As summer sadly starts to enter the last official month before the uncertainty of the new school year for many students it is a great time for a family road trip. Many things have changed for our area due to restrictions, and many of the normal August activities have either been postponed or cancelled leaving some people feeling a bit depressed. So for this adventure, I thought I would send you someplace you can have a sense of accomplishment. How about being able to climb the steepest officially recorded street in the United States? If you are like me, I always figured that our steepest streets were in San Francisco, California because they are always featured in movies and on TV. But in fact the steepest street in the US is actually to our south in Pittsburgh Pa. Canton Avenue is only 630 feet long but it boosts a whooping 37 percent grade for 21 feet of the street. The most commonly recognized steepest street in the world is in New Zealand and is 34 percent grade, however it is a longer stretch of roadway.
To find Canton Ave is easy enough with a quick google map search and there is no number necessary. There are only one or two places to pull off the side of Coast Avenue which intersects Canton Ave at the bottom of the hill. The street is one way and you are able to drive up it. I can tell you from experience that this is an exciting drive and worth doing once in your life. At the time I had a Jeep Commander which I have taken off road and over some pretty steep sand dunes, but nothing really prepared me for this hill. I started the climb and for the first time ever I felt the need to lean forward (like this would somehow keep my Jeep from tumbling backwards down the hill) it was a bit of a white knuckle experience for sure, but somewhat exhilarating at the same time. Once you reach the top and look down the gravity of just how steep the street is really sets in. From the top you can make a loop and come back down Coast Avenue to drive the hill again if you dare. What I ended up doing was parking and walking it for some great photo opportunities. Make sure you grab a picture of the sign at the bottom to prove you were there and maybe even get a selfie or two for your social media.
While you are in the Beechview neighborhood of Pittsburgh you may as well visit another local treasure that you might have to search for a little bit. Seldom Seen Greenway is exactly as the name suggests, it is seldom seen. It is a bit confusing to get to the parking lot and the best address is close to 930 Saw Mill Run Blvd Pittsburgh Pa. (don’t get discouraged I drove past the parking lot twice before I figured out how to enter it.) To help you spot the parking lot there is a rather large rounded building located near the entrance to the park.
Once you have parked head down the path towards the railroad tunnel and along the way check out the the creek with some pretty cool rock formations. As you enter the tunnel be sure to look up and admire some of the brick work. They sure do not make these tunnels like this anymore and the obvious pride in workmanship is nice to see especially in a tunnel that was just to cross a small stream. As you proceed you will find an old railway bridge that you can climb if you are careful for a birds eye view as well as a chance to admire some local graffiti artists. Some of these are showcasing some great artistic talent and may make for a great photo. The park itself is only about a 100 acres and there is a trail that you can walk. I stopped walking once the trail crossed the stream, but with the proper shoes you could continue on. I really have no idea where exactly it goes, but I am just guessing it does not loop but rather you walk the same trail back.
I guess this article is sort of my tribute to the year 2020, the uphill climb to normalcy and the seldom seen friends. I look forward to the days coming soon when I can once again wander without being lost.
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