You can start at the Waterfront shopping mall; the trail is continuous from there. You will find a Courtyard Marriott at the western end. This map (posted in an adjacent thread) should have all the info you need.
2011-08-18 15:38:53
7
Starting Point and Directions for GAP Trail
I plan to ride the GAP trail through to DC starting in Pittsburgh. The official web site is a bit confusing about where the trail actually starts, and I don't know Pittsburgh well. Can someone recommend the best place to start and give me directions? I will likely stay in a hotel the night before and ride to the trail head. Thanks.
2011-08-18 15:08:51
If you stayed at the Waterfront, the evening before you could easily do a ride without bags to the Point and back. Throw a note up on here and maybe somebody would be able to escort you on a little tour. If you don't know Pittsburgh well, you should 
2011-08-18 16:24:06
Thanks a lot for the information and the invitation. I will definitely take you up on it.
2011-08-18 16:37:23
There was a thread on this a couple of months ago, but I cant' find it.
BUT If you let us know when you plan to ride to the trail, someone from here would most likely be available to accompany you.
General routes from downtown ([...] = connecting details neglected. Distances guessed):
1) Jail trail (3 mi) -> [...] UP and UP some more! Greenfield Ave (1.5 mi) -> L on Hazelwood (100 yds -> R DOWN Brown Hill (1.5 mi) -> [...] connect to trail.
And
2) Jail trail (3 mi) -> [...] 2nd Ave/Irvine (1.3 mi) -> Glenwood Bridge -> [...] Seriously confused intersection [...] -> Trespass through Sandcastle OR Danger on 837 (.7 mi) -> [...] Trail.
#2 is shorter and mostly flat.
Mick
2011-08-18 16:59:38
This was posted on another thread earlier today. Should help this out of towner a little....
The Steel Valley Trail (an element of the Great Allegheny Passage) runs from Homestead (Waterfront Mall) down to McKeesport (where the GAP picks up the Yough River....), and shows up fine on Google if you turn on the bike layer.
The Waterfront trail (i.e. the portion of the Steel Valley Trail that runs through the Waterfront) is connected to the rest of that trail by a sidewalk. It's not all showing up in bike mode at the moment, though you can see it on the normal map layer or aerial view. It runs from this spot just west of Mitchell's Fish Market to this spot near the Pump House. From there, take the sidewalk past the Pump House to reach the trail down to McKeesport.
2011-08-18 17:57:21
Here's the thread Sara mentioned. That version has map links on phrases like "this spot", while the one above only has the text, which could be a little confusing.
2011-08-18 21:30:54