Path of the Flood Van Tours

Reservations are required!

Please call 814-886-6171 to sign up for this free van tour!

 

The 15 passenger van used for the tour.

NPS

2026 tour dates: June 13 and July 25

Ranger-guided Path of the Flood van tours are a great way to learn about the destructive force of the Johnstown Flood of May 31, 1889.

This free tour begins at 1:00 p.m. at the Johnstown Flood National Memorial Visitor Center on select Saturdays in the summer. The tour is four hours in length. Space is limited to 12 people and reservations are required.

The tour goes around the site of the South Fork Dam. Participants will learn about the history of the dam, plus the timeline that explains how and why the dam failed. During this time, there is also a fully-guided tour of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club Club House.

After leaving the park grounds, the tour then winds through the flood ravaged communities of South Fork, Mineral Point, East Conemaugh, Woodvale, and ultimately Johnstown. While driving through these communities, the Park Ranger explains the key events that happened in each town and even shares some photos of flood damage and/or significant people from the flood. The narrative portion of the tour concludes at Grandview Cemetery. At the cemetery, the van will stop at the "Monument of Tranquility," the monument that was dedicated to flood victims on May 31, 1892. Participants will then be shuttled back to the park Visitor Center.

 

The interior of the van.

NPS

The tour takes place in a 15-passenger van. Personal space may be limited depending on the number of participants signed up. Please note that maneuvering on and off the van may be difficult.

Accommodations for children under the age of eight cannot be made due to Pennsylvania law. The child safety law states that children eight years of age and under must be in an appropriate booster seat. Please be advised that because we cannot ensure that car seats are properly and safely installed on the vans and/or the bus, we cannot accommodate them on van tours. If a child arrived at the park in a car seat, they must always be in a car seat, while in a motorized vehicle. No allowances will be made for "holding" children while on a van tour. Thank you for your understanding!