Free Parking!..When you ride your bike to the Arts Fest

Bike Valet Location TRAF 2016

Bike to the Three Rivers Arts Fest!

June 3rd through June 12th, Bike Pittsburgh will run the bike valet at the Three Rivers Arts Festival! Bike valet will be available from 12-9pm daily in Point State Park near the intersection of Commonwealth Place and Boulevard of the Allies. It operates like a coat check; you don’t need to bring your own lock, and it’s free

BikePGH parks thousands of bikes annually at our bike valets. 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.

Click here to check out the festival events calendar to plan your visit!

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

eft 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.


birminghamSouth 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.


washingtonslandingNorthside – 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

Posted by Jane

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