Higher Ground

Higher Ground is an October bike ride based in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, offering route choices of 30, 40, 60, 80, and 100 miles. It was revived in honor of Jarrod Bunk’s belief that the bike community can help build up a place needing support, and it operates with local partners including the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies. Every route incorporates part of the area’s flood history: the 30-mile ride goes out and back on the Path of the Flood and Staple Bend Tunnel trails to Johnstown Flood Memorial Park, including a ride through the dam that broke. Longer options add quiet roads toward Hinkston Run Reservoir, the Rager District climb and descent, forested Gamelands west of town, rolling roads to the south, and the Jim Mayer Riverswalk back into Johnstown. The routes are not marked, so riders need GPS, the RideWithGPS app, a cue sheet, or friends to follow; a guided 40-mile option is offered for anyone concerned about navigation.