Of all the ways people shuttle to the top of a trail system, the “uplift” in Johnstown, PA, is probably the most interesting. For years, a funicular (if you don’t know, I’ll explain) took riders to the top of the Inclined Plane Trails, serving as its own miniature bike park. That was until it closed in 2020.
Mountain bikers in Johnstown have their uplift back because, as of September 10, the Johnstown Inclined Plane is open again. To celebrate the reopening, rides are free for two more weeks.
What exactly is a funicular?
Living all my life in Oregon, I was relatively unfamiliar with an inclined plane, or funicular, until I visited Pennsylvania. While I haven’t ridden the Johnstown inclined plane, I have ridden one just outside of Pittsburgh. All I could think was how cool it would be to build trails on the steep hillside and use the funicular for the lift.
Apparently mountain bikers in Johnstown were way ahead of me.
A funicular, incline, inclined railway, or inclined plane is essentially a cable railway (also an interchangeable term) on an incredibly steep slope. Two parallel sets of tracks are laid, with two rail/cable cars used as counterbalances. When one goes up, the other goes down. Despite the steep slope, the cars remain level, causing the back or front (depending on whether you’re going up or down) to be well over 10 feet off the rails.
It might go without saying, but funiculars are built to transport people and goods up to higher ground — typically significantly steep higher ground at that. According to a press release about the reopening of the funicular, the Johnstown Inclined Plane is actually the steepest funicular in the world, with a 70.9% grade up the hill.
A Johnstown Inclined Plane history
The Johnstown Inclined Plane was born out of tragedy. In 1889, massive flooding devastated the area, resulting in the loss of over 2,000 lives. Construction on the funicular began the following year and was completed in 1891. Massive floods in 1936 and 1977 wreaked far less havoc because the inclined plane could move people and goods to higher ground before the waters rose.
In 2020, the 130-year-old Johnstown Inclined Plane, operated by the Cambria County Transit Authority (CamTran), desperately needed maintenance. CamTran made the decision to close the funicular for repairs, though they didn’t anticipate such a long period before reopening. According to the CamTran press release:
“The rehabilitation required significantly more time than originally anticipated due to the historic nature of the facility, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain challenges, foundry closures, and additional engineering needs identified as work progressed. These challenges required further evaluation, design revisions, component fabrication, testing, and regulatory review. Throughout the process, CamTran worked closely with project partners and state oversight agencies while remaining committed to one priority: reopening only when every component met the rigorous standards for safety and reliability.”
And that date was September 10, 2026.
A funicular uplift to the Inclined Plane Trails
To be clear, while the Johnstown Inclined Plane may have been closed for the last six years for repairs, the trails remained open. But riders would have to put in a bit of pedal power to get to the top.
A bit of pedal power is required even with the funicular open. The trails are just south of the incline plane, making mountain bikers ride to and from the drop-off and pick-up — not too far, but a bit of a commute.
While a few trails can be ridden in both directions, most of the trails are either “downhill only” or “downhill primary.” The system has 14 trails and four miles total, so most trails are relatively short and descend about 500 feet fairly directly down the steep hillside. “J-Line” is the system’s longest trail, stretching nearly three-quarters of a mile as it switchbacks again and again down the hill.
The trails range from flowy meandering descents to janky tech trails. Five of these “janky tech trails” are advanced offerings, though some might be better labeled “trail segments,” at just a little over 200 feet long.
For two more weeks, rides on the inclined plane are free to celebrate the reopening. The Johnstown Inclined Plane is offering free rides for all for the first 30 days after the September 10 reopening. You can also bring your bike at no extra charge.
After the free-ride celebration ends, it’s pretty affordable to use the funicular as your uplift. A $15 fee gets a mountain biker a day-use bracelet that lets them ride the funicular as many times as they can during the lift’s operating hours that day.
The Johnstown Inclined Plane operates from Thursday through Sunday.
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