NFL Draft in Pittsburgh 4-23-26 - 4-25-26

The following was posted on the Great Allegheny Passage Facebook page:

Trail Alert: Restricted Access to Point State Park During NFL Draft

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is sharing information about temporary closures and access changes at Point State Park related to the 2026 NFL Draft Experience South.

To support event setup and ensure public safety and efficient operations, site preparation at Point State Park will begin on Monday, April 10, 2026. During this period, the sections of the Great Allegheny Passage and the Three Rivers Heritage Trail within the park, and public restroom facilities, are expected to remain open. Other areas of the park may be temporarily closed.

Beginning Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 2:00 pm, the Great Allegheny Passage Western Terminus, Fountain Plaza, City Side Lawn, Great Lawn, and public restrooms will be closed to public access as final event preparations take place.

From Thursday, April 23, 2026, through Saturday, April 25, 2026, all visitors must enter Point State Park during event hours through designated pedestrian entrances and follow established safety procedures. Information on entrance locations, restrictions, safety procedures, and hours of operation will be available through the NFL OnePass app. The recently-reconfigured connecting ramp carrying the Great Allegheny Passage between the Monongahela Wharf and Point State Park will be closed. No bicycles will be allowed into Point State Park at any entrance during this time.

Info: https://gaptrail.org/trail-alert/restricted-access-to-point-state-park-during-nfl-draft/

Cathy:

As a non-Facebook curmudgeon thanks for passing along that info although I’ll be hard pressed to remember all the dates and associated conditions.

Maybe I’ll just ride toward West Newton from Homestead during the month of April instead. :-)

There's a lot of people who don't use facebook and other social media, and they are probably happier than those of us who do use it. Knowing that I try to make the bikecando folks aware of things posted on the GAP facebook page. I also frequently direct people on the GAP and Katy Trail facebook pages to the bikecando and bikekatytrail websites.

During the NFL Draft I'll be pretending like there's 12 inches of snow and staying home. I think a lot of folks are planning to avoid being out and about. Traffic is bad enough around here without the extra 700,000 people they are predicting. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they'll be coming, enjoying this wonderful part of Pennsylvania, and spending money. I just don't want to be competing with them on the Parkway and other highways etc.

Interestingly, those estimated 700,000 visitors are more than twice the population of the City of Pittsburgh itself at just over 300,000.

Although I have not been able to speak to my neighbor about the Pumphouse parking lot, I can report that the lot was open yesterday

The neighbor says they unlocked the Pumphouse gates for the touring season with the exception for special events there.

Thanks Rivnuts. I did get out a couple of days ago and biked on the paved part of the trail. What is the surface condition of the unpaved parts of the trail? We'll probably get some more cold weather before May when most of the freezing/thawing will be done. But I'm wondering if for now unpaved trails are in good enough condition to bike on.

I've ridden toward Sutersville a few times in March, most recently last Sunday. The surface has been fine although I've avoided that section after hard rains. Given a couple of days thereafter to dry out, you should be fine riding beyond Boston.

I got to do a short ride today starting at Boston and heading east. The surface of the trail is great. There will be some cold weather between now and the end of April, but maybe there will not be enough freezing and thawing to turn the trail into the consistency of wet cement.

I had a refreshing ride today. A fun part of my day was driving home when a turkey flew across Hwy 130 about 3 miles from my home, and then maybe 1/2 mile later another turkey ran across the highway. What's the deal with these big old birds.