Montour Trail Pittsburgh Pa
04-02-18, 09:27 PM
#1
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Montour Trail Pittsburgh Pa
I am considering started at mile 0 on the Montour Trail then connecting to the GAP trail. Any insight would be greatly appreciated 
My main question is the sections that are shared with automobiles being safe or not?
My main question is the sections that are shared with automobiles being safe or not?
04-03-18, 08:22 AM
#2
Every day a winding road
The Montour is excellent in my opinion. There are very few places now where you will even touch a road. Most of that is right here in Robinson where you will be crossing roads. The most concerning is the road that goes up to the mall. You just need to be careful crossing the road there.
The next place you will contend with roads is down past Library, PA much of that is roads but they are back roads with very little traffic. They just completed a new section there that bypasses much of the road and that section is absolutely beautiful.
The next danger part is crossing Route 51. When you come to the intersection of Oak Rd and Route 51, there is the old Wall Hotel on your right and a park on your left. Cross through the park, into the Dick Corp parking lot. Go to Route 51 and there will be a crosswalk right in front of you. The Montour Trail is directly across the street.
You will be on a bike path again for a while and it is unbelievable. If you look close you will see tons of turtles, cranes (and if you are lucky) river otters. You are just a few miles from one of the once most polluted towns in the country.
When the trail ends, you will make a left onto Route 837. The traffic is very light and slow here as well as going across the bridge. After crossing the bridge and making a left, the traffic picks up a bit but just for a short distance.
The "trail" will tun to the left off of the "busy" road and take the back streets. Once you reach the Youghiogheny, the signs will want to take you across the bridge into McKeesport. Ignore the signs and just stay on Creek Road because you will only be crossing back again.
There is a new hostel on the other side of the river but I have never been there and not sure if I would want to stay there considering the high crime rate in Mckeesport. Instead I would stay at the Yough Shore Inn. The road to the Inn is a bit busy but not too bad and worth the ride. PM me for my real name and tell Lin I sent you. There is also camping in Dravo that is free.
An alternate would be to take the Montour to Library, PA then take the light rail into town where you can see the city which is well worth seeing. You would miss the awesome new section of trail and the section with all of the animals but I think that is a fair trade.
PM me. If I am around I can act as tour guide if I have the day off. That lower section of the trail can be a bit confusing.
The next place you will contend with roads is down past Library, PA much of that is roads but they are back roads with very little traffic. They just completed a new section there that bypasses much of the road and that section is absolutely beautiful.
The next danger part is crossing Route 51. When you come to the intersection of Oak Rd and Route 51, there is the old Wall Hotel on your right and a park on your left. Cross through the park, into the Dick Corp parking lot. Go to Route 51 and there will be a crosswalk right in front of you. The Montour Trail is directly across the street.
You will be on a bike path again for a while and it is unbelievable. If you look close you will see tons of turtles, cranes (and if you are lucky) river otters. You are just a few miles from one of the once most polluted towns in the country.
When the trail ends, you will make a left onto Route 837. The traffic is very light and slow here as well as going across the bridge. After crossing the bridge and making a left, the traffic picks up a bit but just for a short distance.
The "trail" will tun to the left off of the "busy" road and take the back streets. Once you reach the Youghiogheny, the signs will want to take you across the bridge into McKeesport. Ignore the signs and just stay on Creek Road because you will only be crossing back again.
There is a new hostel on the other side of the river but I have never been there and not sure if I would want to stay there considering the high crime rate in Mckeesport. Instead I would stay at the Yough Shore Inn. The road to the Inn is a bit busy but not too bad and worth the ride. PM me for my real name and tell Lin I sent you. There is also camping in Dravo that is free.
An alternate would be to take the Montour to Library, PA then take the light rail into town where you can see the city which is well worth seeing. You would miss the awesome new section of trail and the section with all of the animals but I think that is a fair trade.
PM me. If I am around I can act as tour guide if I have the day off. That lower section of the trail can be a bit confusing.
04-03-18, 10:06 AM
#3
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Riding it from airport?
The Montour is excellent in my opinion. There are very few places now where you will even touch a road. Most of that is right here in Robinson where you will be crossing roads. The most concerning is the road that goes up to the mall. You just need to be careful crossing the road there.
The next place you will contend with roads is down past Library, PA much of that is roads but they are back roads with very little traffic. They just completed a new section there that bypasses much of the road and that section is absolutely beautiful.
