Once arriving at the top of the Inclined Plane (not to skip over the actual ride, which is worth your $4 round trip itself), you can take a few steps over to the observation deck. Here, you’ll see the quintessential view of Johnstown, looking over the valley where the waters of the 1889 flood gushed through.

The Visitors Center, also located at the top of the Incline, provides a history lesson for visitors. Although even life-long residents may find a fact or two they didn’t know. The building also features a large window, from which you can view the inner workings of the Incline.

Just the past Visitors Center, sharing the same magnificent view over the city as the observation deck, is City View Bar and Grill. City View offers Johnstown residents and visitors a casual dining experience with a rotating menu of drink specials, and features a banquet room that can be booked for special occasions.

If you prefer a more adventurous outing, why not try hiking to the top of the hill instead of riding? The 2.4 mile James Wolfe Sculpture trail winds up the side of the hill. Along the path, you can you view many works by James Wolf, who created the pieces from steel from Johnstown’s Bethlehem Steel plant.

Please note both the Inclined Plane and City View Bar and Grill are currently closed. They will both be reopening on Friday, January 27, 2012.

For directions to the bottom of the Johnstown Inclined Plane, click here. For directions to the top, click here. To learn more, visit http://www.inclinedplane.org and http://www.cityviewbarandgrill.com.

Photograph courtesy of Jon Dawson

Our area’s forests and parks offer trails for outdoor enthusiasts of all abilities and interests. From those out for a casual stroll or bike ride to those looking for a longer, more challenging hike. The Lost Turkey Trail can offer something for everyone in this spectrum. For casual hikers, consider traveling a small section of this 26 mile trail, perhaps starting at the southwestern trailhead where you can hike along Pot Ridge. The more experienced, adventurous hiker can attempt to take on the trail in its entirety.

Backpack camping is permitted in the Gallitzin State Forest portion of the trail, and fee campgrounds are available in the Blue Knob State Park portion, near the northeastern end of the trail.

The trail winds through Blue Knob State Park, as well as Gallitzin State Forest and state game lands, leading you through a variety of scenery, from low valleys, along ridges and toward the summit of Blue Knob, Pennsylvania’s second-highest peak.

Named by its original trailblazers, the Youth Conservation Corps, in 1976, the trail also features a monument built in memorial of two pioneer children who got lost in the forest and perished in 1856. The Lost Cox Children Monument is located at mile 24 of the trail, along Hogback Ridge.

For more information and a map of the trail, visit the Pennsylvania DCNR’s Lost Turkey Trail page.

There is no getting around the sheer natural beauty enveloping the Johnstown region. Situated along the Laurel Ridge of the Allegheny Mountains, residents and visitors have ready access to forest areas and parks.

One of the more striking natural areas dotting our landscape is Buttermilk Falls, a 45-foot naturally occurring waterfall, barely a 30 minute ride from downtown Johnstown.

The magic of Buttermilk Falls lies in its rarity—waterfalls of this scale in our area require such a precise set of circumstances to form that the mere existence of such a natural wonder demands you stop and take notice.

Long-time area residents familiar with this waterfall are in for a treat. No longer is this some hidden treasure found by turning left at the Clyde Fire Hall and trying to remember the last leg of the journey before asking directions from a neighbor. In 2008 the area was given the royal treatment by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Access trails have been widened and surfaced, picnic areas established and on-site restrooms erected, making Buttermilk Falls as accessible as it is beautiful.

Directions to the falls from Johnstown, courtesy of the Indiana County Parks Web site, are:

• Follow Route 56 West to Route 22 in Armagh.
• Take ramp onto Route 22 West and proceed 1.75 miles to the village of Clyde.
• In Clyde, turn left onto Clay Pike Road.
• Follow Clay Pike Road 1.6 miles to Valley Brook Road.
• Veer left onto Valley Brook Road.
• Follow to falls parking area.

It is important to note that due to construction on Route 22 you will likely need to adjust to detours in that area. Upon our recent visit we needed to travel another 1/4 mile West on Route 22 and follow Bethel Cemetery Road to its intersection with Clay Pike Road, turning right and traveling approximately 1/4 mile before veering left onto Valley Brook Road.

Additional photos of Buttermilk Falls can be found in the “Nature and Outdoors” set on our Flickr site.

For more information, visit the Buttermilk Falls page on the Indiana County Parks Web site.

A trip outdoors doesn’t have to be a major excursion. Sometimes a little time on a small path can be just what the doctor ordered. So it is with the James Mayer Riverwalk. This trail, named after an area attorney who was dedicated to preserving the region’s natural resources, connects Johnstown’s Moxham neighborhood with the village of Riverside in Stonycreek Township.

Generally designated as an “easy” trail, the James Mayer Riverwalk is approximately a mile-and-a-half of generally level trail, with a crushed limestone surface. Convenient access, easy terrain and a gentle surface make it an ideal destination for a walk with a friend or a short bicycle ride that even young children can easily tackle.

Access and parking are available at each end of the trail. From the Moxham end, follow Central Avenue to Bridge Street; the entrance is located on the left, just before the Ferndale Bridge. From Riverside, access is found off of Eisenhower Boulevard, just across the Stonycreek River from Ferndale Boulevard. Turn southeast off of Eisenhower Boulevard onto Michigan Avenue. Continuing on Michigan Avenue the street becomes a dirt road, which leads directly to the parking area.