Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority Executive Director Cliff Kitner talks about the county’s trailheads, including a new trailhead that will be posted near Nanty Glo soon. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

EBENSBURG — Cambria County’s trailhead challenge is back and bigger than ever, Commissioner Tom Chernisky said Wednesday at a kickoff announcement near the Ghost Town Trail’s Ebensburg trailhead.

Between May 1 and midnight Nov. 2, people who take a picture of their face by a trailhead identifier at all 29 trailheads and send those pictures — along with their name, address, email address and phone number — to the Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority’s Facebook page via Facebook Messenger will be entered to win a $250 gift certificate from both Vale Wood Farms and Up-N-Running of Ebensburg, Chernisky said.

Last year, there were 23 trailheads in the inaugural challenge, which was created to familiarize people with the many locations to enter and exit the county’s trails, Chernisky said.

However, with the recently-completed Ghost Town Trail C&I Extension, the Firefighters Memorial Trail at the Cambria County Fire School near Patton and adding the Ghost Town Trail’s trailheads in Indiana County, the challenge is even bigger this year, he said.

According to Cliff Kitner, the authority’s executive director, there’s potential for the challenge to continue growing with future years, noting a new trailhead will be posted near Nanty Glo soon.

“This was a pretty cool thing that we did last year, and we had a lot of participants,” Kitner said. “A lot of people posted stuff in.”

Chernisky said there were many people who started the challenge last year, but only about 19 of them finished. Kara Bills won the $500 prize last year, he said, adding this year’s winner will be announced in mid-November.

Challenge promotes recreation

Chernisky said officials are hoping to finish a second trailhead this summer at the Firefighter’s Memorial Trail, which would connect the fire school training site in East Carroll Township to the Carrolltown Dollar General store.

Those trailheads aren’t part of this year’s challenge, Chernisky said, adding the Firefighters Memorial Trail is expected to be completed in late summer or early fall.

Another reason Chernisky started the challenge last year was to promote outdoor recreation, as well as the businesses that sponsored it, he said.

Up-N-Running owner Julie Doyle said she’s excited to partner with Chernisky and Vale Wood Farms again for this year’s challenge to let people know where the county’s trails are.

The trails are a great resource for everyone, Doyle said.

“Getting outdoors and into nature is really good for the overall health and wellness of anybody, no matter if you’re running, walking or hiking,” she said.

A few years ago, outdoor recreation was a $17 billion industry in Pennsylvania, Chernisky said, noting it’s now a $20.4 billion industry in the commonwealth. Cambria County is getting their share of economic development with the county’s trails, he noted.

“We get it here in Cambria County that outdoor recreation is the front door of economic development,” Chernisky said. “We’re winning here in Cambria County and our region.”

Although the trails promote good mental and physical health, Chernisky said it’s not necessary to walk the trails in order to visit all of the trailheads and enter the challenge.

People can drive to each trailhead location, as the address for each trailhead is posted on the authority’s website, www.cambriaconservationrecreation.com, Chernisky said.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.

Trailhead locations

Ghost Town Trail

– Ebensburg, 424 Prave Street, Ebensburg

– Nanty Glo, 1097 First Street, Nanty Glo

– Twin Rocks, 1395 Plank Road, Nanty Glo

– Vintondale, 689 Main Street, Vintondale

– Wehrum, 2415 Wehrum Road, Vintondale

– Dilltown, 7452 Route 403 Highway, Dilltown

– Heshbon, 10485 Route 259 Highway, Blairsville

– John P. Saylor Park, 1284 Old Indiana Road, Blairsville

Ghost Town Trail C&I Extension

– Rexis Branch, 5775 Wehrum Road, Vintondale

– Red Mill, 1049 Red Mill Road, Ebensburg

– Vic Miller, 200 Vic Miller Road, Strongstown

– Snake Road, 576, Snake Road, Ebensburg

– Expedite (Carson’s Crossing), 670 Expedite Road, Nanty Glo

– North Street, 152 North Street, Nanty Glo

– Railroad Street, 980 W. Railroad Street, Nanty Glo

– Springfield Road, 305 Springfield Road, Nanty Glo

– Beulah (C&I), 662 Beulah Road, Nanty Glo

– Revloc, 130 Bethlehem Road, Ebensburg

– Duman Connection, 157 County Park Road, Ebensburg

Jim Mayer Riverswalk

– Riverside, 301 Michigan Ave., Johnstown

– Cleveland Street, 31 Cleveland Street, Johnstown

– Hickory Street (Sandyvale), 88 Hickory Street, Johnstown

Path of the Flood

– Breast of the Dam, 314 South Abutment Road, South Fork

– Stineman, 108 Ribbon Lane, South Fork

– Bealtown, 312 Maple Street, South Fork

– Fifficktown, 602 Portage Street, South Fork

– Staple Bend Tunnel Park, 1156 Beech Hill Road, Johnstown

– Franklin, 142 Staple Bend Tunnel Trail, Johnstown

Firefighter’s Memorial Trail

– Fire School Trail Head, 292 Ott Road, Patton