Image credit: Jared Harber
A popular gravel ride is returning to Johnstown this year, showcasing the beauty of Cambria County and supporting a community that has taken great strides in activating its outdoor recreation industry.
Higher Ground, scheduled for Nov. 2, 2025, started with Johnstown resident Jarrod Bunk, owner of the since-closed Hope Cycles, as a grassroots event that steadily grew supporters among the cycling community and locals. After Bunk moved out of state, PEC applied for and received a grant from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies to bring the ride back.
PEC has an extensive history with cycling events. The annual Public Lands Ride, in Black Moshannon State Park, celebrates Pennsylvania’s wealth of parks and forests and raises awareness of the importance of protecting public lands. The Environment Ride fundraiser takes participants on multi-day excursions across different regions of Pennsylvania, and Bikeout has grown to offer two bike adventures each year.
PEC believes that the more people connect with the outdoors through cycling, hiking, or however they like to recreate, the more likely people are to protect and steward those places for generations to come.
Michael Cook, a Johnstown resident who has spent decades advocating for outdoor recreation in his community — going out many days to build and improve trails on his own — had spoken with Bunk about ensuring that Higher Ground lived on. PEC contracted with Cook and Dave Pryor, a longtime partner that people may recognize as the face behind the Public Lands Ride unofficial mascot, the hellbender. Together, they have made sure to maintain the grassroots feel of the event but with even more focus on engaging the local community and taking participants through some of the area’s natural and historic highlights, such as the Path of the Flood Trail (recently awarded the 2025 Pennsylvania Trail of the Year) the Conemaugh Valley and the Allegheny Mountains.
The 2025 ride will offer a 30, 60, or 100-mile option, all of which loop back through downtown Johnstown. Cook and Pryor emphasized that Higher Ground is a ride, not a race, and encourage participants to stop along the way to read historical markers, take in the views and enjoy post-ride festivities.
“It’s really more important that you have a good day than a hard day,” Pryor said.
An avid cyclist, Pryor has already made a name for himself organizing gravel rides across Pennsylvania, including unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley, the proceeds of which support PEC. As the sport has grown, he’s been able to quit his former day job and pursue this work full time.
“There’s so much opportunity for gravel cycling in this state and a lot of momentum,” Pryor said.
For the riders of Higher Ground, Cook hopes that they come away understanding the beauty of the Johnstown community.
“We’ve got an insanely rich heritage here,” he said. “I want people to come here and see it with fresh eyes and really appreciate what we have in this region.”
Episode Links
- Higher Ground registration
- unPAved Susquehanna River Valley
- PEC Public Lands Ride