The next danger part is crossing Route 51. When you come to the intersection of Oak Rd and Route 51, there is the old Wall Hotel on your right and a park on your left. Cross through the park, into the Dick Corp parking lot. Go to Route 51 and there will be a crosswalk right in front of you. The Montour Trail is directly across the street.
You will be on a bike path again for a while and it is unbelievable. If you look close you will see tons of turtles, cranes (and if you are lucky) river otters. You are just a few miles from one of the once most polluted towns in the country.
When the trail ends, you will make a left onto Route 837. The traffic is very light and slow here as well as going across the bridge. After crossing the bridge and making a left, the traffic picks up a bit but just for a short distance.
The "trail" will tun to the left off of the "busy" road and take the back streets. Once you reach the Youghiogheny, the signs will want to take you across the bridge into McKeesport. Ignore the signs and just stay on Creek Road because you will only be crossing back again.
There is a new hostel on the other side of the river but I have never been there and not sure if I would want to stay there considering the high crime rate in Mckeesport. Instead I would stay at the Yough Shore Inn. The road to the Inn is a bit busy but not too bad and worth the ride. PM me for my real name and tell Lin I sent you. There is also camping in Dravo that is free.
An alternate would be to take the Montour to Library, PA then take the light rail into town where you can see the city which is well worth seeing. You would miss the awesome new section of trail and the section with all of the animals but I think that is a fair trade.
PM me. If I am around I can act as tour guide if I have the day off. That lower section of the trail can be a bit confusing.
The next place you will contend with roads is down past Library, PA much of that is roads but they are back roads with very little traffic. They just completed a new section there that bypasses much of the road and that section is absolutely beautiful.
The next danger part is crossing Route 51. When you come to the intersection of Oak Rd and Route 51, there is the old Wall Hotel on your right and a park on your left. Cross through the park, into the Dick Corp parking lot. Go to Route 51 and there will be a crosswalk right in front of you. The Montour Trail is directly across the street.
You will be on a bike path again for a while and it is unbelievable. If you look close you will see tons of turtles, cranes (and if you are lucky) river otters. You are just a few miles from one of the once most polluted towns in the country.
When the trail ends, you will make a left onto Route 837. The traffic is very light and slow here as well as going across the bridge. After crossing the bridge and making a left, the traffic picks up a bit but just for a short distance.
The "trail" will tun to the left off of the "busy" road and take the back streets. Once you reach the Youghiogheny, the signs will want to take you across the bridge into McKeesport. Ignore the signs and just stay on Creek Road because you will only be crossing back again.
There is a new hostel on the other side of the river but I have never been there and not sure if I would want to stay there considering the high crime rate in Mckeesport. Instead I would stay at the Yough Shore Inn. The road to the Inn is a bit busy but not too bad and worth the ride. PM me for my real name and tell Lin I sent you. There is also camping in Dravo that is free.
An alternate would be to take the Montour to Library, PA then take the light rail into town where you can see the city which is well worth seeing. You would miss the awesome new section of trail and the section with all of the animals but I think that is a fair trade.
PM me. If I am around I can act as tour guide if I have the day off. That lower section of the trail can be a bit confusing.
04-03-18, 10:37 AM
#4
Every day a winding road
There is a campsite at Boggs, in case you get in late. Campsite is just a few miles where you enter the main train. Be sure to bring water as there is no water on site. The camp site does have shelters.
P.S. I don't find the bicycle service on the CL limited at all. You just need to plan ahead. Where they can do better is improvements on the schedule of the train.
04-03-18, 04:13 PM
#5
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[QUOTE=spinnaker;20261316]The Montour is excellent in my opinion. There are very few places now where you will even touch a road. Most of that is right here in Robinson where you will be crossing roads. The most concerning is the road that goes up to the mall. You just need to be careful crossing the road there.
The next place you will contend with roads is down past Library, PA much of that is roads but they are back roads with very little traffic. They just completed a new section there that bypasses much of the road and that section is absolutely beautiful.
The next danger part is crossing Route 51. When you come to the intersection of Oak Rd and Route 51, there is the old Wall Hotel on your right and a park on your left. Cross through the park, into the Dick Corp parking lot. Go to Route 51 and there will be a crosswalk right in front of you. The Montour Trail is directly across the street.
You will be on a bike path again for a while and it is unbelievable. If you look close you will see tons of turtles, cranes (and if you are lucky) river otters. You are just a few miles from one of the once most polluted towns in the country.
When the trail ends, you will make a left onto Route 837. The traffic is very light and slow here as well as going across the bridge. After crossing the bridge and making a left, the traffic picks up a bit but just for a short distance.
