Three Rivers Heritage Trail System

The Three Rivers Heritage Trail system evolved from five separate trails and today comprises nine different sections. Four of these, the North Shore Trail, the South Side Trail, the Eliza Furnace Trail and the Pittsburgh Riverwalk, are all riverfront trails along the three rivers that form Pittsburgh's famous point.

The oldest of these, Eliza Furnace Trail, has a history smelted from the city's largest steel mills of the past; today you are treated to an extensive array of museum-quality interpretive signage that lend a sense of history and place within the Pittsburgh region.

The Hot Metal Bridge, which once carried iron by rail from the Eliza furnaces to Pittsburgh's south side to produce finished steel, has been converted to a pedestrian connection that crosses the Monongahela River and connects the Eliza Furnace Trail to the South Side and Steel Valley trails.

Five miles of the trail system are included in the Great Allegheny Passage, which spans more than 140 miles and two states. This segment is part of the North Shore Trail that runs along the Ohio River from Westhall Street, past the stadiums, and to the confluence of the three rivers. You can continue uninterrupted upstream along the Allegheny River and beyond to Millvale Riverfront Park. The route provides an urban outdoor experience with vistas up and down the rivers, views of the development on the North Side, a connection to downtown Pittsburgh, and close-ups of the contrast between old industry and new.