Wintergreen Gorge facts for kids

View from the Wintergreen Gorge Bridge into Wintergreen Gorge

Wintergreen Gorge is a canyon located in Harborcreek Township, Erie County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The canyon is 3,980 feet (1,210 m) long and is situated along Fourmile Creek and is also directly next to the campus of Penn State Erie. It is 250 feet (76 m) deep at its highest point. Wintergreen Gorge was named for the plant, "wintergreen", that was commonly found in the canyon. The Bayfront Connector spans the gorge over the Wintergreen Gorge Bridge.

Formation

Wintergreen Gorge was formed 11,000 years ago by Fourmile Creek eroding the glacial debris left behind from the last ice age when the glaciers retreated 20,000 years ago and eroding further into shale from the late Devonian period.