BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

You can go north then come south, or go south

then go north, but it sucks going due east (376 and

monroville etc)

I would go.

Greensburg pike or Ardmore Blvd to get to turtle

creek/electric ave.

Airbrake ave through wall.

Left on 48 across tracks

Right on 130 into trafford

Follow 130 until Murraysville Rd.

Under turnpike.

Up/Down to 22.

Cross it and take Sardis/vincent hall

Right on Mamont

Right on 286 (saltsburg rd)

IT IS A LOT BUSIER

but you could take East liberty blvd

to frankstown

to lincoln ave

to Verona Rd

to saltsburg and take that straight out.

Its real busy though, but in the AM on a weekend

might be tolerable.

I think you are looking more at 30 miles each way

I love swimming in lakes.

Once I took a car out to Beaver Run Reservoir to swim there. I spent two or three hours searching for a place to stealth swim. There wasn't one.

It might be easier on a bike - the main impediment with a car was that anyplace near the Reservoir has huge "NO PARKING" signs or is obviously private.

It might be that they do not allow any swimming in it. They are sometimes strict about that for Reservoirs.

Raccoon Park, to the west, has a OK swimming area. You can get to Raccoon by taking the Oscar Swan ride Potato Garden Run to the intersection of Bocktown Cork Rd and Backbone Rd and going west on Backbone (never been on it, but I can guess from the name...).

I think Raccoon is closer than Beaver Run.

Crooked Creek Lake is north of Beaver run on SR 66 ("get your kicks...")> It has good swimming and the park rangers are incredibly cool about people in the swimming area after the official hours.

There are Swan rides to Ford City and the area that could work. It's about 55 miles from the city, though.

I've thought about doing it as an overnight/3-day camping trip.

Maybe the best is to go up the Yough trail a ways and go swimming in the river.

I'm not sure where would be safe. I'm pretty sure in McKeesport it is a bit polluted for swimming - I might be wrong, though.

It might be OK at the Dravo Cemetary camp site. (22 miles from Oakland)

With a river like the Yough, you have to be careful of current. Different places might or might not be safe depending on the season.

Morain State park has a really nice lake, but that is maybe 70 miles each way. I don't know how to get there by bike.

There was some swimming hole near Perryopolis called "blue hole." It's a quarter mile or so from the nearest road. Other than "near Perryopolis" I don't know where it is. Last I was there, it was filled with underage drinkers.

I love swimming in open water. When I rent a car and do a road trip I often swim in lakes. I have not found a place I can ride to and swim.

Please let us know how it works out.

Mick

I have been trying to find someone willing to swim off Herr's Island with me. It's 0.8 miles long in the inlet btwn the Island and the Millvale side of the trail. I was just going to jump off the crew docks and go for it. So that would be a short bike ride...

Has anyone ever swum from here? Does this seem like a stupid idea? When I ask other swimmers, they mostly think it's stupid, but I don't trust a pool swimmer's opinion about open water swimming.

It is a stupid idea.

I'm up for it.

Mick

Swimming in the river is dangerous Sarah.Why don't you try for a lake instead??

Swimming in the rivers can be perfectly safe; if you are concerned about water quality, you can look at the Allegheny Health Department's page for daily assessments of river water quality:

http://www.achd.net/

"A daily river water quality report issued during the recreational boating season, May 15 through September 30, to indicate whether a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) alert has been declared."

From a medical perspective, do not swim with open wounds or if you are immunocompromised.

Sarah, any time you want to go swimming in the river, just let me know. There are plenty of islands to explore and boat traffic after the holiday is quite low.

I've swam in the river before -- it's not bad. The inlet I am talking about is protected from boats (btwn Herr's Island and the mainland), so I am not worried about getting run over there. I am not sure how the crew people feel about people leaping in off their dock? I've only swum off a boat or in a race in the river here, which is different from just jumping in and going for it. That's my main concern.

Often I swim in Lake Arthur at Moraine State Park. It's very nice there. You aren't "technically" supposed to swim outside the little swim area, but ...

Sarah

I grew up swimming in the St Lawrence. I only ever got sick once. Well, once and then again had repercussions off an on for six months. Course, the St Lawrence is a lot bigger than the Allegheny, and I was a lot farther away from any MAJOR sources of industrial pollution or sewage disposal.

@xjahx. Thanks for that link. I wondered about how safe the rivers here are.

From the ACHD site:

"Since River Water Advisories were introduced in 1995, 11 alerts on average, have been declared in duration from a single day to 45 days. An average alert lasts about seven days. "

At first I thought they meant 11 advisories have been called since 1995 (which would be really clean.)

