Washington to Buffalo drive: 24 ranked stops, break in New Stanton

The 1829 stone tower was the first lighthouse illuminated by natural gas and remains a harbor landmark. Grounds are year-round, while construction, staffing, and weather can restrict tower access.

Five minutes from I-79, Lake Wilhelm combines a large lake, wetlands, mature forest, and a paved shoreline loop used for cycling and wildlife viewing. The park is open daily year-round.

High bluffs overlook three-quarters of a mile of Lake Erie shoreline, with picnic areas and short trails that reveal the lake without a full beach day. Current amenities do not support calling it a swimming beach.

a cascade in the Catoctins

a tiered roadside fall in Indiana County

a monadnock with overlooks an hour from D.C.

This 4,062-acre mountain park centers on a 63-acre lake, with the old-growth Hemlock Trail Natural Area and historic Jones Mill Run Dam providing specific short-stop targets. Beach and office schedules are seasonal.

a natural-gas flame flickers in a grotto behind the falls

George Washington’s favorite spa, a state-park bathhouse in town

Pennsylvania’s biggest resort, a Laurel Highlands staple

September 17, 1862 remains the single bloodiest day in American history -- over 22,000 casualties in about 12 hours around this small whitewashed Dunker meetinghouse. The battle's outcome gave Lincoln the opening to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. A quiet, reflective stop rather than a triumphant one.

a popular Appalachian Trail overlook