'One Mile at a Time': Celebrating the Completion of the Ghost Town Trail Loop
- Ben Mazur
- Apr 23
- 8 min read
On April 22, Cambria County marked a historic milestone with the grand opening of the C&I Extension of the Ghost Town Trail, completing one of the largest looped rail trails in the nation. What began in 1994 as an ambitious vision has grown, mile by mile, into a regional asset that connects communities, restores landscapes, and strengthens the outdoor recreation economy. In remarks delivered at the ribbon cutting, Cambria County Commissioner Thomas Chernisky reflected on the decades of dedication, partnership, and belief that made the Ghost Town Trail Loop possible, celebrating not only the trail itself but the story of renewal and opportunity it represents for Cambria County and beyond. At the grand opening of the C&I Extension on April 22, Cambria County celebrated more than the completion of a trail segment. It celebrated the culmination of a vision decades in the making. What began in 1994 as an ambitious idea has, step by step and mile by mile, grown into something remarkable: the completion of the C&I Extension of the Ghost Town Trail Loop, now one of the largest looped rail trails in the nation and the only loop east of the Mississippi River.
In his remarks, Cambria County Commissioner Thomas Chernisky highlighted the dedication, partnerships, and perseverance that brought the project to life. The new loop is more than recreation infrastructure. It is a symbol of regional renewal, connecting communities, restoring landscapes, and driving economic opportunity through outdoor recreation.
The completed trail also tells a deeper story: one of transformation. Built along the corridors of the region’s industrial past, the Ghost Town Trail has become part of Cambria County’s future. The trail system is an asset that honors local heritage while creating new opportunities for recreation, tourism, and community pride. From the earliest planners and advocates to the volunteers and organizations that carried the vision forward, the trail stands as a testament to what can happen when people believe in what a place can become.
The message of the day was clear: the Ghost Town Trail Loop is not just another ribbon cutting... it is the continuation of a story that links the region’s past to its future, one mile at a time.
Here's Thomas Chernisky remarks in it's entirety at the opening ceremony of the Ghost Town Trail Loop on April 22, 2026: "Everybody Knows that WE LOVE our trails...
Who gets [$4.4 million] to build two bridges, a box culvert, build 1.5 miles of trails and clean up a bony pile. We Do We are winning we are putting points on the board. We score touchdowns, we score runs, we hit walk off home runs like we are doing today! Outdoor recreation is the front door to economic development, cleaning up the environment, connecting our communities and growing our trails is an amazing story to tell.
Today is a great day for Cambria County and our region. We are celebrating the completion of the 2nd continuous rail trail loop in the United States. It is the only rail trail east of lowa with a continuous loop. This is huge! This is a big deal. And having a continuous loop rail trail will continue to bring trail enthusiasts to Cambria County and our region. More than thirty years ago Dee Columbus, Lori Lafontaine, and Jerry Brand, to name a few, had a vision for the Ghost Town Trail. They assembled a team with the Indiana County Parks and Trails, Community Foundation of the Alleghenies, C&I Trail Council, Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority, and the 1889 Foundation. These organizations helped make it happen Public and private partnerships got the community involved and got support to build a new rail trail.
The original Ghost Town Trail ran between Black Lick and Dilltown. In 2005, the trail was extended to Ebensburg. Today, it is a 54-mile long trail. It includes the 32-mile main stem portion that stretches from Blacklick, PA to Ebensburg and the 22-mile C&I extension that is connected to Cambria County’s Duman Lake County Park. The two-mile connection that was built to the park was done with ZERO tax dollars and the environment was cleaned up. That ribbon cutting was held on April 23rd, 2022, almost exactly five years ago to the day.
This was seen as a rail trail but today it has grown into a regional destination that is – a force in our regional economy. The loop is symbolic. It connects towns. It connects generations. And it brings us full circle from our industrial heritage to a vibrant outdoor future. The Ghost Town Trail is a story of coal towns that once powered America. Those towns endured hardship and a region that refused to be defined by its past, but instead reimagined its future.
I would like to thank DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn for attending this historic event. Secretary Dunn is a friend of Cambria County. I would like to recognize Cliff Kitner, Caytlin Lusk, Alex Cruelly, Vinnie Heiss, and Monica Krist of the Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority. Thank you for your work expanding and maintaining our trails. I would like to recognize the members of CCCRA board for their service: Chairman Thomas Kakabar, Steve Gironda, Dr. Joe Turano, Dennis Ritko, Bruce Eash, Richard Bloom, Dr. Heath Long, Brad Clemenson, Charles Gironda, Ray Gorman, Dr. Tammy Haslett, Mike Belvia, Ray Guzic and Vicki Vasille, who recently passed away.
