The western terminus of the Ghost Town Trail and southern terminus of the Hoodlebug Trail meet in John P. Saylor Memorial Park (Saylor Park) in Black Lick, Burrell Township, PA. Together, the two trails allow a maximum one-way travel distance of 43 miles from Indiana to Ebensburg. See large regional map with link below.
If you’re traveling from NE Ohio, you can use US-422 most of the way. The fastest routes, also using I-76 or I-80 will take you about 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on your intended starting point.
The Ghost Town Trail is part of the Trans-Allegheny trail system, and with some road riding (for now) can connect The GAP near Pittsburgh to Ebensburg. From west to east, the trails include the Westmoreland Heritage Trail (2 segments), the West Penn Trail and the Ghost Town Trail. Right now, this is roughly an 84-mile route from the Rankin Bridge in Braddock to Rowena Dr in Ebensburg. There are a couple of Hotels in Blairsville, roughly 35 miles from the eastern end of the route. Not many overnight options from here to Braddock.
The Hoodlebug Trail
The northern terminus of the Hoodlebug Trail is near the Robert Shaw Building at the south end of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s campus. This is 10.8 miles from the intersection with the Ghost Town Trail. The Hilton Garden Inn and the Noble Stein Brewing Company are within a few blocks of this trailhead. Just 1.1 miles south of the north end of the trail, you’ll find the Levity Brewing Company and a Ramada Inn on Business 422 (Indian Springs Rd).
While Google Street Views suggest the Hoodlebug might be a limestone trail, it is unfortunately very different. The entire trail appears to have been originally paved with asphalt. This likely deteriorated badly before being chip-n-sealed. The result is a slow, lumpy surface that is a bit of a bone-shaker compared with the smooth limestone of the Ghost Town Trail. The Hoodlebug gets its name from the old trolley route it follows. These “inter-urbans” seem to have been able to handle somewhat steeper grades than a normal railroad, and there are some very variable grades on the southern portion of the trail. As you leave or approach Saylor Park there are some steep hills that seem to take you up onto and over a bit of old railbed.
The Hoodlebug is NOT a destination trail in itself, mostly running along busy roads and through neighborhoods. However, it does add some miles, and opportunities for lodging and other amenities, if you are also riding the Ghost Town Trail.
There is what (at first) appears to be a nice side-spur off the main trail about a half-mile from the northern terminus that "conveniently" takes you to a remote university parking lot. It's a trap! This turned out to be a quarter-mile switchback of 8% uphill grades. Not worth it. Ending at Levity Brewing Company, right on the trail a bit further south, or going onwards to the Robert Shaw Building terminus (and nearby brewery) are safer bets.
The Ghost Town Trail
The main route of this trail is 32 miles from Saylor Park to the current official terminus at Rowena Dr. in Ebensburg. It is gently uphill all the way heading east, with the slightly steeper segments over the first 5 miles and several miles east of Vintondale. The surface is mostly well-maintained, fine limestone. In August 2024, the remnants of hurricane Debby caused flooding along the smaller streams that the eastern branches of the trail follows. As of October 2024, there are still some seriously washed-out areas of trail going up the valley out of Vintondale. It is rideable with caution, and confident cyclists using wider tires with a bit a tread will not have problems. Small wheels (folding bikes and some e-bikes) and narrow road tires will make progress difficult in these segments. Dismount and walk as needed.
Just west of Vintondale the trail forks, with both routes following branches of Blacklick Run/Creek (see close-up map below). The southern fork is the main trail. The northern fork is the C & I Extension (old Cambria and Indiana Railroad). This 12-mile segment (with a short road connection) goes though some especially scenic areas. It was also heavily impacted by flooding in August 2024, and several miles in the southern segment are still pretty rough as of October 2024. Some sections are steeper than average, but under the 2% maximum typical for railroad grades. The eastern terminus of this trail is currently at North St. in Nanty-Glo. Construction on an underpass is underway further east (Church St.) and the trail will eventually extend into downtown Nanty-Glo, joining the main trail.
Near the northernmost bend of the C & I Extension there is a spur trail that provides a way to access the Duman County Park, where camping can be reserved. A YouTube video suggests this is a pretty rough trail. It is described as “mixed surface” but this is an understatement. Dirt single-track and coarse gravel make up most of the 2-mile spur. Frankly, it will be much easier to ride up Duman Rd. to the park, at least in one direction. View the trail route at: https://youtu.be/u4WrardZ-AE?feature=shared
There are a few hotel options in Ebensburg. Camping and a brewery are miles away, and will involve hilly roads or some sort of ride service. There is a camping option in Nanty-Glo (Nanty-Glo Park and Pool), which will involve backtracking or stopping 8.7 miles from Ebensburg. When the C & I loop is complete, this campground will be right off the trail.
Close-Up View of Eastern Forks of the Ghost Town Trail Showing Campground Route, etc. Clipped from: https://cambriaplanning.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/connecting-cambria-2.0_april-draft.pdf Existing trails are shown in red, with the newest segments in red and black. Future trails are in green. The purple trail is basically a dirt road extension of the C & I that you would use for a short distance to reach the rustic spur leading to Duman County Park.