Bike Pittsburgh

regent square to mckeesport

heading out to the trail head at McKeesport....anything better than 837?

RE: regent square to mckeesport

Sure, I think so. Braddock Ave (or, rather, Pennwood to Edgewood Ave to Monongahela to Rankin Blvd to Braddock Ave) through Braddock to E.Pgh-McKeesport Blvd to Bowman Ave to Lysle and there you are in McKeesport.

It's not entirely beautiful, but I think preferable to 837.

Alternately, cut through Homestead & West Mifflin via Homeville and down to Dravosburg on Pennsyvania Ave & Skyline. But that's not exactly direct from Regent Square.

RE: regent square to mckeesport

depending on how adventurous you are this is the way i have gone a half dozen times or so:

URL for this route is: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2061988

you can also get on this trail from the waterfront/sside trail


its one of my favorite rides in pittsbrugh, you get to ride past two abandoned train facilities, an abandoned steam engine, and under the phantom's revenge in kennywood

(these are pictures from the train factory http://www.sahcer.com/factory/)

the last time i did it was in marchish and all the roads/trails were still in decent shape, just watch the road you get on from 837 for like 200 feet going down the hill its in bad shape, i do this on my touring bike without thinking twice about it (28c tires), but if your tires are 25c or lower i'd avoid it, there is definately a chance of flatting

this trail is in the process of being bought for the DC trail (i think) and is still technically owned by the railroads i think, but i've run into rail road folks on it more than once and they've always been really nice, even offered to give me a ride down the trail in their maintenance truck.

RE: regent square to mckeesport

mark that looks great, thanks.
I've got 37mms on my bike so I'll give it a shot. those pictures are very cool.

nate, thanks I was wondering how East McKeesport Blvd was...it looked a little industrial.

RE: regent square to mckeesport

> an abandoned steam engine

Where is that?

RE: regent square to mckeesport

EPMB is ok, I think. It's got nice wide shoulders in the places where traffic could be fast, and is elsewhere just your average urban road.

Mark's trail route is more fun, I've ridden that too.

RE: regent square to mckeesport

There used to be a few abandoned cars behind Kennywood, but last time I was there was over 20 years ago, when US Steel still had active gas lines along what is now the trail.

RE: regent square to mckeesport

I have taken the East Pittsburgh - McKeesport Blvd. route to McKeesport before. As mentioned, it does have nice wide shoulders, so even though the road can be busy and uphill, that's usually not a problem. There's one dangerous section, however, where the road goes into a tunnel for about 50 yards, and the shoulder vanishes. That can be quite dangerous - there is a kind of sidewalk where you can walk your bike. It's utterly chewed up and potholed (virtually unrideable) but I opt for that - the tunnel is unlit, and it would be easy for a car to not see you.

The tunnel is only on the southbound side, where it passes under Route 30.

RE: regent square to mckeesport

Yeah, I'd forgotten the tunnel. The last time I rode it I was coming north. When I was headed south more than a year ago it was relatively early in the morning with very little traffic.