and fishing, and the Administration Building in the Red House area has a gift shop, restaurant, and small museum showcasing the park’s wildlife.
Bradford has a variety of restaurants to choose from. Togi’s offers pizza and American fare in a cozy atmosphere, while Mama Janes serves country-style dinners. You’ll find some of the area’s best roast beef and steaks at Beefeaters on Congress Street, and A Slice of the 80s has several pizza options served in a retro-style diners.
The seasonal Camp Chautauqua Camping Resort in Stow, New York offers 200 sites with full hookups near Bradford. Guests have direct access to Chautauqua Lake, where they can enjoy swimming, fishing, and boating. There’s an on-site grocery store and a golf cart rental. Cable TV, Wi-Fi, and cell reception are available. Daily rates range from $30 to $62.
Hidden Valley Camping Area in Jamestown, New York is near Bradford on the shores of Kiantone Creek. The creek is perfect for fishing, and the on-site grocery store sells bait along with RV supplies. Daily rates range from $40 to $52. Weekly rates start at $240, and monthly rates start at $700.
Pope Haven Campground is located in Randolph, New York. You’ll find it just off Interstate 86, in the heart of Amish country. It’s only minutes from the Seneca Allegheny Casino and Alleghany State Park. Amenities found in the campground include a heated swimming pool, volleyball and basketball courts, a covered pavilion, a playground, and a stocked fishing pond. Daily rates start at $50. Weekly rates are $300, and monthly rates are $1,000.
Chapman State Park is located in northeastern Pennsylvania, in Clarendon. Visitors can enjoy a beautiful setting with a 68-acre lake that provides boating and catch-and-release fishing opportunities. This park offers several educational experiences such as guided nature walks, children’s programs, guest speakers, and stream studies.
Somerville State Park in Emporium encompasses 386 acres. It’s part of the Pennsylvania Wilds and is surrounded by the Elk State Forest. The name comes from the first settlers in this area. The park hosts an annual autumn festival where you can take in the beautiful fall colors while enjoying local food and pioneer crafts. Fishing is popular here, and they have a 105-foot-long swimming pool with an adjacent wading pool.
Sinnemahoning State Park includes 1,910 acres surrounding First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek. This area was once a Native American hunting ground, but it was extensively damaged by American logging companies. They removed the trunks of old-growth trees and left behind the limbs. Those limbs fueled a fire that devastated the region. Flooding followed, due to the lack of trees and plants. The destruction was finally stopped with the construction of the George B. Stevenson Dam and the creation of the 145-acre reservoir. Today, it’s a second-growth forest where visitors can swim, fish, canoe, and kayak on the water and hike and bike on the numerous trails. During the winter months, visitors can go ice fishing, skating, and cross-country skiing. Elk and bald eagles are among the local wildlife.
The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in nearby Buffalo, New York is the site of the president’s unexpected inauguration. After President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901, Roosevelt was sworn in as the 26th president. The building where this historic event took place still stands. It’s now a museum that is dedicated to 19th-century Buffalo, President Roosevelt, and the time following the assassination. Guests can enjoy in-depth tours, guest speakers, and special events.
The Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site focuses on how people solved a big problem facing Pennsylvania in the early 1800s. After the construction of the Erie Canal, trading in the state dropped. It was just too hard for anyone to get their products to market. They thought about constructing their own canal, but the Allegheny Mountains made this difficult. The steam locomotives of the day didn't have enough power to go over the mountains, and a tunnel wasn't possible. They found a solution when they built train tracks that would use cables to get the trains over the mountains. You can enjoy the hiking trails and visit the historical buildings, the Skew Arch Bridge, and the Steeple Bend Tunnel while visiting.
The Johnston Flood National Memorial is in honor of the 2,209 people who lost their lives during a tragic flood in May of 1889. Ten inches of rain fell in the area overnight. Everyone frantically tried to save the club and dam, but at 2:50 p.m., the dam broke. Over 14.55 million cubic meters of water rushed into Johnston. See where this flood took place, and learn more about this event by stopping in at the Lake View Visitor Center.
Allegheny National Forest encompasses 517,000 acres of Pennsylvania in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Here, you’ll discover plateaus reaching a height of 2,300 feet and beautiful valleys providing stunning views. There are hundreds of miles of hiking trails available that allow you to explore the area up close. The Allegheny River and the Kinzua Reservoir provide the perfect setting for water sports, and during the winter season, you can cross-country ski, snowshoe, and snowboard. The abundant wildlife includes gray squirrels, raccoons, snowshoe hares, black bears, red and gray foxes, wild turkeys, and white-tailed deer.
Finger Lakes National Forest in upstate New York is a stunning area where you can enjoy fishing for bass, walleye, yellow perch, panfish, and northern pike. It’s the second-smallest national forest, but there are over 30 miles of hiking trails for walking, biking, and horseback riding. As you explore the area, you’ll find deep gorges, beautiful waterfalls, and spring wildflowers. During the winter months, visitors can go skiing, and they just might spot the Northern Lights. White-tailed deer, bobcats, beavers, and foxes can all be found in the forest.
The 1.8 million acres of George Washington and Jefferson National Forests are scattered across Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky in the Appalachian Mountains. Visitors to the area will find over 40 types of trees. This includes pines and hardwoods. These trees, along with 2,000 species of plants, create the perfect home for 100 different types of fish and mussels, as well as 200 species of birds. Bird-watching, fishing, hiking, and camping are popular activities within the forests.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park is only 202 miles from Bradford. It’s Ohio’s only national park, and it extends from Cleveland to Akron. One of the best ways to see the park is by taking a ride on its scenic railroad, but you can also take advantage of the 125 miles of hiking trails. As you explore the lush forests, narrow ravines, rolling hills, and wetlands of the park, you’ll find 100 waterfalls. This includes the 65-foot-high Brandywine Falls. In the park, you can enjoy various activities, including fishing, biking, and horseback riding. Bird-watching, golfing, and visiting the Hale Farm & Village living history museum are also popular activities.
Shenandoah National Park is located 275 miles from Bradford. It encompasses 300 square miles of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Explore the park from the comfort of your RV by driving along the scenic Skyline Drive, on horseback, or from the many hiking trails. This includes a portion of the Appalachian Trail. Mountain biking, fishing, and rock climbing are all popular activities throughout the park’s forests. Breathtaking views include 4,000-foot-high peaks and several waterfalls.
Indiana Dunes National Park is in northeastern Indiana, along Lake Michigan’s southern shore. It’s 445 miles from Bradford, but your road trip is rewarded with 15 miles of lakefront and 20 square miles of countryside. Visitors enjoy hiking, biking, horseback riding, fishing, and several watersports among the rugged dunes, prairies, wetlands, rivers, and forests found within the park.
Motorhomes are divided into Class A, B, and C vehicles. On average expect to pay $185 per night for Class A, $149 per night for Class B and $179 per night for Class C. Towable RVs include 5th Wheel, Travel Trailers, Popups, and Toy Hauler. On average, in Bradford, PA, the 5th Wheel trailer starts at $70 per night. Pricing for the Travel Trailer begins at $60 per night, and the Popup Trailer starts at $65 per night.
Do you need to be a certain age to rent an RV in Bradford?Yes. The minimum age is 25 to be eligible to get an RV Rental in Bradford from RVshare.
Does RVshare have emergency roadside assistance?Yes. Every RV rental booked through RVshare receives 24/7 emergency roadside assistance.
Does RVshare offer one way RV rentals in Bradford?Yes. Prior to renting any RV, check with the owner since not all will offer this particular option.