No.

They mean advisories 77 days during the 138 day boating season every year - or more than half.

I guess it is important to check the site.

I wonder how to get data for specific places. The Allegheny is probably clean times when the Mon is not and vice versa. Probably one is generally cleaner than the other. The Yough would also be different.

Any ideas as to hwo to get that information?

@Sarah. Lake Arthur is funny like that. The lake seems wonderfully clean EXCEPT for the postage-stamp-sized "swimming area" filled with peeing kids and muddy water. Many other state parks seem similar.

Sarah, do you want to get a bike/swim field trip together?

Mick

Slightly OT, but this screams "Pittsburgh Urban Triathalon" opportunity, if combined with the stair-climb ride concept.

"Welcome to 'Yinz Should Tri It'! Ride your bike up a series of 20%+ graded brick streets, then hike 2000' vertical feet of broken, weed-encrusted steps, and wrap it up with a quick swim around an island formerly used for industrial waste and slaughterhouse offal."

There are signs posted at the three rivers rowing(and typically most other public docks) that say no swimming. I routinely swim in the allegheny river (and any other water I can find!)and have never been ill from it. In fact all summer my 2 sons (ages 5 and 3) kayaked and swam with me plenty of times with no ill effects. The biggest time to be careful is after big rainfalls, that is when the current picks up, alcosan outlets overflow and debris of all kinds comes down the river.

The Allegheny Islands state park in harmar has a rope swing on it which we visit a lot, but unfortunately you would need a boat or swim a few hundred yards to get to it. There are also ice piers across the river from springdale at the botom of coxcomb hill that you can jump off (they are about 30 or so feet high), not really a leisurely beach place to hang out, but a fun place to spend an afternoon.

There is a rope swing in the channel beside Herr's Island, I've never given it a go... I think there's a sign there that says "Mt. Yinzmore" or something like that.

The rope swing is under the short bridge to Herr's Island next to the 31st St. Bridge. It's pretty fun.

Mick, I have not been able to find through the ACHD specific information about river X vs. river Y on a daily basis. In general, for industrial pollution, the Mon is still much more active for steel mills and coal mines. The Allegheny does see a lot of barge traffic, but that is for taking coal from the Mon up to the electric plant near Kensington.

As for the daily warnings, we avoid swimming for a few days after large storms altogether. If you read the fine print, the warning is not for 0 swimming just to minimize contact and to avoid completely if you are immunocompromised or have open wounds.

We have been wakeboarding for the past 3 years on the Allegheny (maybe 30 times per season) without a single problem.

I work on herr's island and see folks on that rope swing pretty often. Theres a pretty nice platform that someone built for jumping off of also. I fish down there alot too. I dont think anyone would give you a hard time for swimming in that area.

So do you think it would be better to get in the river from the Millvale side of the 31st bridge -- Mt Yinzmore? It's not the water but the glass and debris getting in/out that worries me. That's why I wanted to go in off the dock.

The Mon here is nasty. I swim in the Mon in Morgantown fairly often though with a bunch of other crazy triathletes.

I'll swim with anyone pretty much any time. But I should warn you that when I swim I swim, like for a mile or two (or three... four...).

I've often wondered if I couldn't just run in down the kayak pittsburgh ramp?

Im pretty sure the area with the rope swing and platform under that ramp that comes off the 31st street is easy to access from the bike trail and seems pretty clean of glass and junk. I watched a family there a few weeks ago with little kids hanging out. They where swinging on the rope and didnt seem to have any trouble climbing up on the platform. If I get out of the house early enough tomarrow I will take a closer look at the area and let you know if theres alot of glass or not.

sweet! Thanks. For my non-biking swimming friend, is there a place to park over there? I've only biked/run there before.

There is parking for trail access along the side of river ave in the grass and side of the road, but most of those spots are not as far as the rope swing so you would have to walk a little bit. You could also park on the island in the marina/red fin blues parking lot. From there walk past the front door of the restaurant and the trail from there to the end of the island and cross the bridge that goes over the inlet to the main trail. Once on the main trail your only a hundred yards or so down from the rope swing. This way would be a little farther to walk but your car will be in a safe place too.

Well I checked it out and the rope swing and platforms are easy to get to and pretty clean considering where they are located. I didnt even see that much broken glass or garbage. There was a few guys there with their kids and they where telling me that mt yinzmore is a work in progress. Someone even made a facebook page for it.