StepTrek Gold/West Route 2026

1. Pittsburgh StepTrek 2026 – West Route - If joining from the West Route, begin at # 5 below.
2. S. 21st St. - Leave event registration and walk up S. 21st St. Keep to the right. You will enter South Side Park.
3. * South Side Park - Efforts continue to reclaim a 64 acre park that extends from Josephine St. below to the heights of the Slopes. In this wooded hillside are ball fields, ravines and streams. Volunteers have removed invasive knotweed and vines that choke the park. A number of marked trails within it provide great hiking opportunities. With funding from The Brashear Association, South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association (SSSNA) partnered with Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Landforce and the Student Conservation Association to create this neighborhood asset. Friends of South Side Park manages its ongoing work.
4. Serpentine Steps - At the end of the paved parking area, climb the 72 serpentine steps to Saber Way.
5. Saber Way - Make right and walk the short distance to S. 18th St.
6. S. 18th St. - Turn left and walk up S. 18th to St. Patrick St. Notice the measures taken to calm traffic for pedestrians and cyclists along this stretch.
7. St. Patrick St. - Use the raised walk to cross S. 18th here to St. Paul Steps.
8. St. Paul Steps - Ascend the 82 steps to St. Paul St.
9. St. Paul St. - Make left and continue along St. Paul past the brick wall that forms the boundary between the neighborhood and St. Paul of the Cross Monastery and Retreat Center. The monastery was founded in 1853. This section of the wall appears to be the original one that shielded the enclave from the world outside. Within the enclave is a garden that features the Stations of the Cross. Farther along St. Paul St. is the orange brick building of the St. Paul of the Cross Retreat Center, which is available for individual retreats. Continue to Monastery Ave. and cross over to St. Martin St.
10. * St. Paul of the Cross Monastery - Though not part of this route, up to the right is the Monastery. In 1852, the first bishop of Pittsburgh invited over the Passionists, an Italian order known as the barefoot missionaries. The Passionists vowed to live a life of prayer, poverty, penance and solitude. Their first retreat in the New World was held here in 1855. Designed by the architect Charles Bartberger, the church was completed in 1859 in the midst of an 11-acre compound chosen for its serenity and seclusion. The architectural style is Romanesque. The interior rose window is a copy of one in Reims, Germany. The renovated chapel is exquisite and opens daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
11. St. Martin St. - Cross Monastery and walkup sidewalk to St. Thomas St.
12. St. Thomas St. & Steps - Make right, keep right and enjoy the view of the 10th Street Bridge, Mercy Hospital, Duquesne University, the Golden Triangle, the Point and North Side hills behind downtown. Descend the 78 steps to Monastery St. Look up Monastery for a glimpse of St. Paul of the Cross Monastery. These steps and sidewalk were rebuilt a few years ago as part of a project to replace a larger set of steps that ran the length of Monastery. When ready, cross Monastery and continue on St. Thomas to St. Joseph Way.
13. St. Joseph Way - Turn left and walk to St. Joseph Way Steps
14. St. Joseph Way Steps - Descend these 77 steps to Brosville St. Note that the last few houses have access via the steps only.
15. Brosville St. - On your left is the Brosville-Monastery Welcome Garden. When ready, cross to opposite side, make left, and walk up the right side of Brosville to Knoxville Incline Greenway.
16. * Brosville-Monastery Welcome Garden - Terraced into the hillside is this quiet green space. The fabricated canvas of COR-TEN steel plate was created by SSSNA board member and architect Peter Kreuthmeier and installed against a curved retaining wall. The scrim replicates a section of a Slopes neighborhood from a lot and block map. As part of an Elm Street project, a beautification initiative funded by the state, it was dedicated in 2007. It has garnered a number of awards for excellence and design. Continue up Brosville St.
17. Knoxville Incline Greenway - At the sign, make right to enter the Greenway. Dedicated in 2016, the Greenway honors the history of the Knoxville Incline. A trail, created in partnership with GTECH Strategies as part of its ReClaim South program, follows what was Fritz St. and leads to a bridge. Under the bridge is a deep ravine lined with large-stone retaining walls, through which the incline ran from 1890 to 1960. Over the years, SSSNA members have pulled several hundred tires from the ravine as part of an area clean up. SSSNA and Allentown CDC donated the trees planted at the entrance from Brosville St.
