Find the top rated bike trails in Johnstown, whether you're looking for an easy short bike trail or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The old railroad line known as the Moshannon, or the Mills Branch, crossed the Moshannon Valley during the mid- to late 1800s. The line was the foundation of the region's late 19th- and early...
Forbes State Forest and the adjacent state parks (Linn Run, Laurel Mountain, and Laurel Ridge) maintain the PWS Trail System, a network of snowmobile trails and forest service roads though the...
The out-and-back Roaring Run is the third incarnation of this pathway. First to occupy the waterfront site was the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal towpath, which operated between 1825 and 1850. The...
The Bells Gap Rail-Trail is really two trails in one-a flat 2.1-mile southern section with smooth crushed limestone surface, and a rougher, more difficult northern section best-suited for mountain...
Open since 1989, the creek-side Indian Creek Valley Trail traces the route of the Indian Creek Valley Railraod (ICVRR). Just north of Indian Head, you will come to a cluster of acid mine drainage...
The short but scenic Cowanshannock Trail is a great pathway for hikers, walkers, and bikers to use to link to the larger Armstrong Trail. The Cowanshannock is 1.27 miles long, and plans are to extend...
Less than an hour from Pittsburgh, the Little Crabtree Creek travels for just over a mile in Unity Township, east of Greensburg. This first phase of the trail opened in July 2014; a future phase will...
Apollo's Kiski Riverfront Trail, built on the former M-Line Railroad bed, begins in downtown Apollo and follows the scenic Kiskiminetas River (called "Kiski" locally) to North Apollo. The nearly level...
Built in 1871 to transport the region's high-quality limestone to support Pittsburgh's growing steel industry, the Butler-Freeport line was the first railroad in Butler County. After a two-day...
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The Huntingdon and Broad Top Rail Trail follows a former rail corridor stretching just over 10 miles from Riddlesburg to Tatesville in southern Pennsylvania. The trail's name comes from the Huntingdon...
The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (a.k.a. C&O Canal Towpath) follows the route of the Potomac River for 184.5 miles between Georgetown in Washington, D.C., and Cumberland, Maryland....
The West Penn Trail, a National Recreation Trail, runs largely along the corridor of the Portage Railroad line that operated from 1830 to 1864 between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. The trail is steadily...
Following the corridor of a mountain-crossing railroad that operated 1834-1854, this trail has two segments approximately 15 miles apart. Both trail sections retain some of the original stones that...
In western Pennsylvania, the Armstrong Trail offers 30 miles of improved trail with several short on-road sections between Rosston and East Brady in Armstrong and Clarion Counties. North of East...
The first 0.5 mile of the Ligonier Valley Trail and Bikeway is now complete, linking the town's popular attractions: Fort Ligonier from the days of George Washington and the French and Indian War, the...
The Sheepskin Rail-Trail is a developing pathway located in rural Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It’s currently open in two disconnected segments, each spanning about 2 miles. Eventually, the...
The waterway implied in the name of the Jim Mayer Riverswalk is the beautiful Stonycreek River. The trail, also named for a local conservationist, hugs its eastern bank, providing a natural retreat in...
The Honan Avenue Trail is a 3.5 mile long community pathway in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The trail begins at the River Walk Trail in Cambria City, Johnstown, then heads north for three miles along...
The Mahoning Shadow Trail has a flat surface that is easy for biking, running and walking. There is little signage on the trail, but each trailhead and access point is well marked. Begin at the...
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Once known as the Clearfield and Grampian Trail, in 2011, the name was changed to the David S. Ammerman Trail in memory of the man who championed turning the abandoned rail corridor into a...
The Honan Avenue Trail is a 3.5 mile long community pathway in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The trail begins at the River Walk Trail in Cambria City, Johnstown, then heads north for three miles along...
Clymer Trail offers a short, but pleasant route along a wooded hillside on Clymer Borough's west end. The rail-trail follows the former Sample Run Mine Branch of the Cherry Tree & Dixonville Railroad....
Apollo's Kiski Riverfront Trail, built on the former M-Line Railroad bed, begins in downtown Apollo and follows the scenic Kiskiminetas River (called "Kiski" locally) to North Apollo. The nearly level...
The Westmoreland Heritage Trail is an excellent example of a family-friendly multi-use rail-trail. This crushed-limestone trail features reclaimed railroad bridges over the Conemaugh River and...
