Find the top rated birding trails in Johnstown, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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I parked in Champion and rode south to a few miles beyond Indian Head to where the trail stops. Trail was in good condition. Trail surface was on the rough side. I rode my hybrid bike, but my mountain bike is probably more suitable. Nearly 100% of the trail is in the woods and provides great shade from the sun. This would be a trail to see in the fall with the changing colors. Ought to be beautiful!
Trail is nice and in good condition. Since it is a short trail passing through Mt Pleasant and Scottdale with no exciting sights nor views, it isn't a trail to visit if coming from a long distance. It is a great trail to have in the community if you are local to Mt Pleasant or Scottdale.
My wife and I rode this portion of the trail on our recumbent tandem in June. It has been on of our favorites. The climb from Frostburg to the eastern continental divide was not too bad. It was great fun on the way down. ;-). The tunnels and the views are the big highlights. It was so cool how the lights came on as we rode through Borden tunnel. The cicadas were out in force as we rode through the woods. The Mason Dixon line is a great photo stop. We highly recommend the trail and will be back to ride more.
I started at Salem and rode trail to end at Saltsburg (8.5 miles) where it seamlessly connected to the West Penn Trail. Beautiful shaded trail, with plush forest views. Passed over a reservoir and multiple streams w kayakers. Nice bridges and a tunnel. Encountered turkey and deer. Uphill and downhill both ways. I rode 30m and still felt like I got a great workout! West Penn Trail is a rougher surface with steep grades and ruts from heavy rains. Still- very enjoyable!
It’s a great trail. Been riding it since the beginning. The elitists need to tone it down though. People like to enjoy the scenery and shouldn’t have to worry about getting ran into or yelled at by the Strava segment obsessors.
What a great trail of crushed limestone…great climb up from Cumberland at 660’ to about 2,600’ at the Eastern Continental Divide, then a slow decline the rest of the way to Pittsburgh. Great B&B’s along the way in Meyersdale, Rockwood, Confluence…Ohiopyle State Park is one of a few terrific places to stay for the night and take a day off for whitewater rafting. Also take a moment for a bit of hiking or even a trip to see Falling Waters, a Frank Lloyd Wright home built on a waterfall. Only went as far as West Newton this time around but will be back to do it again. Many also start at Pittsburgh and finish at Cumberland enjoying a 24 mile downhill ride into town. Many choices for food and shelter.
I enjoyed this 36 mile RT ride and recommend exploring this spur. I found it even more enjoyable than the very pleasant Dilltown to Vintondale segment of the trail that immediately preceded it. The first 4 miles of the spur were great, with some surprises at the end of that segment, i.e. scenic rapids and a section that allowed me to ride just inches from the water, which was high from recent rains. The next four miles (Snitty's Way) were an uphill grade and very sunny with too little shade for my taste on a hot day. The last 4 miles were pleasant and shady again. The ride back down the spur to Vintondale was easy and fast, mostly a slight downhill grade. All in all, a good day on the trail.
We just did the entire trail from Cumberland to DC and it was awesome. Lots of cool tunnels and good bike riding when dry. We had one wet day and trail got pretty muddy near Cumberland. Interesting history along the way. This is a must do bike trail.
Rode from Saltsburg to Rangos and back. This section of the trail lives up to it's five star rating. If you're looking for bridges or tunnels all you get are two bridges and a road underpass in the first 3 minutes of riding but you do ride along the Loyalhanna Creek for a ways. This is just a very nice, shady trail in the woods most of the time and the trail surface is in good condition. The caveat is that after a few miles you start a long, consistent uphill climb. My Garmin bike computer put it at 3% most of the time and at 4% once. There is one small community, Slickville, along the way but I didn't see any amenities there. After you top out you'll go back down a ways and cross a large reservoir before coming to the end of this section. Of course, that climb means a nice run back down on the way back. I thoroughly enjoyed this trail.
Walked the trail on May 15th. It looks like they did alot of work on drainage, more stones and fencing. Well taken care of and a beautiful view.
My kids and I have visited this trail multiple times this past month. We love it. My advice would be to start at the north parking lot near Alexandria. The entire ride is gorgeous. If you have kids, the Lower Trail Creamery in Williamsburg at mile marker 11 serves as a great ‘ice cream’ motivator. Williamsburg is a great trail town. If you continue south, there is a final (convenient) parking lot at mile marker 16. The rest of the way north involves a bit of biking on a road to get to the underpass that connects to Canoe Creek State Park (after some more road riding).
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