Winter Activity

Cambria County’s Ghost Town Trail is a great local place for winter activities. During the 1800’s the railroad was big business in this area. Transporting coal, lumber and people, train tracks spread far and wide across Pennsylvania. As the train spread and more lumbering and coal mining began to take place, more company towns began to build up around these tracks.

Towns like Beulah, Wehrum, and Claghorn were bustling in their day. Each contained things like houses, a hotel, company store, jail, bank, post office, school and churches. Beulah was even in contention to become the county seat along side Ebensburg and Johnstown with Ebensburg eventually winning out. But these towns began to dwindle with the decline of local coal mining industry. As work began to leave, so did the people. Eventually these towns were abandoned leaving them “ghost towns”.

The Ghost Town Trail is named for these long since abandoned towns that popped up along the tracks of the Ebensburg & Black Lick Railroad and Cambria and Indiana Railroad. The Ghost Town Trail was established in 1991 and designated a National Recreation Trail by the United States Department of the Interior. The Ghost Town Trail runs 44.5 miles from Indiana, PA to Ebensburg, PA with many miles of extensions and additions. There are many access points and parking spaces along the trail. Maps can be found online at traillink.com and other sites.

During a Pennsylvania winter we can have any sort of weather for an undetermined amount of time. The trail makes a great place to head to since you can do just about anything on it during any time of year. It is always important to know what the weather has in store for the day and to dress appropriately. Lets cover a few options that can help you get out and explore your local area during the winter.

So far this winter we have had limited snow and quite a bit of rain. This can leave the trail a little soft. The softness isn’t a real problem, but expect a regular bicycle to struggle in some areas. However, without the snow or ice, the trail is a great place to go for a walk, run or hike without much struggle. This is true of the trail year round. A majority of the trail is surrounded by trees, and foliage making any time of year a beautiful visual experience of nature. While walking along the trail expect to see some wildlife. Birds are a guarantee. Some spots may even have Blue Herons. Chipmunks and deer are also very common to see along the trail. On occasion, you may see a black snake, beaver or even a black bear. I am on the trails year round and have, at some point in time, seen all of these creatures. Once, I was almost run over by a fawn and its mother.

But what happens when it snows? The trail is beautiful covered in snow too! Walking, running or hiking on the trail are still possible no matter how much snow has fallen. I would recommend a pair of boots and a walking stick of some sort. If there is some ice, you may consider some form of anti-slip devices to put on your shoes. Sometimes the ice can cover the trail from side to side making it a little dangerous.

If there is a lot of snow? Snow shoes make for some fun times. Snow shoes can be purchased online or in stores for under $150 and in many cases under $100. Or they can be rented at Ski Den Sports in Johnstown. Snow shoes are attached to your boots or shoes and work by distributing your weight over a bigger area to help keep your feet from sinking completely into the snow. Snowshoeing requires a little more effort than regular walking, but is still pretty easy to do. The trail is flat with minimal incline or decline, so snow shoeing would be easier than snow shoeing through the woods on unkempt trails. It may help to have hiking poles or walking sticks when using snow shoes.

Another fun activity to consider trying is cross-country skiing. Cross-country skiing relies on you to move yourself across the snow covered terrain unlike down hill skiing that requires ski lifts and gravity. Skis and boots can be purchased and/or rented at Ski Den Sports in Johnstown. This activity is a little more challenging physically than walking, hiking or snow shoeing. Cross-country skiing is a great cardiovascular activity requiring you to use your legs. This is a great activity to consider if you are a runner looking to cross train.

Fat tire bikes are a way for bicycling fans to get their favorite sport in during the winter. Specially designed bikes with large specialty tires allow bicyclist to ride more easily through the snow. While this hobby allows bicycle enthusiast to enjoy winter, is a little bit of a financial investment. I am not aware of any location that lets you rent a fat tire, if you know of any please let me know in a comment.

With so many miles of the Ghost Town Trail and so many places to get on, the trail is the enemy of winter boredom. Along the trail there are several places to stop and have a meal, snack or take a bathroom break. There are many restaraunts, gas stations, and there is even the lovely gastro-pub Pour not far from the Ghost Town Trail. Pets are welcome on the trail, but please remember PA has a leash law. Also if your dog is going on a trek with you, please make sure to clean up after it.

I hope this list has helped sway you to go and check out this great local place for winter activities. The Ghost Town Trail is open from dawn to dusk seven days a week. I enjoy getting my physical activity in on the GTT. It can be quite beautiful to be the only person on a stretch of trail where the snow is freshly fallen. The evergreens and low growing shrubs covered in snow are magnificent examples of winter beauty. I encourage you to take advantage of this wonderful local spot during the winter months.