The Sheepskin Rail-Trail is a developing pathway located in rural Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It’s currently open in two disconnected segments, each spanning about 2 miles. Eventually, the...
Forbes State Forest and the adjacent state parks (Linn Run, Laurel Mountain, and Laurel Ridge) maintain the PWS Trail System, a network of snowmobile trails and forest service roads though the...
The old railroad line known as the Moshannon, or the Mills Branch, crossed the Moshannon Valley during the mid- to late 1800s. The line was the foundation of the region's late 19th- and early...
The waterway implied in the name of the Jim Mayer Riverswalk is the beautiful Stonycreek River. The trail, also named for a local conservationist, hugs its eastern bank, providing a natural retreat in...
The Tredway Trail's full name is the Wynn and Clara Tredway River Trail, a 2.5-mile run on the eastern side of the Allegheny River just north of New Kensington. The trail is included in an initiative...
Built in 1871 to transport the region's high-quality limestone to support Pittsburgh's growing steel industry, the Butler-Freeport line was the first railroad in Butler County. After a two-day...
The first 0.5 mile of the Ligonier Valley Trail and Bikeway is now complete, linking the town's popular attractions: Fort Ligonier from the days of George Washington and the French and Indian War, the...
Following the corridor of a mountain-crossing railroad that operated 1834-1854, this trail has two segments approximately 15 miles apart. Both trail sections retain some of the original stones that...
The out-and-back Roaring Run is the third incarnation of this pathway. First to occupy the waterfront site was the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal towpath, which operated between 1825 and 1850. The...
Less than an hour from Pittsburgh, the Little Crabtree Creek travels for just over a mile in Unity Township, east of Greensburg. This first phase of the trail opened in July 2014; a future phase will...
To the residents of Lastrobe, the Lincoln Avenue Rails to Trails Greenway is more than a simple off-road path: it also a social asset, a place where community members of all ages and walks of life can...
The Bedford Heritage Trail provides a safe and picturesque connection between a topnotch resort and a nationally recognized downtown. From the Omni Bedford Springs Resort and Spa, the trail snakes...
The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (a.k.a. C&O Canal Towpath) follows the route of the Potomac River for 184.5 miles between Georgetown in Washington, D.C., and Cumberland, Maryland....
The Blairsville Riverfront Trail is a scenic woodland trail located along the Conemaugh River. The property the trail was built on is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who maintain a...
Tracing a section of the abandoned Rural Valley Railroad corridor the Great Shamokin Path parallels the Cowanshannock Creek for 3.5 miles. The eastern part of the trail, which is surfaced primarily...
Once known as the Clearfield and Grampian Trail, in 2011, the name was changed to the David S. Ammerman Trail in memory of the man who championed turning the abandoned rail corridor into a...
Clymer Trail offers a short, but pleasant route along a wooded hillside on Clymer Borough's west end. The rail-trail follows the former Sample Run Mine Branch of the Cherry Tree & Dixonville Railroad....
The first 0.5 mile of the Ligonier Valley Trail and Bikeway is now complete, linking the town's popular attractions: Fort Ligonier from the days of George Washington and the French and Indian War, the...
The short but scenic Cowanshannock Trail is a great pathway for hikers, walkers, and bikers to use to link to the larger Armstrong Trail. The Cowanshannock is 1.27 miles long, and plans are to extend...
Apollo's Kiski Riverfront Trail, built on the former M-Line Railroad bed, begins in downtown Apollo and follows the scenic Kiskiminetas River (called "Kiski" locally) to North Apollo. The nearly level...
The Honan Avenue Trail is a 3.5 mile long community pathway in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The trail begins at the River Walk Trail in Cambria City, Johnstown, then heads north for three miles along...
Forbes State Forest and the adjacent state parks (Linn Run, Laurel Mountain, and Laurel Ridge) maintain the PWS Trail System, a network of snowmobile trails and forest service roads though the...
The Bedford Heritage Trail provides a safe and picturesque connection between a topnotch resort and a nationally recognized downtown. From the Omni Bedford Springs Resort and Spa, the trail snakes...
The Mahoning Shadow Trail has a flat surface that is easy for biking, running and walking. There is little signage on the trail, but each trailhead and access point is well marked. Begin at the...
