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 stars in the Big Dipper and Little Dipper help navigators locate the North Star. Following the five stars in the Five Star Trail—the municipalities of Hempfield Township, Youngwood, South...
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...
Part of a larger system in Western Pennsylvania known as the Trans Allegheny Trails, the Ghost Town Trail was named for the long-abandoned towns strung along the tracks of the Ebensburg & Black Lick...
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 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...
Spurred by the success of New York’s revolutionary Erie Canal, Pennsylvania started constructing its own canal system in 1826 to link Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. But the Allegheny Mountains...
Built in 1871 to transport the region’s high-quality limestone to support Pittsburgh’s growing steel industry, the Butler Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad was the first railroad in Butler County....
The Armstrong Trail connects riverfront towns along the east bank of the Allegheny River as it winds through the lush Allegheny Plateau. The flat trail, currently 35.5 miles, follows the river...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
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...
The West Penn Trail is named for a branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad that paralleled the Western Division Canal of the cross-state Main Line of Public Works from Lockport to Freeport and then to...
Evidence of the Roaring Run Trail’s past lives are readily visible all along the 4.8-mile corridor in western Pennsylvania. Stone remains in the Kiskiminetas River (Kiski for short) mark the site of a...
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...
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 Loop Trail provides an alternate route to the Great Allegheny Passage between Boston and McKeesport. The route separates from the Great Allegheny Passage at Boston, crosses the Boston Bridge over...
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 Sheepskin Rail-Trail is a developing pathway located in rural Fayette County, Pennsylvania. As of 2018, the trail is open in three disconnected segments, totaling nearly 6 miles. Eventually, 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...
Stretching 10.6 miles through south-central Pennsylvania, this rail-trail follows the route of the former Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad, a standard--gauge railroad founded in 1852 to...
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 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 stars in the Big Dipper and Little Dipper help navigators locate the North Star. Following the five stars in the Five Star Trail—the municipalities of Hempfield Township, Youngwood, South...
Following the Potomac River, the C&O Canal Towpath traverses the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park for 184.5 miles between Georgetown in Washington, D.C., and Cumberland, Maryland. For...
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...
Stretching 10.6 miles through south-central Pennsylvania, this rail-trail follows the route of the former Huntingdon and Broad Top Mountain Railroad, a standard--gauge railroad founded in 1852 to...
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...
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 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...
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...
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....
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...
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The David S. Ammerman Trail rolls through Pennsylvania coal country for nearly 11 miles between Clearfield and Grampian, skirting the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and two of its tributaries....
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 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 17.8-mile Westmoreland Heritage Trail, a family-friendly multiuse rail-trail, offers opportunities for recreation and connections to nature along its two separated segments between Saltsburg and...
Spurred by the success of New York’s revolutionary Erie Canal, Pennsylvania started constructing its own canal system in 1826 to link Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. But the Allegheny Mountains...
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...
Built in 1871 to transport the region’s high-quality limestone to support Pittsburgh’s growing steel industry, the Butler Branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad was the first railroad in Butler County....
The Sheepskin Rail-Trail is a developing pathway located in rural Fayette County, Pennsylvania. As of 2018, the trail is open in three disconnected segments, totaling nearly 6 miles. Eventually, the...
he Indian Creek Valley Bike and Hike Trail winds through the rugged hills in the former coal-mining region of southwestern Pennsylvania. Although remote, the trail passes through several small towns,...
The Great American Rail-Trail highlights some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, well-known geography and storied history across a 3,700-miles-plus route between Washington and Washington....
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...
The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is an iconic rail-trail that runs 150 miles from Cumberland, Maryland, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was built in partnership between state agencies and many local...
The West Penn Trail is named for a branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad that paralleled the Western Division Canal of the cross-state Main Line of Public Works from Lockport to Freeport and then to...
If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, Mahoning Shadow Trail users expect six more weeks of winter before spring arrives. The 15-mile Central Pennsylvania trail passes through 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...
The stars in the Big Dipper and Little Dipper help navigators locate the North Star. Following the five stars in the Five Star Trail—the municipalities of Hempfield Township, Youngwood, South...
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 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 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...
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 Armstrong Trail connects riverfront towns along the east bank of the Allegheny River as it winds through the lush Allegheny Plateau. The flat trail, currently 35.5 miles, follows the river...
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...
Evidence of the Roaring Run Trail’s past lives are readily visible all along the 4.8-mile corridor in western Pennsylvania. Stone remains in the Kiskiminetas River (Kiski for short) mark the site of a...
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 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...
Spurred by the success of New York’s revolutionary Erie Canal, Pennsylvania started constructing its own canal system in 1826 to link Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. But the Allegheny Mountains...
The 17.8-mile Westmoreland Heritage Trail, a family-friendly multiuse rail-trail, offers opportunities for recreation and connections to nature along its two separated segments between Saltsburg and...
The Sheepskin Rail-Trail is a developing pathway located in rural Fayette County, Pennsylvania. As of 2018, the trail is open in three disconnected segments, totaling nearly 6 miles. Eventually, the...
I was pleasantly surprised to find that an additional 3.3 miles of trail has been opened from Murrysville to Export. Mostly crushed limestone with about a quarter mile of blacktop. Uphill grade to Export but certainly not crazy steep. It is nice to see improvements to this trail. It look like it will take about another 3.5 miles to connect Export to Delmont. Won’t that be nice!
