Explore the best rated trails in Johnstown, PA, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the 6 to 10 Trail System and Lower Trail . With more than 40 trails covering 4437 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
I ride my bike on this trail everyday except when it's pouring rain or there is snow on the ground. It was just about perfect until Sunday, November 5th, 2023. One of those ride on leaf blowers started down by Dry Run Road and went to the top near Mullshoe. It blew off most of the pea gravel that was on the trail and exposed the big loose stones and the dirt. After just a little rain last night the trail was a muddy mess. I had to take off my sweat shirt before getting into my car because it was covered in mud on the back of it. By spring the trail will be a disaster.
Rode the trail north to Butler twice. On each trip we rode into nearby downtown Butler to eat. Followed streets marked as bike routes. Between the two rides, we were accosted by angry or unpleasant locals in their cars on three occasions. Twice of which were shouts about how illegal or rude it is to ride bikes and/on the street or slow traffic. The other encounter was a buzz accompanied by shouts of an ignorant nature. All of these occurred in daylight and on city streets. This town is not just unfriendly to cyclists, it is just unfriendly.
The trail is great starting at Cumberland. Pretty smooth and scenic. Not very far in there were quite a few detours as the trail was damaged in many places. I wish there had been more amenities along the trail. The last 40 miles into DC were surprisingly bad, with muddy rough conditions and detours. The trip was memorable and challenging and we were proud to raise money for theplummerhome.org for homeless veterans.
Day1: DC to Williamsport. Day 2: Williamsport to Cumberland. This was an amazing ride with beautiful fall scenery. Trail was well maintained and easy to navigate. It was mostly hard parked gravel with lots of historical sites and great views. Paw Paw tunnel was open. The trail thru tunnel is uneven and wet. Met some great people along the trail. I’ll definitely ride the trail again in the summer.
Anyone who rides Rails to Trails and have been on this trail loved it like we have. The trail is well maintained and there is plenty to see like the history, the fauna and the wildlife. We have not completed MM 18 to Ebensburg yet but we plan to. We don't mark a trail as completed until we ride both ways because the view is so different. And this trail is no exception to that rule. We have done MM 1 to 15, then 15 to 18 to the CI extension to MM 9, to Duman Lake which for a 1/4 mile or so is a pretty nice single track. We plan on coming back in the spring when the rhododendron are blooming. Can't wait!
This is a really nice trail to ride. It is the closest trail to our house so it’s our go to trail. The northern end it is somewhat desolate, and sometimes we don’t even see any other riders! The lower end is a little busier, but fun! Be very careful between the YMCA and the Mariner around mile post 46. The trail is paved, but very, very bumpy! Especially in the right hand lane heading to Ford City. Bikers were actually walking their bikes through the stretch. I’m
A few months ago we were camping in the Raystown Lake area and drove to the the trail head at Saylor park in Black Lick. We rode the whole trail to Ebensburg which was about 32 miles. It was slightly uphill that direction. We turned around and rode back to the truck the same day and it was slightly downhill and went much faster. It totaled about 64 miles for the day. So glad we took the time to finally do this ride It was wonderful. Great trail, great condition.
We took the Amtrak bike train to DC. Had to switch trains in Philly. Between Harrisburg and Philly we had to remove the front wheel and hang the bike. From Philly to DC they were stored in the baggage car and didn't require tire removal. The ride through DC was fantastic and much easier than we expected. The trail got a little confusing to get out of town but once we did we found the trail in much better condition then we expected. We stayed along the way in a hotel and a lock house. My favorite part was the area around the pawpaw tunnel but the trail was in very poor condition in spots. At one point when I tried to go my rear wheel would just spin and the bike wouldn't move. Very mucky and muddy. I'm sure it all depends on the amount of rain they had recently. It completed the ride from Pittsburgh to DC for me. I had ridden the GAP trail about 6 years prior. The only reason I didn't give it a five star rating is because of the mud in some areas. Overall it was great.
My wife and I rode this trail on Oct 18,2023. We started at the Freeport end, doing the longest incline first to make the return trip easier. That was just a long ,steady, gradual climb. Not hard to do with probably nothing more than a two percent grade. Coming back from Butler was a slightly steeper (maybe 3%) climb but much shorter. We really liked this trail as it follows the Buffalo Creek for much of the ride and it goes through a lot of forested areas and farm fields lined with trees. There are plenty of benches to rest and enjoy the scenery. I think it could have maybe two more porta johns or restrooms. There are plenty of parking areas and trailheads. The Derailuer Bike Shop would have been a nice place to get something to eat or a snack along the way but it was closed for the season on weekdays now. Freeport had no place open to get some food after our ride, and from what we could tell, Butler had nowhere close to bike to for anything to eat or drink. Overall the trail was nice and I'd do it again.
Wasn’t impressed not much scenery and trail just ended.
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