Frequently Asked Questions
General Information:
The Three Rivers Heritage Trail is a multi-use riverfront trail system in Allegheny County, currently spanning 35 miles with more miles of trail in development. The trail has segments on both banks of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers, with access to city of Pittsburgh neighborhoods, river town business districts, and local attractions. The trail promotes a healthy lifestyle, is popular for recreation, and provides a safe route for non-motorized transportation.
The Three Rivers Water Trail comprises a series of non-motorized boat launches along the Allegheny, Ohio, Monongahela, and Youghiogheny Rivers. Users can launch kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, and other non-motorized boats. All of these launches are available for public use, free, and require no prior registration unless otherwise regulated by the PA Fish & Boat Commission. Launches can be identified by red paddle signs seen from both the launch and river. Most boat launches include a boat rack and interpretive signage.
They are two distinct trails, but the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and the Three Rivers Heritage Trail (TRHT) overlap where the TRHT hosts the GAP. That segment runs from the Point through the City of Pittsburgh (South Side, Eliza Furnace) to Baldwin, where the Three Rivers Heritage Trail ends and the GAP continues. The GAP runs from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, where it connects to the C&O Canal Towpath to Washington D.C. You can find information about the GAP Trail here.
Friends of the Riverfront works to develop, maintain, conduct events on, and advocate for the Three Rivers Heritage Trail and Three Rivers Water Trail.
Unlike many other trail organizations, Friends directly builds the trail by working with municipalities, engineering and construction firms and applying for grants to ensure trails get built. Since 1991, Friends has built 35 miles of trail with 35 more in development. Friends also directs a large volunteer program in order to maintain the trail year-round and work with the City of Pittsburgh and municipalities when major repairs or improvements are needed.
We advocate for expanding the trails with community leaders and elected officials, and hold a wide variety of educational and recreational events to bring people to the trail and rivers and develop people’s understanding and appreciation of them. Our programming includes Trail Development, Trail Stewardship, Trail Experience, and Communications & Development.
Visiting the Trail:
Trail Access points are marked by light blue location icons on our interactive map.
You can access the trail via our parking areas, marked with a “P.”
Places to park along the Trail are shown in our interactive map on our homepage, marked by the purple icon “P.” Most trailhead parking is limited to a few hours or during daytime only. Each of the free parking areas around the Three Rivers Heritage Trail have different parking regulations determined by the city or municipality. The Eliza Furnace Trail head parking is one of the parking areas with fairly strict regulations compared to the others, where they only allow 3-hour parking. That parking lot is intended to be used for short recreation trips and not long-term parking. All of the free parking lots along the Trail that are managed by the City of Pittsburgh do not allow overnight parking.
Amenities such as public restrooms, water fountains, and fix-it stations are marked on our interactive map with a dark red icon, a dark blue icon, and an orange icon, respectively. However, the location, availability, and condition of these amenities are subject to change. We do our best to update the map with the most recent information, but there is no guarantee of its 100% accuracy. Portable bathrooms are owned and maintained by the municipality they are in and issues with bathrooms should be directed to 311. Concerns about trail amenities can be directed to friends@friendsoftheriverfront.org.
Trail Use:
1.) Stay right, pass on the left. 2.) 15-mph speed limit. 3.) No littering. 4.) Place pets on leash. 5.) Follow all traffic laws. 6.) Clean up after your dog. 7.) Respect others and share the Trail. 8.) Trail is open from dawn to dusk.
We also ask all trail users to be mindful that the trail is for all – that means you may encounter small children, people walking or rollerblading, volunteers working, and people with physical disabilities using the trail. Slow down and keep everyone safe.
Scooters and e-bikes are permitted on the Trail, but must abide by all Trail Rules, including the 15-mph speed limit.
POGOH stations are located at various points along the trail and are marked on our TRHT map. There are bike rentals also available at Golden Triangle Bikes downtown.
Venture Outdoors (Kayak Pittsburgh): Downtown, Sharpsburg
3 Rivers Outdoor Co.: Allegheny RiverTrail Park
10.7 Marina: Verona
More boat outfitters and rentals can be found here.
