The Heritage Trail at S 4th Street

I have no idea why it's not indicated on their system map, but there is a great deal of free parking at this trail entry point, so far from stores or businesses that nobody would want to park there except to walk or ride the trail.

More than half of it was empty today at about 1 pm.

Of course, it's cloudy and cool, today, and a week day.

That parking is indicated on the Bike Pittsburgh map.

[It's possible the Heritage Trail section on the Friends of the Riverfront site is no longer active.

I filled out the request form there for a paper system map to be mailed to my house and nothing ever happened.

I picked up a Bike Pittsburgh paper map at a bike shop near the South Hills Village mall.]

At this point the trail surface is blacktop, about a car lane in width, with nothing between it and the river but a berm dropping ten to twelve feet to the Monongahela, covered with trees and brush, but with an open view across the river to the city here and there.

There are frequent benches along the trail, though I did not see any picnic areas or tables, much less firepits or charcoal grills, and at one point between 4th and 10th streets I saw a chained down air pump and a bunch of tethered tools including screwdrivers and wrenches for bike repair.

Also along the trail there are occasional historical markers of the sort you see at parks and rest areas, about chest high easelboards with information of interest about the particular spot.

At the Heritage Trail website, they are referred to as "Interpretive signs".

One was completely spray-painted over to unreadability in an area of the trail with dotted-line Jersey barriers heavily defaced with that urban blight, spray can graffiti.

The others were less defaced, or not at all defaced but merely dirty.

There is some paper litter along the trail and I noticed four or five plastic bottles along the stretch, though there was at least one trash can - and it was not overflowing - along that stretch, too.

While I was walking toward tenth from fourth, a police car came slowly along the trail toward me.

I stood off onto the grass to let the car pass safely.

I suppose it might have been responding to a call, but it did nothing indicating urgency so it may also have been a regular police patrol.

If so, that's a good thing.

The trail is very isolated from traffic or even passers-by, and it might seem tempting to muggers.

All the same, the most threatening individual I saw was a raggedy looking and almost certainly homeless fellow.

I encountered several bike riders and as many people out for a walk.

Update, 05122018.

I biked the trail today from S 4th to S 18th street and back.

Half an hour.

Gorgeous, warm day with just the right breeze.