The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is an incredible 150-mile bike trail that runs from Pittsburgh to Cumberland. But if you want a little taste of it, this out-and-back ride from the South Side to the Point might knock your black and yellow socks off.

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This trip started because a few of us wanted to run to REI in the South Side. The parking we tend to use is close to the Hot Metal Bridge which the GAP runs on so we decided to make a day of it and do a family bike ride to the Point and back before we did some shopping.

Summary

  • Itinerary– Park in South Side, ride GAP to Point State Park, get PA State Park passport stamp at Fort Pt Museum, eat lunch in the park, ride back to the South Side
  • Distance – About 4 miles one way
  • Total Time– Around 2 hours between the ride there and back and spending time in Point State Park
  • Trail – Mostly paved, mostly flat with some ramps. We crossed the street one time and were able to avoid biking downtown by taking the Mon Wharf switchback which may be closed when there are heavy rains and flooding.
  • Kids ages – My kids were 11 months and 2 1/2 years, my nephew was 9 and he biked on his own.
  • Child Transport – I was really glad we had our Topeak bike seats for this trip. The kids were close and they enjoyed taking in all of the sights. There was one sort of one-way through area closer to downtown. It might have been a temporary barrier. I’m not sure. I honestly don’t know if our pull-behind double trailer would have made it through. But we saw someone else with a pull-behind at some point along the trail, so maybe they made it through.

Update

The remainder of this post will discuss what we did the first time we did this ride, but I wanted to touch base about a more recent ride we did in November of 2023. At that point, we had our third baby and our kids were 9 months, 3 years, and 5 years. The younger two were fine in our Topeak bike seats. The wild card was how my 5-year-old had started to ride independently would do. I was worried he could not ride the entire nearly 8 miles without getting tired, and I was worried he could get distracted and wander off the side of the trail or run into other bikers/walkers because there are more people on this trail than where we are accustomed to riding.

I’m so grateful my girlfriend let us borrow her TowWhee (the red cord connecting me and my son). It’s basically a sort of bungee cord that connects our bikes. It allowed my son to ride his bike independently, and if he got tired, he could coast as I towed him. I also had some peace of mind knowing he was close. We took a practice run the night before and talked about him not running into me, starting and stopping at the same time, etc. and it worked out perfectly! I truly feel this ride would have not been possible on that day without the TowWhee.

Ok back to the first time we did this ride.

Parking

We paid to park in the Ingot Parking Garage in the South side on the corner of Tunnel Blvd and S 28th St.

We could not find restrooms near the parking garage, so used the restrooms near the end of our ride. There were single restrooms in the Fort Pitt Museum and a larger restroom facility closer to the fountain.

The Ride

From the parking garage, we crossed a back street (low-traffic area) and hopped on the GAP which goes on the Hot Metal Bridge.

The Hot Metal Bridge has a separate bike/walk lane with some switchback ramps. As you cross the Monongahela (many say “The Mon”), you get a great look at the Pittsburgh Skyline. And that’s about the time I say to myself “That’s my city!” (story mentioned in the video above).

After the bridge, we made a left continuing on the GAP, and headed toward the Point, the confluence of the three rivers.

As someone who doesn’t live in a city, it’s exhilarating to be in the heart of a city on a bicycle in your own bike lane, taking in the sights and sounds of a bustling city, with cars, trains, and bridges all around you. I was every bit as excited as my two-year-old.

The GAP led us to our only street crossing at Grant Street. It was at an intersection with stoplights and a crosswalk with a marked bike path.

Shortly after, we made a left as we approached the Smithfield Bridge where we were able to utilize the Mon Wharf Switchback.

This switchback conveniently helped us avoid biking downtown. You want to be mindful that if there are heavy rains and flooding the switchback may close.

From the parking garage to the Point, the ride was roughly 4 miles. So we did about 8 miles total on our out-and-back trip.

Point State Park

First, we made a stop at the Fort Pitt Museum to get our PA State Parks and State Forests Passport stamped. These passports are a fun way to track your travels. The museum sells the books, as do most state park visitor centers. They can also be purchased online. We didn’t have a chance to spend time in the museum, but hopefully next time. You can also get your stamp for Allegheny Islands State Park at Fort Pitt Museum.

In the large grassy area, we ate our lunches (pepperoni rolls, a popular on-the-go snack in our family), and visited the site of Fort Duquesne and the downtown skyline.

Then, we walked down to the point, where we visited the medallion which marks the confluence of the three rivers and the Western Terminus of the Great Allegheny Passage. From here it’s about 150 miles to Cumberland, Maryland, and another 185 miles to Washington DC on the C&O Towpath.

At the Point, you are just surrounded in Pittsburgh and you can view Heinz Field, Mt Washington, the Duquense Incline, the Gateway Clipper, and so much more. I hardly noticed the giant fountain wasn’t on.

This ride was so memorable. I can’t wait to do it again, and I’d even consider changing it up a bit. Maybe park further back on the GAP and make it longer, maybe venture over to the North Shore. It seems there are endless possibilities for biking in Pittsburgh. I have to say for our multigenerational crew, the distance was just right.

Here is a breakdown of our ride for reference.

If you don’t own a bike, we passed a bike rental on the way and it looks like there’s a Healthy Ride bike-sharing station near the Hot Metal Bridge and other places throughout the city. I also think you explore this route in other ways like walking or rollerblading.

A Word About Biking with Kids

We loved having our little ones in the Topeak bike seats. My 9-year-old nephew did fantastic riding on his own. My sister has three kids (ages 7, 9, and 11). I asked her how she would have felt about bringing her other two kids along. She indicated she wouldn’t have been worried about the 11-year-old, but she would have been a little concerned about her 7-year-old, not so much because of cars, but more so because she gets distracted. She felt the trail had more people on it than we are used to and she may have had not understood to stay on one side. We are sort of used to biking in less crowded areas like our ride on the Sheepskin Trail in Dunbar, PA.

Everyone has different levels of experience and everyone’s comfort levels vary when it comes to outdoor activities, especially when kids are involved. I’m just sharing what we did to help serve as a reference point and hopefully help you plan your adventure. Make sure you feel comfortable and use extra caution. Here’s some really great information from Bike PGH about biking with families.

Next Time

I always wish we had more time. But next time, I’d like to

If you go for an adventure in Pittsburgh, I want to see or hear about it. Leave a comment or tag me on Instagram (@adventureswkelly).