The Tredway Trail's full name is the Wynn and Clara Tredway River Trail, a 2.5-mile run on the eastern side of the Allegheny River just north of New Kensington. The trail is included in an initiative...
Despite its eerie name, there's nothing scary about the Ghost Town Trail. It is actually named for the numerous towns that were served by the Ebensburg & Blacklick Railroad, as well as the Cambria &...
The waterway implied in the name of the Jim Mayer Riverswalk is the beautiful Stonycreek River. The trail, also named for a local conservationist, hugs its eastern bank, providing a natural retreat in...
To the residents of Lastrobe, the Lincoln Avenue Rails to Trails Greenway is more than a simple off-road path: it also a social asset, a place where community members of all ages and walks of life can...
The Blairsville Riverfront Trail is a scenic woodland trail located along the Conemaugh River. The property the trail was built on is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who maintain a...
The Westmoreland Heritage Trail is an excellent example of a family-friendly multi-use rail-trail. This crushed-limestone trail features reclaimed railroad bridges over the Conemaugh River and...
The Carpendale Trail straddles the North Branch of the Potomac River between Carpendale in West Virginia and Cumberland in Maryland. The wooden bridge spanning 386 feet across the river is a...
The out-and-back Roaring Run is the third incarnation of this pathway. First to occupy the waterfront site was the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal towpath, which operated between 1825 and 1850. The...
The Sheepskin Rail-Trail is a developing pathway located in rural Fayette County, Pennsylvania. It’s currently open in two disconnected segments, each spanning about 2 miles. Eventually, the...
Tracing a section of the abandoned Rural Valley Railroad corridor the Great Shamokin Path parallels the Cowanshannock Creek for 3.5 miles. The eastern part of the trail, which is surfaced primarily...
Now the longest rail-trail east of the Mississippi River, the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) spans two states in its course along great rivers and across mountain passes. Running from...
In western Pennsylvania, the Armstrong Trail offers 30 miles of improved trail with several short on-road sections between Rosston and East Brady in Armstrong and Clarion Counties. North of East...
trail was well maintained. rode right along river. we started at cowanshannock trail and headed up river. parking easy to find. mild grade nothing exceptional. after bike ride, we walked cowanshannock trail to see buttermilk falls.
Towpath is nearly impassable from lack of basic maintenance over the past 20 years. Mud in places is over 8" deep. The tunnel has trees growing out of its face and the boardwalk has holes rotted through in many places. Such a shame that America can't maintain a simple bike path.
We biked this trail early July. It was not flooded. The nearby Conemaugh dam is maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers and they have a Facebook page with the daily water level. You can also call them.
We parked at Conemaugh Dam where there is a nice visitors center, restrooms and picnic areas. West Penn Trail goes right through the parking lot.
We biked through Tunnelview Historical site and pushed our bikes through and across Bow Ridge. We passed the two Bow Tunnels (closed and even plugged). Biking on the trail with our road bikes was quite a challenge since the trail was more like a Mountain Bike trail. Then again, you are crossing over the mountain.
Once on the other side, we walked our bikes some more descending to the other side of the Bow tunnels. The first bridge at Livermore was a few feet above the water.
We biked from there to Blairsville and back crossing a few more bridges over the Conemaugh River. That section of the trail is nearly flat and dirt/crushed limestone. There are historical signs along the trail.
If you are looking for a nice leisurely trail this is not the trail! If you are looking for a good workout, this trail is for you.
From Conemaugh Dam it's 2 miles over the hills and through the woods to the railroad grade at the first bridge in the former town of Livermore. From there it's about 4 miles to Blairsville.
I had never spent much time on the Mon in years past but was more than pleasantly surprised by the quality trail starting near downtown. We went all the way to McKeesport and next time I plan on going further to link up with the Montoya trail. Well maintained and ample facilities along the way with a number of great river and city views!
