Annual 5K race in North Park benefitting the Persad Center of Pittsburgh. Founded in 1972, the…read morePersad Center is the nation's second oldest licensed counseling center specifically created to serve the LGBT and HIV positive communities. 2013 was the second time this race has been held. Starting at the Boathouse and utilizing the same out and back course that most 5K races use in North Park. Nice, mostly flat course with one water stand midway. Great way to raise money for a great cause. Nice long sleeve technical shirt was provided with registration.

When walking Schenley, this is a great area to check out. I love all of the plaques and the water…read morefeature (pond). Very serene and lovely setting to get out and be one with nature. Pretty, peaceful, and all-around enjoyable. As with all of Schenley and other parks & areas like this one throughout the city, it is wonderfully maintained.

Beautifully scenic spot situated on the edge of Schenley Park. There's a beautiful pond, a statue,…read moreand some memorial plaques. Westinghouse was a legendary and remarkably creative Pittsburgher, with the railway air brake as just one of his notable achievements. The memorial is a calming place to sit and relax.

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.

Nice 5K on Thanksgiving morning. I liked that it was a 9am start time, so we could still sort of…read moresleep in on our holiday. For it being the first year in existence, things were much more organized than I anticipated. My only complaint was with the course itself. Circling around Graham Park, going through a development of cluster houses, and having large gravel from construction underfoot was not ideal. I hope this can be improved in the future, as I would most likely run this race again.

Beautiful bike/walk path. We started in Pittsburgh biked through the Three Rivers Heritage Trail…read moreand finished in West Mifflin through The Waterfront and stopped for lunch. Many choices of restaurants to choose from. Well kept grounds and clear paths. Met friendly people along the way. Benches along the path to take a breather. Looking forward to hitting the trails again soon, weather pending of course. Beautiful scenery. Very impressed, highly recommended! Get out and enjoy nature while getting enjoyment and exercise.

Been walking & running this trail for years. Scenery is nice and pretty level from the Rankin…read moreBridge all the way to South Side. There are some narrow sections along Costco and Sandcastle. Watch for bike riders. Most do not yield to pedestrians or cars regardless if they are on the trail, sidewalk, or going through the parking lot. Just be on guard especially if you run/walk with earphones.

Its a nice bike trail but its worth noting its an uphill slope if youre going from Freeport to…read moreButler. Its barely noticable but coming back down is a much easier ride.

Beautiful green lush landscape surrounds trails through this area. Be careful in case you…read moreencounter ticks.

The Alle-Kiski Trails is more or less an informal name for a trail system around Freeport, PA. I…read morefound its name from a map located on the Butler-Freeport Trail's website. The trails include the Butler-Freeport Trail, the Armstrong Trail, the Tredway Trail, the Baker Trail, the Rachel Carson Trail, and the proposed/planned Pittsburgh-Harrisburg Mainline Greenway and Allegheny River Trail. Interestingly, the Rachel Carson and Baker Trails are hiking trails only--they're not suitable for biking. But I'd still like to hike both. The problem is, to paraphrase R.E.M., you can't get there from here. Though presently these are all within a few miles of one another, they don't physically connect. For instance, the present southern terminus of the Armstrong Trail is in Schenley, PA--just about 3 miles from Freeport as the crow flies. But in order to get there from Freeport, you have to take a 14 mile detour via PA 356 down to Leechburg and then back north via PA 56 to Schenley. Eventually the Armstrong Trail will be extended from Schenley to the south side of the Allegheny River, across from Freeport. If all goes according to plan, the trail nexus will be at this point and all will be connected via a series of pedestrian/bicycling bridges across the Allegheny. There's also a planned extension of the Butler-Freeport Trail to Harrison Hills Park where it will connect with the Rachel Carson Trail. If all of this comes to be, this will be a fantastic trail system.

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.