This is what we call the "Jail Trail". My boyfriend and I just discovered it last year when we…read morewanted to try riding bikes on the other side of the city. We typically park in the garage connected to the T station down by the jail. There is a Healthy Ride bike station right up the street and it is so convenient to rent the bikes! Once we get the bikes, we turn right in between the T station and the parking garage (there are signs that say Bikes with an arrow) to enter the trail. If you go left (away from the city) the trail will lead you down to the bridge that leads to the Southside Works. It is probably only a 2-3 mile stretch and is relatively flat. Once you get to the bridge to Southside you can go straight or right. If you keep going straight it leads you to a parking lot, so we always turn right across the bridge to Southside. This is a great view of the city and it's a really nice bridge. The pedestrian path is big enough for plenty of bike riders. At the end of the bridge we turn right past Hofbrauhaus. I'm not sure if this is still considered the Eliza Furnace Trail. You can ride all the way down the Southside trail until you reach Station Square. At that point we go back across the Smithfield Street bridge and it brings you back to where you started. It's a fun and easy way to get some exercise and see our beautiful city. It only takes about 45 min-1 hour to do this route. The jail trail path is clean and there are always people on it. It feels very safe even though you are just a fence between the parkway. It can be very loud too from all the traffic, so now we bring a bluetooth speaker to put in the basket and listen to music while we ride. I recommend this trail especially if you are from out of town and want to see some of the Pittsburgh neighborhoods!

I love this trail, it's one of my favorites actually…read more I often spend my lunch hour walking along it to take in all of the scenery this part of the city has to offer. It's nice to have a little bit of nature in the city. The trail has a nice walking path that makes for comfortable excursions even on days when the weather is less than stellar.

I was recently here for a movie in the park. It's conveniently located near downtown and PPG paints…read morearena and it boasts great views. There are some chairs and tables to sit at towards the back of the park. It's a small park so I wouldn't come here to try to hike or anything, but it's definitely a great spot to relax and hangout.

Frankie Pace Park is a public park that opened in 2021 and is owned by the City of Pittsburgh. The…read morepark is a "cap" that covers part of Interstate 579 and reconnects the Hill District with the Business District, helping residents to commute to jobs. The park is 3 acres and contains pedestrian paths, bicycle paths, a bus stop, benches, grassy lawns, trees, rain gardens, steps, art, performance areas, etcetera. The park is named after Frankie Mae Pace (1905-1989), a female activist who fought against the Urban Redevelopment Authority's redevelopment of the Hill District in the 1950s onward. The redevelopment displaced thousands of Black and immigrant residents and disrupted their social and economic networks. Frankie Pace advocated for the residents' housing and education. A story wall showcases the life of Frankie Pace, and a second story wall showcases another prominent person of the Hill District, Martin Delany (1812-1885), who was an abolitionist, journalist, and educator. Furthermore, throughout the park, signs show "Keisha," an African American cartoon who guides visitors along the paths. For decades, this land was the location of the Civic Arena and then parking lots. Other, larger parking lots are currently still located farther into the Hill District and provide parking spaces for suburban commuters. I appreciate that Frankie Pace Park helps Hill District residents to walk or take the bus to other neighborhoods and also provides a convenient place for recreation. My visit was on a chilly, rainy weekend day, and I noticed only one other person walking along the paths. I hope that this park gets more use on sunny days and week days.

One of the many cool places you can check out while in North Park. There is a pond and pretty…read morerigorous hiking trails for going on a trek. I was looking for snapping turtles, but did not find any today. I did see a lot of dragonflies/damsel flies, butterflies and cute little birds on this sunny summer day. I might post some pics of the dragon flies and butterflies, but I did not get excellent shots because they were very skittish today. There is never anyone here unless there is some event going on.

I would rename it the Latodami Joy Center. The Center provides the habitat and native plant foods…read moreto support wildlife diversity. For example, there are hundreds of Bluebird Boxes and an accompanying educational program. There are meadow and aquatic habitats along with berries, seeds an pinecones for the birds to eat. There are plants to support butterfly diversity. The mission here is to restore the earth, to educate and dazzle humans, and to provide a healthy place to exercise, learn and find delight.

Wow, this trail was a surprise for us.. we were staying in southside and noticed this trail . Got…read moreup early in the morning and went for a walk... never seen a trail in the heart of the city.. fantastically built with a pathway for walking and biking.. make sure you walk on one side cause there's gonna be a lot of bikes in the path.. I wish I had the time to do the whole trail, but I could only do 1/2 of it.. along the trail. You will see some spectacular views of Pittsburgh downtown... he can also hear birds chirping and possibly spot a few of rare varieties.. overall a fantastic trail without forest..

The entire trail is actually 33 miles long. I didn't walk all of it, not even close, but I got…read moreenough of a flavor on my last wintry morning in Pittsburgh when I walked the sections on the North Shore and around Point State Park. It's a fully paved, ten-foot wide promenade that follows both banks of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, which unite to form the Ohio River. Except for the occasional jogger, there was barely a soul out when I was walking because the weather was bitterly cold. At the same time, the scenic views were constant and unique to the area. It was the ideal way to end a trip to Pittsburgh. RELATED - Exploring Pittsburgh? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/9R906ozJBw

This was meant to be a five-star review. Updating to make correction…read more This is a wonderful little park linking Bloomfield and Friendship.

Oh. This is not a park. It's definitely a park let. It's very small. It's pretty and I'm sure if I…read morelived in the area I'd love it as a place to walk and read and relax.