Outdoor recreation contributes from $17 billion to more than $20.4 billion per year to Pennsylvania's economy. Cambria County has been working to get a piece of OPM: "Other People's Money. Our county and region are winning because we understand that outdoor recreation is the front door to economic development in Cambria County and our region. I am quoting Lisa Rager of Visit Johnstown. "If you don't have a place people want to visit, you won't have a place people want to live.” Let's look at our trails as not just pathways in the woods, but as economic drivers who build our communities, connect our communities and boosts economic growth for Cambria County and our region.
Since COVID, trail users have increased 200%. There are 200,000+ visitors a year that use the Ghost Town Trail. Those visitors contribute $9.2 million dollars annually. That figure does not include the Path of the Flood Trail, Jim Mayer Riverwalk Trail, and the Firefighters Memorial Trail. Locally, trails are already bringing in “Other Peoples Money”. These dollars are spent in restaurants, coffee shops, hotels and [vacation rentals] right here in Cambria County. It's money we didn't have before. We are capturing these dollars and will work to continue to grow those dollars. The businesses and colleges of Cambria County know that our trails and outdoor recreation improve our quality of Iife. These institutions promote our trails and outdoor recreation to recruit employees and students.
When you go to the beach, it is great to have ocean front properties. People who live in Cambria County have trail front properties. They can view the trails from their home. In our county and our surrounding areas, there are vacation rentals being rented to patrons who are visiting our trails. We have built, and continue to build our local and regional outdoor recreation economy.
When visitors come into our area, they patronize our local businesses. Again OPM... Other People's Money is coming into our area. It is great to have OPM come into Cambria County because it gives a boost to our economy and promotes a positive image of our region. Cambria County is the home to two Pennsylvania Trail of the Year winners. The Path of the Flood Trail was the PA Trail of the Year in 2025, joining the Ghost Town Trail which was PA Trail of the Year in 2020. Our trails are anchors in our communities that will be available to future generations to improve their quality of life.
When Dee, Lori, and Jerry met to discuss the Ghost Town Trail they did more than plan and build a trail – they created a legacy. The Ghost Town Trail will be 32 years young on September 27th.
Our trails have had a positive impact cleaning up our waterways and improving the environment of Cambria County and our region. Removing coal refuse piles and addressing acid mine drainage transformed the Ghost Town Trail into a cleaner, safer destination site. Cleaning our waterways and restoring the land has made Cambria County the place for recreation and tourism.
The Vintondale coal refuse cleanup in 2022-2023 along the Ghost Town Trail involved the complete removal of a large 310,000-ton coal waste pile that had been polluting the South Branch of Blacklick Creek. Led by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the project eliminated a major source of acid mine drainage and sediment, improving water quality and aquatic habitat. The site was then graded and stabilized with additional stream improvements such as fish habitat structures [being] installed. Not too long ago, our streams were orange with a smell of sulfur. Fast forward to today and you will see people fishing the streams. This is an incredible story that took a lot of planning and the work will need to continue to keep our waterways clean. By improving the aquatic natural habitat and reclaiming our land, we opened the front door to recreational opportunities. It is growing our economy. Also, the Path of the Flood Trail received a huge boost with the cleaning of the Ehrenfeld coal sites.
The federal government, national park service, state government, municipal government and county government working together had a tremendous impact in Cambria County and our region. Who would have thought that the government could work together? Cambria County is an example to our nation that we can work together and get the job done. Public/private partnerships and volunteers were the catalyst in creating the Ghost Town Trail and Path of the Flood Trail.
Outdoor recreation improves our physical and mental health. We have developed world-class outdoor recreation assets in Cambria County that include the Rock Run Recreation Area, Lorain Stonycreek Hiking Trails, the Firefighter Memorial Trail, Prince Gallitzin State Park, Duman Lake County Park, The Jim Mayer Riverwalk Trail, The Path of the Flood Trail, The Ghost Town, and last but least, the Ghost Town Trail C&I Extension. We are merging the indoor recreation and outdoor recreation economy with the First Summit Arena at the Cambria County War Memorial and North Central Recreation Center in the Ebensburg area. Our outdoor recreation and indoor recreation infrastructure is strong. All of these assets make Cambria County a place you want to visit. They also make Cambria County a great place to live.
I could go on all day because I love our county, region, and trails. I am going to close with this thought. Let's continue to build on this momentum. Let's keep preserving, connecting, and telling our stories, one mile at a time.
Our trails make Cambria County a great place to live, work, invest, volunteer and play."
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