I would ride this trail again! My husband & I ride rail trails all around PA & as far as we can drive from our home in Philadelphia. This is one of the nicest trails. In addition to the wonderful history of 19th century mining, the trail is well maintained with clean & frequent bathrooms, benches & picnic shelters. Yes, there is a bit of a hill between Vintondale & Nanty Glo, but that is part of the fun. I want to give a thank you to Cambria & Indiana counties for their great work in maintaining this trail.
Nicely maintained stone dust trail with several points of interest along the way including a couple locks, an old railroad coaling tower, and several historic towns. Some pieces of this trail are paved near towns, but watch out for the rough patches where tree roots are breaking up the blacktop.
As other reviewers noted, this trail has several areas that are washed out with rough areas caused by water flow. These are not insurmountable and with a mountain bike are pretty easily crossed. If you’re trying for speed, this is probably not the trail for you. Otherwise, though, it’s a perfectly fine afternoon ride. There are some sandy spots near one of the farms to be careful of. There are not any tall bridges or tunnels on this trsil like some of the others, but it is a quiet ride through the woods and farmland.
Want to warn anyone who is considering this trial. Parts of it are in serious disrepair from washouts and soft spots. It has the potential to be beautiful but the rains have taken a toll on it, especially on the the Freeport end. Would like to try it again if they are able to get it repaired.
The Ghost Town Trail has grown and evolved over the years into one of the best trails in Pennsylvania. The key things riders should keep in mind for riding this trail is the mountain. I highly recommend heading west to east, up mountain first.
On Memorial Day 2019 I rode the newly opened portion of the trail, designated the C&I Extension, between Vintondale and the northern end of Nanty Glo. Parking in Vintondale and riding north and then east, the round-trip is just more than 30 miles.
I recommend parking in Vintondale and riding north to Route 422, going under the highway, following Vic Miller Road for a short distance and continuing the next eight miles back to toward Nanty-Glo along the trail. Most of the trail is a true railroad grade, so if you want to have a nice ride back to the end, definitely don't start at North Street and ride west and south.
The ride is quiet and serene. There isn't much to look at along the trail, you're in the woods along the first four miles, but the newly opened (as of 2018) portion from Vic Miller Road to North Street has some wide open areas. I would recommend this trip in the autumn, late September and early October is prime leaf season in this portion of the Laurel Highlands.
One note, there is limited parking at a trialhead along Vic Miller Road. At that trailhead, if you're using the "cycling" feature in Google Maps, it shows the trial continuing northwest. That is not the case, with no trespassing signs and a gate blocking the ATV path Google Maps is mistakenly showing as trail.
There are no services along the C&I spur, so pack and plan accordingly.
Overall, this portion of the Ghost Town Trail provides a quiet ride in the forest to escape to, but your legs will be sore the next day from the uphill portions.
The trail is nice from Houtzdale west. We only road to mile marker 9. There are sections of the trail that are all grass, so you'll probably want a mountain bike. The trail east of Houtzdale is all grass and muddy in spots, so be prepared. The Bilo market is no longer in Houtzdale; it appears to be replaced by a Family Dollar. There's a large parking lot, so you can park there and take one of the streets about a block north to find the trail.
Not only is it beautiful, the people I’ve interacted with are courteous to each other. There is lots of shade making it ideal for very hot days. It’s very flat making it great for people of all ages and abilities.
Always looking for a place to take a break and stretch my legs on a long road trip. This trail is the perfect place to do that. Exactly half way between Breezewood and Bedford. Easy hop off the pike and then take Rt 30 which parallels the pike. Trail is only about 2.5 miles north of 30.
The Bedford County folks have built a beautiful trail. The scenery is a tale of two trails. The south end is wooded and passes through many rock cuts. The north end after the bridge follows the river and is open county and even uses a gravel road for about 1.5 miles.
The only loose gravel that I encountered was at about MP 4.5 north of the bridge. Luckily it was only about 30’ long.
Where the trail joins Cooper Sawmill road at the south end I was riding on 1/2” gravel. Said to myself can’t bounce on this for too long. Luckily, it was gone after only a couple hundred feet. Road was hard-packed with only scattered potholes filled with the 1/2” gravel. Might get dusty during a dry spell. Only encountered 3 cars and they were moving slowly.
Trail seemed pretty flat except for about MP 5 to MP 2. Heading south the uphill grade started at about MP 5. Probably only about 3% but very noticeable and the gravel surface makes it tougher. After about a mile I was thinking this won’t be fun until the end. Luckily at about MP 2 the grade reduced and it wasn’t so bad to the end.
Saw lots of kayaks along the river, so might be an easy pedal-n-paddle trip in the future. Looks like a pretty easy takeout in Riddlesburg. Didn’t see an easy put-in real close to the bridge in Cypher, but might be one down the road a little ways.
Great place to enjoy some pretty scenery and stretch the legs before getting back on the Turnpike for my trip from OH to the MD shore. If you just want a short walk, about 1 mile north of Tatesville there was a nice bench overlooking a pond (see photo). Enjoy. Thanks Bedford County and Broad Top Twp for a beautiful trail.....Bikin-Mike 5/2019
p.s. Abandoned Turnpike is another awesome ride in the Breezewood area. It’s only about 1/2 a mile from the Turnpike exit.
I am new to biking so the trail from Slickville towards delmont was too steep for me. I am going to stick to the more level trails from now on.
This trail is fine. I prefer trails with more scenic/nature views. This trail cuts through Greensburg, so not a lot of nature going on. Had to cross a few busy roads.. and this trail does not have very much shade. Otherwise, it was fairly flat and it is a nice trail for those who live in the Greensburg area.
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