Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

All clear. The managing agency, the National Weather Service and wildfire reporting show no current alerts.

Overview

The South Fork Dam failed on Friday, May 31, 1889, and unleashed 20,000,000 tons of water that devastated Johnstown, PA. The flood killed 2,209 people but it brought the nation and the world together to aid the "Johnstown sufferers." The story of the Johnstown Flood reminds us all, "...that we must leave nothing undone for the preservation and protection of our brother men."

From the National Park Service

History

The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.

What to see and do

Activities

  • Guided Tours
  • Bus/Shuttle Guided Tour
  • Hiking
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Museum Exhibits

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Johnstown Flood National Memorial: Hours of Operations The Visitor Center is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The Visitor Center is open Fridays through Tuesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Park grounds and trails are open daily from sunrise to sunset. The Visitor Center is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. "All Park Hours" reflects the hours of operation for the Visitor Center.

Getting there

Take US Route 219 to the St Michael/Sidman exit. At the end of the exit ramp head East on PA 869 (there is a park sign at the end of the exit ramp). Travel approximately 1.5 miles on PA 869 watching for a left turn onto Lake Road at the sign for Johnstown Flood National Memorial. Follow Lake Road 1.5 miles until the visitor center appears on your right. Please park safely in the designated parking lot and not block any emergency access roads.

Visitor centers

Weather

Winters can be cold and severe. Spring can be seasonable and wet. Summer can be hot with potentials for thunderstorms. Fall can be seasonal, with cold temperatures into October and November.

Phone: 8148866171

Whose lands these are

These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.

Photos

Farm house
Lake View House · NPS
Cottage
The Double Cottage · NPS
Remains of the dam
The remains of the South Fork Dam · NPS
Cottage
The Lippincott Cottage · NPS
Park entrance sign
Park entrance sign · NPS
Dam remains
The remains of the South Fork Dam · NPS

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