The "trail" will tun to the left off of the "busy" road and take the back streets. Once you reach the Youghiogheny, the signs will want to take you across the bridge into McKeesport. Ignore the signs and just stay on Creek Road because you will only be crossing back again.
There is a new hostel on the other side of the river but I have never been there and not sure if I would want to stay there considering the high crime rate in Mckeesport. Instead I would stay at the Yough Shore Inn. The road to the Inn is a bit busy but not too bad and worth the ride. PM me for my real name and tell Lin I sent you. There is also camping in Dravo that is free.
An alternate would be to take the Montour to Library, PA then take the light rail into town where you can see the city which is well worth seeing. You would miss the awesome new section of trail and the section with all of the animals but I think that is a fair trade.
PM me. If I am around I can act as tour guide if I have the day off. That lower section of the trail can be a bit confusing.[/QUOTE
Thank you for the information. I lived in Pittsburgh when I was a sprout my sister was born there in 1970. I’m not sure as of right now if I will make it this summer but I’m trying to get the time. The road sections don’t seem so bad no worse than rural gravel roads here with the rattlesnakes, cactus, skunks, gravel trucks and drunks
I will PM you if I do make it to Pa. The Montour looks as you said beautiful as the GAP trail.
The next place you will contend with roads is down past Library, PA much of that is roads but they are back roads with very little traffic. They just completed a new section there that bypasses much of the road and that section is absolutely beautiful.
The next danger part is crossing Route 51. When you come to the intersection of Oak Rd and Route 51, there is the old Wall Hotel on your right and a park on your left. Cross through the park, into the Dick Corp parking lot. Go to Route 51 and there will be a crosswalk right in front of you. The Montour Trail is directly across the street.
You will be on a bike path again for a while and it is unbelievable. If you look close you will see tons of turtles, cranes (and if you are lucky) river otters. You are just a few miles from one of the once most polluted towns in the country.
When the trail ends, you will make a left onto Route 837. The traffic is very light and slow here as well as going across the bridge. After crossing the bridge and making a left, the traffic picks up a bit but just for a short distance.
The "trail" will tun to the left off of the "busy" road and take the back streets. Once you reach the Youghiogheny, the signs will want to take you across the bridge into McKeesport. Ignore the signs and just stay on Creek Road because you will only be crossing back again.
There is a new hostel on the other side of the river but I have never been there and not sure if I would want to stay there considering the high crime rate in Mckeesport. Instead I would stay at the Yough Shore Inn. The road to the Inn is a bit busy but not too bad and worth the ride. PM me for my real name and tell Lin I sent you. There is also camping in Dravo that is free.
An alternate would be to take the Montour to Library, PA then take the light rail into town where you can see the city which is well worth seeing. You would miss the awesome new section of trail and the section with all of the animals but I think that is a fair trade.
PM me. If I am around I can act as tour guide if I have the day off. That lower section of the trail can be a bit confusing.[/QUOTE
Thank you for the information. I lived in Pittsburgh when I was a sprout my sister was born there in 1970. I’m not sure as of right now if I will make it this summer but I’m trying to get the time. The road sections don’t seem so bad no worse than rural gravel roads here with the rattlesnakes, cactus, skunks, gravel trucks and drunks
I will PM you if I do make it to Pa. The Montour looks as you said beautiful as the GAP trail.
04-03-18, 06:00 PM
#6
Every day a winding road
Pittsburgh has changed a lot since 1970. 
Yeah except for crossing Route 51, there is nothing to worry about especially if you take the detour across the grass in the park.
And I agree that the Montour is every bit as nice as the GAP.
Yeah except for crossing Route 51, there is nothing to worry about especially if you take the detour across the grass in the park.
And I agree that the Montour is every bit as nice as the GAP.
04-06-18, 12:49 AM
#7
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I spent a night in the McKeesport Hostel last summer. The people running it are very friendly, helpful and love to have visitors. I found the hostel was completely equipped with everything you'd need. Regarding the crime in McKeesport they told me several things: don't go up into town; staying down near the shelter, in the park, by the marina and on the (GAP) trail would be okay/safe. There is a restaurant right down the bike path from the hostel, across from the Marina that is good, safe to get to and open most (but not all the time). And lastly they said, especially for the night and sleeping, lock the door, keep the windows shut (it is air-conditioned) and don't go outside. (Basically no one will know/don't let anyone know you're in there.) I'd stay there again and I felt safe there, but I'd follow their suggestions.