I hiked this in May from Blairsville to the Connemaugh Dam. On my first hike the railway bridges were hundreds of feet above the Connemaugh river. The trail was empty except for one other couple. We both wondered how large logs were tangled in bridge supports as though they had been washed there. It's an extremely beautiful hike, the best of Pennsylvania. I passed over about three railway bridges that looked far down to the river and valley. You hike up and down a steep mountain to get to the dam. I hiked it a second time a week later, construction workers in the parking lot said winter floods had covered the bridges by 50 feet. ( I didn't believe them) The valleys these bridges cover are huge, perhaps a half mile wide, you look down on islands with fully grown trees. Hiking to the dam I passed an older hiker who said, " watch yourself ahead" and kept walking. Two bridge crossings further, to the bridge at the foot off the hill before the dam I had a shock. Water had risen to the bridge deck and as I watched covered the bridge and debris floated over, a huge valley had been flooded. I turned back thinking of the two bridges I had to cross over the same river before Blairsville. Both were clear but it was amazing to see a full valley flooded and just the tips of trees above water. I guess that is what the old timer meant by "watch yourself" . Wish he had been a bit less taciturn. Don't know how you find out if Dam is going to release a few billion gallons of water but "watch yourself" . Also it was a fabulous Hike and completely amazing, with deer, owls, catfish in the shallows and something large crashing just off the trail.
We rode Amtrak from Pittsburgh to Cumberland on June 30th. Fortunately the train was very late, so we didn't get on the trail until 3:30 and were able to avoid some of the sun we likely would have had earlier in the day. The climb to the Continental Divide was long and slow, but beautiful. We stopped to take quite a few pictures and chilled for a bit in Frostburg (ice cream shop closed at 4 on a 90 degree Saturday?!?). Stayed at Morguen Toole Co. in Meyersdale and enjoyed a great meal there too. On July 1 we headed to Confluence in the AM. We borrowed a car to visit the Flight 93 Memorial and, once again, managed to avoid riding in the hottest part of the day. Once on our way again we headed to Connellsville and stayed at the Connellsville B&B, which was wonderful. On the 2nd we rode to West Newton for lunch, after an extended stop at Rachel Sager Mosaics in Whitsett. We had a stop at Over the Bars Bike Cafe in Pittsburgh before finishing up the trail just before a thunderstorm hit. We met some wonderful folks along the way and enjoyed a fantastic few days of riding at an enjoyable pace.
Parked at Saltsburg and road the 8.5 miles west to the end. This is the eastern part of the trail. The trail path is very solid and easy to bike on and most of it is through woods. At marker 2.5 you will start to pedal uphill until you get to marker 5.25. At this point you will coast downhill to marker 6.5. The trail is then a slight uphill to marker 8.5 where the trail ends in a parking lot. It is very easy to ride back except at 6.5 to 5.25 which is uphill. You will not have to pedal at 5.25 to 2.5. You will pass an old coal slag mound, 2 old oil tanks, ride along a orange stream from mine water, and cross two bridges. We did see many people floating in the stream and river. At marker 4.75 you will be in Slickville. There is a store that you can get sandwiches, drinks, and ice cream.
Beautiful area, lots of wild life and an awsome view from the bridge, not to mention the smallies were biting ¿¿
We are 60-somethings and rode this trail last summer and just did a second ride this week. This has to be one of the best trails we have ridden. The trail is very well maintained and perfect for those of us who need a more level trail. As a matter of fact, as we were riding from Hollidaysburg through the Williamsburg area, a willow tree had fallen across the train close to Williamsburg, but, luckily, we were able to walk our bikes around it. When we arrived at the trailhead in Alexandria, a crew was there and asked us about the report of a fallen tree. By the time we returned on the way back to Hollidaysburg, the tree had been removed from the trail! The shaded trail with numerous benches to rest, picnic tables, and spots to enjoy the views of the Juniata River make this a perfect perfect ride.
I’ve ridden the entire C&O Canal Trail three times and shorter sections several other times. It is a great trail for its natural beauty as well as historic significance, with one big caveat. You need to pay close attention to the weather and trail conditions because it can become an awful mess after heavy or extended rains and flooding. The first two times we rode the entire C&O (as well as the GAP), we had dry weather and the trail was very rideable except for occasional mud puddles. However, the third time in June 2018 followed several weeks of heavy rains and flooding, and the trail was impassable in many spots. We had to hire shuttles to carry us around two sections, and we were bogged down by thick mud and downed trees in some of the sections we rode. I will follow trail and weather reports more closely if I ride the C&O again.
This trail is perfect for new bike riders. It's mostly level and shaded. iMy husband and I want to come back in the fall.
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