Johnstown Flood National Memorial

Please note that the 2026 tours are full!

Club House and Cottage Row Walking Tours take place on May 16, 2026, and are part of our programming for the anniversary of the 1889 Johnstown Flood. Tours start at the Club House building located at 186 Main Street in St. Michael and last approximately one hour. Reservations for both tours are required! Please call the Visitor Center at 814-886-6171 to reserve a spot on these free tours! 

Club House Tours 

The Club House was the center of activity for the members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club and their guests. The club owned the South Fork Dam, also known as Lake Conemaugh on May 31, 1889. 

Tours include a walk through all three floors of the building. Participants will learn about the different uses of the building through the years, both during the days of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club and after. 

May 16 tour times: 10:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. 

Cottage Row Walking Tours 

Members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club built 16 cottages along Lake Conemaugh. 

Cottage Row Walking Tours are led by park rangers and provide information on the 16 cottages built along the lake and the members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club that owned them. As many of these structures are currently occupied, the tours do not go into any buildings. (es) 

May 16 tour times: 1:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. 

Alleviating Human Suffering in the Face of Emergencies: The American Red Cross’ Response to the Johnstown Flood and the September 11 Attacks.

Join park rangers as they discuss how the American Red Cross grew as an organization, but its mission remained the same from the 1889 Johnstown Flood to the September 11th attacks of 2001.
This program is presented by park rangers Elizabeth Shope and Sam Govan.

The program begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Club House building located at 186 Main Street in St. Michael. No reservations are required for these free programs. Our Evening on the Lake series is sponsored by Friends of Johnstown Flood National Memorial.

Sunday, May 31, 2026 is the 137th anniversary of the Great Johnstown Flood of May 31, 1889.

The Visitor Center will be open from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. and is free of charge. The park film, Black Friday will play at quarter after each hour from 9:15 a.m. until 9:15 p.m.

At 4:07 p.m. park rangers will lay commemorative wreaths on the remains of the dam at the time the floodwaters reached Johnstown. The wreath laying will be broadcast live on our Facebook page.

Beginning at 7:00 p.m., 2,209 luminaries, will be lit to honor the victims of the flood. They line the remains of the South Fork Dam and around the Visitor Center. Each luminary will have the name of a flood victim written on it and will remain lit until 10:00 p.m. Park grounds remain open until the conclusion of the luminaries.

Parking is available at the Visitor Center and South Abutment. A shuttle runs between the Visitor Center and the North Abutment through the duration of the luminaries. Luminaries will also be visible from the Visitor Center area.

No reservations are required for any events on May 31. It is free and open to the public.

2026 program dates:
June 5 to August 30- Fridays through Tuesdays
September- Saturdays and Sundays

Tales of the Great Flood ranger talks take place daily in the Visitor Center theater between showings of the park film, “Black Friday.”

Talks are approximately 15-minutes in length and cover a variety of topics relating to the Johnstown Flood and time period.

Program times:
9:55 a.m., 10:55 a.m., 11:55 a.m., 1:55 p.m., 2:55 p.m. and 3:55 p.m.

Please note that the talks are staff dependent.

2026 program dates:
June 5 to August 30- Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
September- Saturdays and Sundays.

This ranger guided walk takes participants through the ruins of the South Fork Dam.

The program is approximately 45 minutes in length and will take participants to the bottom of the dam, through the breach and back up out of the dam on the other side. Participants will learn about May 31, 1889, the hillside across from the dam, and much more! Please note that the last portion of the walk contains a steep section. The walk is approximately 1/3 mile.

Participants are encouraged to wear proper shoes and bring water. The meeting location is on the South Abutment.

The walk is weather and staff dependent. Please call the Visitor Center at 814-886-6171 on the day of your visit to see if the program is being offered. No reservations are required! This walk can also be done self-guided. Park grounds are open daily from sunrise to sunset.

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.

We've Come a Long Way: Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site and Johnstown Flood National Memorial Through the Years.

We've come a long way in 62 years! Participants will view the photographic history of both Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site and Johnstown Flood National Memorial. This photographic timeline will take visitors from the humble beginnings of these two parks to what exists today.
This program is presented by park ranger Doug Bosley.

The program begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Club House building located at 186 Main Street in St. Michael. No reservations are required for these free programs. Our Evening on the Lake series is sponsored by Friends of Johnstown Flood National Memorial.

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.

Clara Barton

We know her from the Red Cross, Johnstown Flood and Civil War. There is much more to this courageous and compassionate woman. Come to really know the person who is looked upon worldwide as the embodiment of the American Red Cross.
This program is presented by park volunteer Jim Effinger.

The program begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Club House building located at 186 Main Street in St. Michael. No reservations are required for these free programs. Our Evening on the Lake series is sponsored by Friends of Johnstown Flood National Memorial.

Insect Invaders: A Battle for our Park’s Native Forests.

Invasive insects are changing the face of forests in the National Parks of the Northeast United States. These destructive insects are non-native species that have escaped into areas where they do not occur naturally and have no natural enemies, so their populations can explode causing devastation to our forests. Infestations have caused the elimination of large canopy trees such as our native ash, oak, maples, and hemlock species. This presentation dives into how these bugs are affecting our parklands and how the National Parks of Western Pa are fighting back against one of these species, the emerald ash borer.

This program is presented by park ranger Margaret Speicher.

The program begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Club House building located at 186 Main Street in St. Michael. No reservations are required for these free programs. Our Evening on the Lake series is sponsored by Friends of Johnstown Flood National Memorial.