Living in Uniontown, the thought of taking my family biking in Pittsburgh initially felt intimidating to me. But I’m so thankful for the biking infrastructure, such as the Great Allegheny Passage and the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, which provide a fun, doable, and safe way to explore the city on bikes.

family bikes rides in pittsburgh biking with kids in pittsburgh pittsburgh bike trail three rivers heritage trail taking kids biking in pittsburgh

This post details our most recent family bike ride in The Burgh, where we explored the North Shore and visited Point State Park.

Check out another post when we biked from the South Side to the Point and back.

If you want to try exploring the city on bikes with others, I encourage you to check out an awesome event called Open Streets PGH by Bike PGH, when city streets are closed to cars and open to walkers and bikers.

This point contains affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you if you make a purchase.

Summary

The Three Rivers Heritage Trail Map was helpful in planning a ride. Here is an overview:

  • parking – trailhead parking near N Franklin and Oxline
  • distance – a little over 7 miles
  • route – Three Rivers Heritage Trail and Fort Duquesne Bridge to Point State Park (no roads)
  • difficulty – easy, mostly flat, paved trail (upward ramps to cross the bridge)
  • kids ages – 6, 5, and 2 years

Gear

There are many options for riding with kids. A great resource for further discussion is Bike PGH’s Family Guide. Here is the gear we have and what worked for us.

We had our two youngest in Topeak Bike Seats, which have always been our go-to. My 5-year-old at the time was getting close to outgrowing the seat, but I’m glad she still fit because while she could ride a bike at the time, she wasn’t quite ready for independent riding on the trails.

My son rode his bike on his own. We packed our TowWhee in his bike pouch in case he needed it. But he did great that day and rode on his own the entire time.

My husband wore our REI Ruckpack, which has become our diaper bag. We packed water, sunscreen, lunches, diapers, and wipes.

If you don’t have a bike, there are ride-share bikes and multiple bike rentals available (e.g. Adam Solar Rides).

Parking and Restrooms

We parked near East End Brewing Pop-Up at N Franklin St and Oxline Dr. There was a line of parking available along the trail. With the brewery closed when we started, there were no restrooms available. Next time, I’d probably plan for everyone to visit the bathroom in a gas station before entering the city (such as a GetGo on 51, for example).

The Ride

We began biking toward downtown along the North Shore and enjoyed passing sights such as Rivers Casino, Carnegie Science Center, and PNC Park.

We followed the trail along the Ohio River and the Allegheny River and randomly turned around on the trail when a break was looming, deciding to aim for a break at Point State Park. After making a U-turn on the trail, we headed for Fort Duquesne Bridge near PNC Park, which offers a separate pedestrian bridge to cross the river. On the North Shore side of the bridge, there was a zig-zag ramp to enter.

The ramp down from the bridge plopped us right into Point State Park. We followed the path down to the grassy area near the point, which was a perfect spot to hop off the bikes, stretch our legs, use the restroom, and eat our packed lunches.

There are several great sights to take in at the point, such as the Duquesne Incline, the Gateway Clipper, Acrusiure Stadium, and more.

While we didn’t visit Fort Pitt Museum on this trip, we have in the past, and that is where you can get a stamp for your PA State Park Passport.

To keep our kids motivated to participate (especially my son), we bribed them with ice cream. We hopped back on the bikes and crossed back over the Fort Duquesne Bridge to the North Shore. Near the bottom of the ramp are several options to grab a bite. We visited Burgatory for milkshakes.

After Burgatory, we walked our bikes to visit a World War II Veterans Memorial and the Mister Rogers Memorial.

Then, we rode back to where we parked and couldn’t pass up a stop at East End Brewery, which was open when we finished.

Here is a breakdown of our ride.

I hope you found this helpful. If you decide to ride bikes in Pittsburgh, please tag me on Instagram (@adventureswkelly) so I can see your adventures.

Other Family Bike Rides