Three Trails, a River, and a Park

I started this interesting yet moderate length walking trek at the corner of Forbes & Murray Avenues in Squirrel Hill at 40.43803°N and -79.92303°W. I walked along Murray Avenue and turned onto Hazelwood Avenue at 40.41972°N and -79.92814°W. You’d take Hazelwood Avenue only for a few metres onto Browns Hill Road at 40.41958°N and -79.92720°W. Small sections of Browns Hill Road do not have a sidewalk if you’re walking and the traffic moves pretty quickly along this corridor as it feeds directly off Beechwood Avenue. This leads directly to the Homestead Grays Bridge starting at 40.41273°N and -79.92125°W. This offers pretty good views of the Waterfront.
As you exit the bridge you must cross at the traffic lights to recover the sidewalk to head along West 5th Avenue at 40.40746°N and -79.91419°W. You can make a quick stop at “The Stacks” located at 40.40477°N and -79.91799°W. You pick up the Great Allegheny Passage Trail just beyond the corner of Waterfront Drive and West 5th Street at 40.40349°N and -79.91970°W. You’d be following the section of the trail that’s heading due east. You can opt to walk through the Waterfront Shopping Area and pick up the Pedestrian Bridge over West Waterfront Drive at 40.40833°N and -79.91770°W. The better part of this trek along the banks of the Monongahela River begins on the opposite side of that pedestrian bridge at 40.40885°N and -79.91837°W. Along the trail there’s a lot of restaurants and pubs. Most interesting are the views of the river. It’s not unusual to see Canada Geese, Beavers, Muskrats, and birds of prey about the river.
The walking trail exits onto the sidewalk along East Waterfront Drive at 40.41440°N and -79.89960°W. It’s only a very short walk to the Homestead Labyrinth at 40.41421°N and -79.89825°W. There’s a lot to see, do, and reflect upon at this spot. If you’re lucky you may even see the train go along the labyrinth. The Great Allegheny Passage continues heading along East Waterfront Drive to the Rivers of Steel Pump House & Water Tower located at 40.41298°N and -79.89631°W. This was the site of the 1892 Battle of Homestead.
I included this short stretch of the trail for historical reasons in this log. I turned about here and headed back west along the Great Allegheny Passage. Today the trek was heading in the opposite direction. You’d pick up the Three Rivers Heritage Trail along Sandcastle Drive at 40.40327°N and -79.91964°W just outside Costco. You’d cross Sandcastle Drive at 40.40197°N and -79.92121°W. This section of the trail is extremely narrow and there’s really nothing of interest. There’s also an incredible amount of cyclists along here. The trail goes below the Glenwood Bridge at 40.39480°N and -79.93502°W. There’s the Hays Bald Eagle Nest Viewpoint at 40.39474°N and -79.93855°W. A section of the trail near here also floods so care should be taken in rainy weather.
Beyond the Hays Bald Eagle Nest Viewpoint the trail improves substantially. It’s a lovely trail skirting along the majestic Monongahela River. I strongly suggest making a stop at the sunken barges along the river at 40.40583°N and -79.95023°W. Beck’s run flows into the Monongahela River at 40.41132°N and -79.95469°W and there’s a trail leading right to the river.
The Three River Heritage Trail has a few vantage points that offers exceptional views of the Monongahela River, one such spot is located off South Water Street at 40.42462°N and -79.95886°W. From here you get a really good view of the Hot Metal Bridge. There’s a monument at 40.42721°N and -79.96202°W that’s worth some attention. You’re going to cross Hot Metal Street & South Water Street at 40.42718°N and -79.96247°W to continue onto the pedestrian bridge. The Three Rivers Heritage Trail continues along the south side here and it is clearly labelled.
Cross Hot Metal Bridge and turn right at 40.43011°N and -79.95770°W. The left heads to Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh. You’d follow this trail right to 40.40600°N and -79.95319°W to get to the Three Rivers Trail Parking Lot. The Eliza Furnace Trail starts at 40.42631°N and -79.95278°W. This trail is separated from Swinburne Street with a waist high concrete barrier. Just follow the trail to Greenfield Avenue at 40.42499°N and -79.95208°W and proceed heading left along Saline Street.
You’re going to pick up the Junction Hollow Trail just under the bridge for the Penn-Lincoln Parkway and Proctor’s Garage. From here I picked up the Zig Zag Trail in Schenley Park at 40.42902°N and -79.94945°W just off Boundary Street. The Zig Zag Trail enters the Bridle Trail at 40.43032°N and -79.94808°W. I chose to do the Panther Hollow Upper Trail followed by the Panther Hollow Lower Trail, walk around Panther Hollow Lake, do the Panther Hollow Run Trail, and cap that off with the Steve Faloon Memorial Trail. This exits along West Circuit Road at 40.43873°N and -79.94371°W.
Visit the Westinghouse Memorial at 40.43946°N and -79.94274°W and continue heading along Schenley Drive through the Bob O’Connor Gold Course. This connects with Forbes Avenue at 40.43773°N and -79.93297°W and brings you back to the starting point. The only other stop that I made was at Temple Sinai at 40.43793°N and -79.92983°W.
Happy Trails.