The Color Park is Pittsburgh’s only legal graffiti park and is located along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail in South Side. The land on which Color Park is located is owned by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, known as the URA. Friends of the Riverfront has an agreement with the City of Pittsburgh that allows our organization to help maintain Color Park. Maintaining the Three Rivers Heritage Trail and the Three Rivers Water Trail is what we do, and so Color Park falls under our mission to maintain these trails.
We have a whole page dedicated to the Color Park, it’s history, archives of art, and more. We invite you to take a look!
Maintenance:
The Three Rivers Heritage Trail crosses private and public property. Municipalities own most of the Trail and perform some regular routine and capital maintenance, including mowing, trash collection, tree pruning, riverbank stabilization, and amenity and surface repairs. Private property owners are responsible for maintaining segments on their property in a similar fashion. Friends works closely with both public and private property owners to keep the system safe, accessible, and clean.
In addition to property owners, trail maintenance is advanced through volunteer service. Friends of the Riverfront hosts 1000+ volunteers each year through weekly public and private opportunities, as well as our Trail Stewards cohort. Participants collect litter, cut back vegetation, plant and care for trees and native plants, and work on beautification projects. For more information on how to volunteer, please visit our Volunteer page.
If there is a trail hazard that presents an immediate danger, please call 911. If the hazard does not present an immediate danger and you are in the City of Pittsburgh, please call 311, tweet @Pgh311, or submit a request through the MyBurgh App. You can also report issues by emailing trailstewardship@friendsoftheriverfront.org, including trail issues that are outside the City of Pittsburgh.
Friends of the Riverfront posts alerts in several places, including on our interactive online map (yellow icon with an exclamation mark), on our website under Trail Alerts, as well as our social media platforms: Facebook and Instagram.
Unhoused encampments on the Trail are a recent and serious concern. We strive to keep the trail a safe and welcoming place for all users to enjoy. Please take a look at our resource page here, and we encourage you to take what action you can and stay in touch with us.
Trail Development:
All of our current and ongoing trail projects can be found on our Trail Projects page. You can also submit questions and feedback through a link on that page. These submissions are directed to our Trail Development team.
Donations and membership help support all areas of our work and directly fund all three of our programs, including trail development projects.
Attending our public meetings, sharing our projects, and advocating for our work in communities helps us spread word and garner support for our projects. We also plan to launch an Advocacy Program as a part of our trail development work – so keep an eye out for that here!
Volunteering helps us continue our mission of keeping the Three Rivers Heritage Trail system maintained and safe for all users.
Friends of the Riverfront works with a diverse group of partners to further develop the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. Each partner brings unique perspectives and expertise to projects. Partners include:
- The City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and Municipalities – Without the support of local governments, these projects are not possible. They assist in garnering resident support, supporting fundraising and helping w trail maintenance.
- Non-profits – Organizations such as Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Erie to Pittsburgh Trail Alliance, Rails to Trails Conservancy, GAP Conservancy, Riverlife and Bike Pgh provide technical, fundraising, and advocacy assistance.
- Community Orgs – Community and economic development groups and local bike/ped groups are essential for community input. They provide perspective to ensure the work we do reflects the local community. These include groups such as South Side Community Council, Millvale CDC, and Hazelwood Initiative.
Friends of the Riverfront, like many nonprofits, receives funding from granting foundations, individual and corporate donations, and funding from state, regional and county agencies. As a 501c3, our financial information is public and can be seen here.
Although there are many important connections to be made within the TRHT system, our capabilities are sometimes limited in what we can do. To begin the trail development process, we need support and interest from the community in which the trail will be. This entails both municipality leadership and the general public. Right-of-ways and land ownership can also be a potential challenge and may decide which projects can and should be pursued. Development projects happen in phases: such as Feasibility, Planning, Design & Engineering, Construction – and each of these phases can take years to complete. It also can take time to secure funding for each project, and this is usually done in partnership with municipalities and communities.
Events on the Trail:
Friends can assist with trail information and recommendations. For the most part, smaller trail events do not require permitting from the City of Pittsburgh, unless there is a plan to close a portion of the Trail to the general public or host a large event. Events being planned at parks along the trail, such as Millvale Riverfront Park, may require permitting and inquires should be directed towards the municipality that operates that park.
We share them on our events page as well as our own and partner events happening on the Trail on our social media pages. We also share about upcoming events in our monthly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.
