BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

yes and no.

If I were to ride my bike there:

Jail trail to the hot metal bridge.

cross over the street and take the south side trail

to the end, then ride the dirt road/rocks to sand

castle lot. Either take the pedestrian stairs, or

the sidewalk or the road on the glenwood bridge.

Cross the glenwood bridge back tot he northside of

the mon river. Immediately across it, turn left

onto a dirt road/path. Cross under bridge and

across like 6 sets of tracks. you will see the

end of the the other "secret jailtrail" there.

Follow this to duck hollow, where you come to

a parkinglot, then keep riding past that on dirt

roads (allegedly old second ave) carrie furnace

will be on your right.

there are quite a few ways to do this and id like to do it soon, lemme know if you want to go, i can find a route comfortable for you.

Wow, I don't know this part of town at all, and would like to get even a basic familiarity. I work just off 2d Ave (Technology Drive), so if you plan to start any of these excursions at the end of a work day, let me know at least a day in advance and I'll be happy to join you.

Is this secret jail trail paved or navigable by a road bike? And why not take second avenue through hazelwood? I've never had any issues with second avenue in hazelwood, although, I've never been on it during rush hour.

I take Second Ave down to the Glenwood Bridge everyday during rush hour (6:30-7:15ish) and come back that way during the evening rush hour (5-6ish) So I guess that is opposite of the way the traffic is going, but you should have even less trouble going with the rush hour traffic because it is usually going pretty slow. But yeah, never had any problems on it.

Thanks for the tips....I'm not sure I'm in good enough shape to make it out there right now, it's my goal at the moment. If you asked me a couple months ago, I would have been up for it, no problem!

It's all flat along the river, you can do it. I often take 2nd Avenue between Greenfield and Glenwood Bridge. Narrow in some places but I think it is not too bad.

I once checked to see if there was a true river-side route between Hot Metal and Glenwood. Between 2nd Ave and the river. There almost sorta is. Not really. Takes you through the secret robot testing grounds. Not road-bike-friendly. Take 2nd.

The mystery trail between Duck Hollow and the underside of the Glenwood Bridge is very nice. Tho it's essentially nowhere-to-nowhere. Good asphalt except where the earth has shifted and buckled the trail. Only a couple spots. No problem whatsoever for a road bike.

Then keep going upriver.

More fit a couple of months ago? Problems? Or just lassitude? I hope you're OK.

I'd vote for Jail-trail -> 2nd Ave (technically "Irvine St" for part of the route). Never had a hassle on 2nd ave, It's wide and flat vs the end of the southside trail and over the Glenwood bridge is a PIA. The route with two river crossings and a trail on the outside curve side of the river is farther, too.

Mick

my response was based on the person not really

knowing the area and assuming s/he wanted to stay

off the road.

Some neighborhood kids showed me a route that i

can never trace again skirting fences and private

property between the HMB and glenwood. I dont think

that i saw 2nd ave.

Wow! Thanks again to everyone for the tips. The biggest thing is that I don't want to have to go back up too far from the riverbank (i.e. bike thru Oakland thru to Swisshelm/Braddock and back down), and not have to get mountain bike tires. I'm not even sure if my wheels fit them....I have a hybrid (mountain?) bike--it has tires in btwn normal mtn. and normal road bike size. They can handle brick-paved streets pretty well, but not gravel.

Mick: I'm not sure why I got out of shape so fast, although I think a change of schedules did it (I now sit at a computer 8 hours a day!), and I just have been a bit lazy. Also, I'd like to blame it on my bike seat, and it somehow got adjusted and now I can't get it to the right height. I had it perfect a couple months ago.

So I tried this today. Jail trail to end, under the bridge onto Irvine which becomes Second Ave again. No problem with traffic. Peel straight/right onto short local street instead of getting on Glenwood Bridge; go to end. Carry bike across five sets of live tracks.

Find trail into woods. It becomes a paved trail in short order. Maybe a half mile or so later is a small parking lot. Through lot; continue onto narrow public street. Trail continues from its end.

Trail then forks. Left is up and is probably the way to go. I went right and down, and found myself on a narrow deer path very close to the river. Not for road bikes! Considerable evidence of human (hobo, whatever) habitation all along it.

Eventually that trail ends, forcing you up onto what must once have been a rail yard. Carrie Furnace site is right in front of you. I got to the other side of the field and found Old Second Avenue -- busted up asphalt over brick, with a trolley gauge rail line popping through. Continues all the way into Braddock, becoming West Braddock Street. One brief wiggle under the Rankin Bridge and you're right on Braddock Ave.

I think if I'd taken that left fork past the Duck Hollow parking lot, I would have had a fast, fun, flat ride, all the way from Duck Hollow to Braddock.

what street did you take off of second/irvine in hazelwood?

I don't know its name. It's the last right turn (more a straight b/c 2nd bends left to go over the bridge). Same as what steevo mentioned as a dirt road/path, just above, as a left just after crossing the Glenwood Bridge. The last couple of named streets are Vespucius and Renova, then take this peel to go under the bridge, keep to the left, look for trains, and carry bike across the five tracks. The other trailhead is directly under the bridge.

I'm guessing this is a picture of the turnoff.

Yep, that'd be it. Not at all difficult to find or follow. Aim for it, keep to the left, and when you get to the tracks, pick up bike and don't get hit by a train while you jump across five sets. Look for a break in the bushes and that's your trail.