BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Last year I was on it on a Friday evening (going again this Friday). I thought it was fine for biking at 6 pm and 11 pm. Not much traffic, reasonable speeds. The more difficult part is getting from town to Camp Horne Road. I just took a bus along Ohio River Blvd, but the latter seems much less bike-friendly than Camp Horne Road. Bike-friendly Center Avenue (aka Lincoln/California/Church/etc) doesn't intersect Camp Horne Road; it's on a bridge high above, so you have to use side streets to connect.

be careful on camp horne road most of it has no shoulder at all

That's a bad road ,when I was a kid i would ride my stingray or walk home from the pool on that road,,,it has not changed in 50 years,,

Avoid roads that have highway exits. Where are you trying to get? California ave out of the city to Ben Avon Heights is pleasant. Via new brighton ave. Puts you out right at the giant eagle. I go straight and climb up toward avonworth hs and go out to sewickley that way.

I've done this as a return trip in the evening on a few rides north and it wasnt too bad traffic wise. You have the advantage of gravity on Camp Horn and you are only on R65 for a block and that was not an issue at all (there is a sidewalk too). It would probably work for the ride "to" the shelter, but it will be a long though not very steep climb up Camp Horn - but with limited shoulder in spots.

I live right near there. I would prefer NOT to ride Camp Horne. It's tight, and traffic builds at strange times. Could you approach Camp Horne from the east? Spring Garden Road to Troy Hill Road, to Ivory, to Perry Hwy Center to Park (behind stadium) to Park Plaza (behind shopping center) to Waverly, Lakewood, Highland to Gass. Gass will turn into Ben Avon Heights Road, dump you at Camp Horne Road at the intersection with I-279. Then you have a brief ride on Camp Horne (unavoidable) to Animal Friends. I've ridden most of these roads, and would feel comfortable on most of them. Gass would be the iffiest, but you could probably find parallel side streets. And, you are an experienced enough rider that I think you could handle it.

I live on Ben Avon Heights Rd not the best for a safe bike ride ,,

Craig, Helen/Dave would not need to do the hill part of Ben Avon Hts. Road where you live. Just that part from where Gass ends (near the I-279 underpass) to the intersection with Camp Horne. There's a fairly wide shoulder, and it's only about a half a mile.

Here is how I'd do it, working from the Science Center: * North Shore Drive to Tony Dorsett Drive to Martindale to Merchant * L Ridge, R West Ohio, R Brighton, continue past Marshall * L Hodgkiss, R Stayton, L Woodland, R Shadeland * L Davis, R McClure, L Benton, R California, becomes Lincoln * In Bellevue, R North Balph, becomes Bellevue Road * L Center Ave, cross bridge over I-279 * L Princeton, R Lehigh * L Highland, R Gass Road, becomes Ben Avon Heights Rd * L Camp Horne Rd Reverse is the opposite. Note: I haven't ridden the part from Lehigh to A.F. That avoids a lot of nasty traffic. But if you're feeling bold, just put on a pile of blinkies, get right out on Camp Horne, and take the damn lane, both directions. A good bit of it is posted 25, the rest 35. It can't be any worse than Perrymont, Thompson Run, Pine Creek, Wible Run, or a crapton of other two-lane roads around the North Hills.

@Stu: If you are going to climb this much there is a route with less traffic, you might as well go (center/church/lincoln california - not sure what it's called in Emsworth) R - Locust (100 yards) R - Roosevelt (Little traffic but starts with a 3/4 mile 6% hill) R - Crawford (comes out across from the pool about 200 yards from Animal Friends). Option 2 from Roosevelt R Crawford At traffic circle take Cobblestone At end of Cobblestone take walking path to High School parking lot L - Joseph Lane (Wheeeeeeee) This road comes out directly across from Ben Avon Heights Road listed above. I'd probably follow Marko's route above.

I was thinking about recommending the Roosevelt Road option (proposed by SEW above) but it adds a LOT of miles, most of them relatively gently uphill. And, Crawford Road would be a nightmare heading home in the evening.....uphill, narrow, tight turns, no shoulder and in poor condition. Leaves a lot to be desired.

I don't suppose there's a back way in and out of A.F., even if only over to the park? That could then connect up to that neighborhood off Plumer Ave? Then that would be a straight shot, free of significant elevation changes, through Bellevue, thereby avoiding Camp Horne Rd altogether.

There IS a back way into A.F. through the park. But the climb up Plummer is a bear! Like Dirty Dozen caliber. About 4 blocks long. And then the trail through the park is a steep downhill best suited for a mountain bike. I doubt that HS wants to ride a mountain bike all the way to Emsworth, I'd be happy to show him that route. But, it's less than ideal! Edited for clarity: I'd be willing to walk my mountain bike up the hill with him, and then ride down through the park to A.F. I have not yet mastered that hill by bike.

I need to look at a map to interpret all of the suggestions- I rode it 3 times last week. I have gone from the riverfront trail up to Lincoln on McClure and Antrim (or through the neighborhood in that area) then the straight shot on Lincoln/ California/ Church. Just before Camp Horn, I cut down on Hiland to Ohio River Blvd for about 50m on the sidewalk, then right up Camp Horn. I really like the shot on Lin / Ca/ Ch- wide road, slow traffic, lots of people out and about on foot. Camp Horn has never been more of a problem than any other road- sure people go faster than 25 or 35, and maybe one out of 10 does not give as much clearance as they could, but the traffic is sparse when I go through- I would guess less than 25 cars pass me over the 2+ miles I am on it each time. There is a small segment of shoulder on most of it, where I will stray to if I sense a car needs more space. I feel it is overall a pleasant ride.

Dave, if Camp Horne works for you during your commuting hours, that is the best route. Stick with it. P.S. If you take hi land to the T, turn left, and continue straight where the road curves down, you will minimize your time on ORB. You'll come out on the brick street by the little barber shop. You might have figured that out already, of course.

I thought the brick road that goes down to Ohio River Blvd was Hiland. I was a bit suprised at how much people wanted to avoid Camp Horn. It surely is not as bad as Forbes or Blvd of the Allies in Oakland or pretty much anywhere downtown during rush hour. I am not afraid of a little car traffic, being traffic myself.

helen s wrote: I was a bit suprised at how much people wanted to avoid Camp Horn. It surely is not as bad as Forbes or Blvd of the Allies in Oakland or pretty much anywhere downtown during rush hour. I am not afraid of a little car traffic, being traffic myself.

I'm actually really surprised you haven't found it too bad. I've never ridden it, but I drive it often and I encounter more aggressive drivers there than anywhere else I regularly travel, by far. I'm really glad to hear it's not so bad on a bike.

Just a point of clarification for Dave....when you turn left off Church in Ben Avon (at the pink house) you turn onto Hilands. At the T at the bottom of the block you turn right onto Brighton. When you go straight at the bend, onto the little brick street, you are on (another) Hilands (or Hilands again). Street names out here are simply illogical. Just shrug your shoulders and say "ok" when people sound like they are giving you directions that sound insane.

Thanks for that clarification on the street names. To be honest, I only use the names sometimes and would rather use an innate sense of direction to get around. For years I used to go visit a friend in another town very infrequently (once a year) and got to her house by getting to the general neighborhood and then selecting the correct street by the slope of the hill. After the first visit, I totally forgot the street name and address. Not a good plan when giving directions though. I was once instructed to pick someone up by street name, then looking for a right curve and a tall conifer. Sometimes names and those little numbers work better.