The 2025 Trail Ambassador season is officially underway—and this year, our Ambassadors are invited to try out a new role: Ambassador Correspondent!
Starting this season, Ambassadors can submit blog posts or article-style pieces for our website, newsletter, or social media—sharing fun or interesting stories about the Trail.
We’re kicking things off with the very first submission from John Clark! John is a returning Trail Ambassador who’s often out on the Trail volunteering his time. You might spot him biking in his green Ambassador vest, snapping beautiful photos, helping fellow Trail users, or submitting 311 reports to help improve the Trail experience.
We hope you enjoy this first feature—and we’re excited to share more insight, wit, and good vibes from our Trail Ambassadors throughout the season, right in your inbox, on social media, and on the website!
"Allegheny What?"
Lots of parks and some trails share the name “Allegheny” because of their location near the Allegheny River. But it can be confusing with so many similar names. Here’s a guide to help you keep it all straight. I’ve included a few that do not include “Allegheny” in their names, but have a relationship to the shores and could easily be confused with each other.
Allegheny River Trail
(River Trail is two words)
This one is a bit north of Pittsburgh, starts in Franklin, goes to Brandon.
Allegheny RiverTrail
(RiverTrail is one word with no spaces)
This is the one-mile trail in Aspinwall.
Allegheny RiverTrail Park
(RiverTrail is one word)
This is the trail park in Aspinwall and is also sometimes called Aspinwall Riverfront Park.
Allegheny Landing Park
This is the strip of land along the North Shore section of Three Rivers Heritage Trail between the Roberto Clemente and Andy Warhol Bridges.
Allegheny Commons Park
This is the large park on the North Side between North Ave and Ridge Ave.
Allegheny Islands State Park
This park is accessible only by boat, and the park consists of several islands in the Allegheny River near the crossing of the PA Turnpike in Harmar.
North Shore Riverfront Park
This park is the hilly patch of land along the Allegheny River between PNC and Acrisure, by Stage AE, with great views of the Point. It is a spot frequently used by TV reporters because of the background view.
Allegheny Riverfront Park
This park is on the Downtown side of the Allegheny River, between Stanwix and 9th Street on the edge of the Cultural District; it’s directly across from North Shore Riverfront Park.
Southside Riverfront Park
This park is not on the south shore of the Allegheny, but rather along the Monongahela River near the trail by South 18th Street, near where is passes under the Birmingham Bridge. There is also the South Side Dog Park nearby.
South Shore Riverfront Park
This park is also along the Monongahela near the trail, but further down by the Marina, in front of Hofbrauhaus. Although I’ve heard both parks called by these two interchangeable names (Southside or South Shore Riverfront Park.)
