i am planning on riding to johnstown on saturday, june 30 to meet my gf at the vegetarian summerfest(!). based on a bit of googling, i think i would like to do the route that goes through the ghost town trail, as i'd always wanted to ride that.
so, this presents two questions: 1) what's the best way to get from here to johnstown, hopefully incorporating as much of the ghost town trail (and whatever other trails around there connect to it, the names of which i know not) as possible?
and b: does anyone feel like a 90ish mile ride at a medium pace to head to johnstown? i'm spending the night, so you would have to find your own way back or a place to stay. i'm hoping to bike back the next day, but we'll see. i want to get there for dinner, so it will probably be a fairly early start (probably 7-8ish).
I thought someone else asked this question a year or so ago, but I couldn't find the thread. I did find this though:
http://www.mapmyride.com/s/routes/view/bike-ride-map/pennsylvania/pgh/1557334
(New Kensington to Johnstown routing, circa 2007)
It looks like bike-pgh.org now prohibits search engines from searching it. What's up with that?
Steven - aha, that explains it! The board's search function has always been kind of messed up but the Google results used to be fantastic. I noticed at some point they became crappy/nonexistent but I didn't know why... always check the basic stuff. 
I'll PM erok.
http://goo.gl/maps/1RaF
This is, for the most part, the path used for the 2011 Rails-to-Trails Sojourn for a day trip to Johnstown from a campsite in Ebensburg. The only trouble area will be on the Path of the Flood trail after you pass through the tunnel. There is a gravel access road along side the train tracks that you'll have to walk for about a mile and a half until the trail starts again. The company that owns the access way will eventually turn it over for bicycle use, but for the time being they have no desire to share. I doubt anyone would bother you there as it is infrequently used. During the Sojourn, we had a path cut into hill along some old logging roads but most likely it is overgrown now... but it may still be maintained, I haven't been there in a while. Even if it is maintained, you're better off taking the access road than walking through what will feel like the Ho Chi Minh trail up hill after riding all day.
The google map gives an alt. path from Nanty Glo along PA 271 but I personally don't consider that a bicycle friendly road.
If my memory serves me, the ride took about 2 hours.
From Saylor Park to Ebensburg it's a little more than 2.5.
PM gimpPAC for trail info from Apollo to Saylor Park as she's more familiar with it (if you were considering the West Penn Trail too).
@salty @steven good eye. I, too, used to use google to search the board but it became crappy 6-12 months ago.
so, does anyone else have a good route from pittsburgh? it looks like it's pretty smooth sailing once you get to slickville, but i don't do much riding far east of the city and i have no idea which roads to take on the way there.
Actually the Google directions don't look half bad.
Or to make the navigation easy, just take Lincoln Rd to Saltsburg Rd (becomes 380 then 286 at the bridge over Golden Mile Hwy). Follow all the way to Saltsburg and pick up the trail there. It's got some climbing but nothing ridiculous.
