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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Centralia
Centralia, Pennsylvania
Go as a 1–2 hour roadside stop on PA-61, not a base: no beds, food, fuel or shops in the borough, and the ground is unsafe.
Centralia is a near-empty borough on a ridge in the Alleghenies and Susquehanna Valley where an underground anthracite fire has burned since 1962. Almost every building is gone, the old highway surface was torn up in 2020, and state and local officials discourage visiting. Treat it as a short, careful look from the road, then sleep and eat in Ashland, Mount Carmel or Shamokin, 10–25 minutes away.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Centralia, Pennsylvania
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Dec–Mar (ice, snow, unplowed streets)
- Stay
- 0 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Stop cost (fuel, coffee, snack in Ashland) $10–20 · Day out from a nearby base (fuel, lunch, mine tour) $40–70 · Overnight nearby, mid motel, per person $60–110 (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Poison control 1-800-222-1222
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee and a snack in Ashland | $4–8 |
| Diner lunch nearby | $12–20 |
| Gallon of petrol | $3.30–3.80 |
| Motel double room, nearby town | $70–180 |
| Pioneer Tunnel mine tour ticket | $10–15 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- AVP · Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International
- About 1 h 15 min by car via I-81 and PA-61
- MDT · Harrisburg International
- About 1 h 45 min by car
- PHL · Philadelphia International
- About 2 h 30 min by car
Typical fares
- Fuel, Ashland → Centralia and back
- about $3–5
- Motel double, Ashland or Mount Carmel
- $70–180 a night
- Pioneer Tunnel mine tour
- about $10–15 per person
Get around
You need a car. Centralia sits on PA-61 about 3 km north of Ashland, and part of the old highway was rerouted around the fire zone. Surface streets in the borough are broken and partly closed; drive the open roads, park only where it is legal and clear, and do not walk onto cracked or smoking ground.You need a car. Centralia sits on PA-61 about 1.9 mi north of Ashland, and part of the old highway was rerouted around the fire zone. Surface streets in the borough are broken and partly closed; drive the open roads, park only where it is legal and clear, and do not walk onto cracked or smoking ground.
See and do
Known for
- Underground coal fire burning since 1962
- Abandoned borough with fewer than five residents
- Old PA-61 route through the former town
- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ashland and Pioneer Tunnel | PA-61 south, about 5 min by car | About 15 min |
| Mount Carmel | PA-61 west, about 10 min by car | About 15 min |
| Shamokin Dam | PA-61 west then US-11/15 south | About 1 h |
| Selinsgrove | PA-61 west to US-11/15 south | About 1 h 15 min |
Sleep
- Ashland
- Closest beds, food and fuel, about 3 km south; Pioneer Tunnel coal mine tour is here.Closest beds, food and fuel, about 1.9 mi south; Pioneer Tunnel coal mine tour is here.
- Mount Carmel
- About 8 km west on PA-61; more food options than Ashland.About 5 mi west on PA-61; more food options than Ashland.
- Shamokin
- About 15 km southwest; the largest nearby town with chain motels.About 9.3 mi southwest; the largest nearby town with chain motels.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Is it safe to walk here? | Is it safe to walk here? |
| Where is the nearest petrol station? | Where is the nearest gas station? |
| Where is the nearest motel? | Where is the nearest motel? |
| I need help. | I need help. |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Toxic gas and heat rise from cracks in the ground; stay upwind of any smoke or steam.
- Ground over the old mine workings can collapse; keep to paved, open roads.
- Most buildings are demolished and there are no shops, restaurants, bars or hotels in the borough.
- A few residents remain; stay off private property and do not photograph homes.
- The old PA-61 surface was torn up in 2020, so the former roadside walk no longer exists.
- Cell coverage is patchy on the ridge; download offline maps before you leave Ashland.
The borough is condemned ground: toxic fumes and heat rise from cracks, and old mine workings can collapse. Stay on open paved roads, stay upwind of smoke, keep out of fenced or cracked areas, and call 911 for any breathing trouble.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Centralia yet. Suggested stay: 0 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Underground coal fire burning since 1962
- Abandoned borough with fewer than five residents
- Old PA-61 route through the former town
- Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit PA — official state tourism site: www.visitpa.com/
- Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT): www.penndot.pa.gov/
- Wikivoyage: Centralia (Pennsylvania), revision 5205657 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5205657
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
CentraliaCentralia, Pennsylvania
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Poison control1-800-222-1222
No consulates in the borough; nearest major consulates are in Philadelphia and New York. US visitors: your own embassy is in Washington, DC.
Tipping: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis. Prices are shown before sales tax.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/centralia-pennsylvania). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.