This was one of my favorite spots to sit downtown in between waiting for the bus after school at…read morePoint Park. I am not downtown everyday anymore, but any time I am I try to stop by Mellon Square Park. It's such a nice place to sit and relax and has a great view of all the really old architecture from nearby buildings. When it's not busy on the weekdays there can be some interesting characters, so I try to only sit down when there are other people around. I have been loving the Summer block parties that Talia puts on. They have live music, cocktails, and Italian food for a couple hours once or twice a month. It is really fun, especially when the weather is nice. There is a parking garage on Oliver underneath the park and the Omni William Penn is right across the street. This is a great place to take photos at too! I feel like a lot of local people don't even know about this serene little square in the middle of the city.

This park has changed over the years. I believe it has changed for the good. It is a shame that…read moremore people don't get a chance to sit and relax during the nicer days. Downtown Pittsburgh has a limited shopping venue and people aren't coming downtown as once before. You still have plenty of office workers, but little lunch time breaks, long enough to enjoy the park. They are building more hotels, but very little shopping. It's a very nice park. I like this park and sit for a spell every chance I get. I remember being the kids here during the summer.

Beautiful bike/walk path. We started in Monroeville and biked to Export and back. Well kept…read moregrounds. Met friendly people along the way. Plenty of benches along the path to take a breather. I was also impressed with free literature with maps along the way. Also we noticed mile markers which was helpful. Looking forward to a weekly ride, weather pending of course. Beautiful scenery. Very impressed, highly recommended! Get out and enjoy nature.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed the Great Allegheny Passage Rail Trail until now. It is such a…read morejewel and where I spend a lot of my free time riding my bicycle, especially during this crazy time we're in at the moment with COVID-19. (Note that it is not just for bicycles; walkers and runners also utilize the trail, just not motorized vehicles, so you don't have to compete with cars.) I won't go into all the details of the trail; that is interesting in itself regarding its history, how long it's taken to get the land for the different sections, its steepness grade or lack thereof, all the different towns it goes through, etc. For all of that, I'll give you the very useful link:https://gaptrail.org/ What I will do is give you some highlights and what makes it a jewel to me. It is 150 miles of mostly packed crushed limestone (with a bit of it paved between Pittsburgh and McKeesport) from the Pittsburgh Point Fountain (there's a marker on the ground near it) to Cumberland, MD. Most of it is on what used to be railroad beds and a bit of it is on streets (near downtown Pittsburgh and some in McKeesport). Because of the railroad bed usage, the path follows that grade (meaning gradual steepness with the sharpest elevation gain/loss being between the Eastern Continental Divide and Cumberland). What all the preceding paragraph means is that it is a quite doable trail and comfortable to ride. The packed gravel means it is pretty close to riding on a road surface because it is so packed. The only time that is not true is usually after a downpour when there might be parts of it that retain water. The grade following the grade of the railroads means the gradual incline (if you're going from Pittsburgh to Cumberland) is pretty gradual and a steady 10mph is doable. From the Continental Divide to Cumberland is downhill and is quite easy; coming back is a bit more strenuous -- see the afore-mentioned link to see mileage and grade of that section. I remember when I first heard about the trail; I had no concept of a rail trail to begin with so did not know what to expect in the least. If you're in the same boat, I will say that the trail is open from sun-up to sun-down, there are no street lights lighting the path on purpose though where it travels in spots may have lights for other purposes. It is mostly wide enough for say three bikes across, but don't do that! There is trail etiquette; learn it for everyone's safety and enjoyment -- stay to the right, single file and if you are riding 2 across for any reason, then pay close attention to passers; you'll need to be sure to listen to "on your left' or a bell or some audible signal that someone needs to pass you. On the converse side, if you're passing, pass on the left and issue an audible signal, etc. Just share the trail! Also, some parts of the trail are shaded by trees lining the trail; other parts are in the sun for extended periods so wear sunscreen. There are amenities all along the trail. That was important for me as a first-timer to know because I couldn't grasp at first if it was secluded, wilderness, or what. The GAP trail has so many towns, ballfields, restaurants, ice cream stands, portable restrooms every so many miles and parking trailheads plus a number of other cyclists on the trail that you won't feel that isolated and except for a couple spots (downtown Pittsburgh or Ohiopyle for example) you won't feel the trail is too crowded, either. Take water, snacks, an extra tube and you'll find you'll have what you need. Do you need certain size tires (mountain bike/hybrid/road bike)? Some people debate that. I have a hybrid bike and am happy enough. Favorite parts of the trail for me? I love the section between Myersdale, PA and Frostburg, MD. In that section is the Mason-Dixon line and the Eastern Continental Divide. I also love riding between Homestead and downtown Pittsburgh. Along that route is the Hays Eagle nest. And being downtown Pittsburgh on my bike is so much easier than navigating and parking a car. And when you want to go further on your adventure than Cumberland, MD? It hooks up directly with the C & O Tow Path for another 184.5 miles to get you all the way to Washington, D.C. for a total of 334.5 miles. Many of us have taken several days in one stretch to ride the entire length between Pittsburgh and D.C. and it is quite the trip, and well worthwhile, as are many of the many sections of the GAP trail. It has such unique personalities with wildlife (there are deer, owls, groundhogs, rabbits just to name a few) and so many wildflowers along the way. You're following rivers along the route, as well, plus get to take advantage of PA's lovely state park, Ohiopyle. There are several campsites, hotels, and bed and breakfasts along the way, too. I could go on and on but I recommend talking to others who have ridden the trail, look up Facebook webpages related to the GAP, get a trail book and google for more info.

We are so fortunate to have this trail run right into downtown Pittsburgh. Today I rode from…read moredowntown to Homestead and back. 13 miles and, boy is my butt sore! Someday I hope to ride all the way to DC. They'll probably have to bring me home in a giant butt sling, but I don't care! Riding along the river is so beautiful on a warm fall day. Whether you go five miles or five hundred, don't miss an opportunity to bike, walk, or skate along this treasured trail.