Interactive Trackmap & Photo Points - Click link below to expand
Interactive Trackmap & Photo Points - click to expand

Pennsylvania
State Route 144

A medium-length north-south route through scenic forested uplands and wooded canyons of North-Central Pennsyvlania. Has some moderately pleasant twisties at places along it's course, but is hampered by unreasonably low speed limits.


Section Covered:
Galeton, PA to Moshannon, PA

Length:
122 km / 76 mi

Ratings:   Rankings:
Scenic Impact 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Overall Score: 6.3
Twistiness 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Fun-to-Drive: 5.8
Surface Quality 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10  
Traffic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Rankings and ratings explained


PA-144 is a moderately long route running north-south through North-Central Pennsylvania. It is scenic, and it is in places moderately twisty. When I went, the traffic was somewhat heavy, but I suspect that on average the traffic is a bit more moderate.

Starting off from the northern end in Galeton, PA-144 runs through some very scenic open and rolling farming countryside. It then enters the Sproul State forest and starts to get a little twistier, with some moderate 40-mph ish twisties here and there.
courtesy LWard
Pine Creek Lake
Pleasant PA-144 farm country
Pleasant PA-144 farm country
A little hillier, a little twistier
Twisties on PA 144
Fish Dam Run
Eventually PA-144 reaches the quaint little town of Renovo, where the highway slowly cuts east through town, across the Susquehanna river, and then back west. It then continues south, climbing back up to the top of plateau-lands (and still in the Sproul State Forest), via some more pleasant moderate twisties. The Fish Dam run area is scenic, and worth a quick stop for a look. On top of the plateau-lands, the road is not that twisty, but the forest-land that it runs through is fairly pleasant.
PA 144
Plateau Driving
Plateau Driving
courtesy LWard
Plateau Driving
Pretty hardwood forest
Overall, PA-144 is a pleasant enough route, and there are a few moderately enjoyable twisties. One major problem, though (and it seems to be a problem throughout Pennsylvania) is that anytime the road gets a little bit interesting, the speed limit gets cut way down. This, in my opinion, is a bit excessive, and takes some of the potential enjoyment that there is out of the road. It's funny to compare this policy to West Virginia and Virginia's speed limits, which are basically 55mph no matter how twisty the road gets.
Interactive Trackmap & Photo Points - Click link below to expand
Route Data - PA-144 Drive, Mosherville to Mansfield
Start Time: 10:35a.m.
End Time: 12:46p.m.
Duration: 2h10m
Distance: 122.03 km (75.83 mi)
Average Speed: 56.3 km/hr (35.0 mph)
Start Elevation: 1325ft (404m) *
Max Elevation: 2362ft (720m) *
Min Elevation: 642ft (196m) *
End Elevation: 1521ft (463m) *
* : +/- 75 feet
Total Elevation Gain: 3738ft (1139m) *
Total Elevation Loss: 3497ft (1066m) *
 
 
* : +/- 75 feet
Elevation Graph


[ Introduction & Day 1 | Day 2 - Journeying South | Day 3 - Exploring West Virginia | Day 4 - Dragon's Tooth and Yet More Twisties | Day 5 - Final Twisties and Drive Home | Related Presentation: The Dragon's Tooth Hike | Ranked Summary of Twisty Roads | PA-549 | PA-144 | WV-72 | WV-20 | WV-16 & VA-16 | VA-311 | WV-39 & VA-39 | US-250 | US-33 | PA-125 | Road Rankings Explained ]


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