Bike to the Three Rivers Arts Fest!
June 6th through June 15th, Bike Pittsburgh will run the bike valet program at the Three Rivers Arts Festival thanks to the Colcom Foundation! Bike valet will be available from 12-9pm daily in Point State Park near the intersection of Commonwealth Place and Liberty Ave. It operates like a coat check; you don’t need to bring your own lock, and it’s free!
Last year BikePGH parked 3,129 bikes during Bike Valet events! We’re looking forward to topping that number this year. Biking is a great way to beat the traffic, save on parking, and have fun getting to the festival. (See below for information on getting to the festival by bike.)
Don’t miss out on the fun! This Friday June 6th, Jeff Tweedy, frontman and founding member of Wilco, will kick off the 10 day festival of free music, art, theater, dance, and more. The Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival will also host acts such as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Squonk Opera, and Lucinda Williams. Click here to check out the festival events calendar to plan your visit!
Picture Time! The I <3 My Bike anti-theft photobooth will also return to the Three Rivers Arts Fest. As you’re entering or leaving the valet, get a great picture of you and your bike, and enter your bike’s information into the Bike Index database. This will allow us to help you recover your bike in case the case that it is stolen.
Like the Bike Valet and I <3 My Bike? You can help out by volunteering! Check out the volunteer calendar and email volunteer@bikepgh.org with your availability.
Plan Your Route
It’s important to plan ahead, especially if you’ve never ridden your bike in town or you are riding with children. Be sure to check out our Pittsburgh Bike Map, the most comprehensive bike map of the City. You can find all of the riverfront trails, bike-friendly streets, and trail access points, as well as links to transit and bike shops. It can be viewed online, or you can pick up a paper copy at the BikePGH office, every bike shop in town, and other supporting businesses.
Here are some other great resources to help you plan your route:
- BikePGH Messageboard – Learn the best routes from other local cyclists
- Google Maps – Google has bicycling directions on their popular mapping software
Park for Free and Take the Trails
If you still don’t feel comfortable riding on the roads and are able to transport your bike with a car, you can park your car for free at several trail heads around town and ride a completely flat, traffic-free route to the point!
Click on the images to view a detail of the map
Greenfield/Oakland – Eliza Furnace Trail – 3.5 miles from the Point
Free Parking: off of Second Ave.
Arguably the most popular trail head in the city, the entrance to the Eliza Furnace Trail is located off of Second Ave in Greenfield. There is a large parking lot, port-a-pot, information, and plenty of cyclists to talk to. It’s also conveniently located near the Bates St (Oakland) exit of 376.
The Eliza Furnace Trail takes you along Second Ave and the usual bumper to bumper traffic on the Parkway. The trail ends near the Allegheny County Jail, so you’ll probably hear many veteran cyclers call this “The Jail Trail.” Since the section around the Mon Wharf is not complete (yet), you must enter into traffic at Grant St or Smithfield St downtown. From here you can take the Blvd of the Allies all the way to the Point. The Boulevard is wide through here and drivers typically treat you respectfully, but if you still don’t want to ride with traffic or you have kids, you can continue on the sidewalk for a few blocks. The sidewalk along Fort Pitt Blvd is usually pretty free of pedestrians. Make sure to give them the right of way and full respect if you encounter any.
South Side – South Side Trail – 2 miles from the Point
Free Parking: Under the Birmingham Bridge, South Side Riverfront Park (bottom of S 18th Street)
This park is popular with cyclers and boaters alike. It provides quick access to the SouthSide Works and the East Carson Street business district.
You can take this trail to Station Square, then cross the Smithfield Street Bridge into town. Once in Downtown, follow the instructions on using the Blvd of the Allies on the Eliza Furnace description.
Another option is to ride to the opposite direction, east, to the SouthSide Works, and cross the Hot Metal Bridge to join the Eliza Furnace Trail. Using these two trails makes for a nice traffic-free loop around the city.
Northside – North Shore Trail – 2.5 miles from the Point
Free Parking: Under the 31st Street Bridge, Washington’s Landing (Herr’s Island)
This is a popular parking spot for cyclers that want to beat the traffic and parking costs at the stadiums. You can ride this easy and pleasant path past the Heinz lofts, under the Three Sisters bridges, past PNC Park, and over the Ft Duquesne Bridge’s ped/bike path directly into Point State Park.
If you want an even shorter ride (1.5 miles), you can park for free near the Heinz lofts.
For an even longer ride (3.5 miles), you can park in Millvale Riverfront Park, just off of rt 28 in Millvale, near the 40th Street Bridge.
Not a member of BikePGH? Join today! Bike Pittsburgh works to make our city a safer and more enjoyable place to live and to ride. For more info, check out: http://bikepgh.org/membership
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