18. * Knoxville Incline - The Knoxville Incline began on Bradish St. in the South Side Flats. It followed the ravine going uphill to Fritz St. and Allentown. A deep trough carved into the ground permitted the incline to dock at street level. Later renamed the Pittsburgh Incline, it boarded horses, wagons, carts and passengers and was the last remaining of two city inclines to curve up the hill. The track extended 2,644 feet and was the longest incline in the city. During the Depression, it cost three cents to ride.
19. Knoxville Incline Greenway (cont’d) - Cross the bridge. Be careful as you walk the trail through the woods to Hartford St. Steps. It’s hard to believe you’re in the city!
20. Hartford St. Steps - Make left and climb 70 wooden steps to Hartford St.
21. Hartford St. - Take right. The homes are tucked in tight on this narrow street overlooking the rivers. Keep left and ascend 28 wooden steps. Afterwards, cross and take an additional 17 steps up the right side of Hartford. Continue to Arlington Ave.
22. Arlington Ave. - Turn right and descend along right sidewalk. The trolley tracks here are used as a bypass to the light rail tunnel that begins at Station Square. Continue past Behring St. to Lauer Way Steps located next to 801 Arlington.
23. Lauer Way Steps - Make right and descend 95 steps to Newton St.
24. Newton St. - Take right. Notice the beautiful views of South Side and downtown. That’s Cupples Stadium directly below. The city bought the few remaining houses along Newton and will close the street to vehicular traffic because of landslides. Walk Newton to its end, where a path leads through the woods to Owl Way Steps.
25. Owl Way Steps - Descend 128 steps to German Square & Fritz St.
26. * German Square - Named after the German families who settled on the hillside, the square features parallel sets of steps that climb into the Slopes.
27. Fritz St. - Turn right and walk 100 feet to S. 10th St. Steps & Pedestrian Bridge.
28. S. 10th St. Steps & Pedestrian Bridge - Make left and descend 49 steps to the pedestrian bridge built in 2002 over the railroad tracks. The trestle is made of the same COR-TEN steel as the U.S. Steel tower downtown and the curved canvas at the Brosville-Monastery Welcome garden. The brown rust serves as a protective coating over the steel frame. SSSNA successfully lobbied the city to rebuild this pedestrian bridge and another one over the Norfolk Southern railroad at S. 15th St. Together, they reinstated pedestrian access between the Slopes and Flats. Another SSSNA effort brought safety lighting to the two bridges. Stop mid-span and look right to view the spectacular St. Michael church on the hillside. Descend 47 steps to S. 10th and Freyburg streets. Welcome to the South Side Flats!
29. Freyburg St. - Make right and walk to S. 12th St. What's left of the Knoxville St. Incline can be seen in the stone blocks on the left side between 1111 Freyburg and 1117 Freyburg.
30. S. 12th St. - Be careful as you cross S. 12th to opposite side. Take right and walk one block to Breed St.
31. Breed St. - Take left and walk along this shady street of mostly brick houses to S. 15th St.
32. S. 15th St. - Turn right and continue up to S. 15th St. Pedestrian Bridge. On the left is the former Polska Szkola built in 1898. This Polish school reflected the strong Catholic and cultural identity of the Polish immigrant population in the South Side Flats, many of whom had arrived in the late 1800s seeking work in the steel industry.
33. S. 15th St. Pedestrian Bridge & Steps - Ascend these 59 steps to the pedestrian bridge. Once across, climb an additional 60 steps through the trees to S. 15th St.
34. S. 15th St. - Keep right and ascend the 26 steps along the former St. Michael Church to Pius St.
35. * St. Michael Church - The influence of the church was strong in the Slopes. St. Michael parish started in a house in 1848 where the church front now stands. Designed by Charles Bartberger, who also designed St. Paul of the Cross Monastery, the church was built between 1855 and 1860 on land donated by German immigrants. The surrounding land reminded them of the Rhine River valley. Though it has a gothic spire, the overall style is Rhineland Romanesque Revival similar to rural Bavarian churches. The church was closed through a consolidation of parishes and has been redeveloped into condominiums.
36. * Cholera Plague of 1849 - In 1849, a deadly cholera plague struck Pittsburgh. The parish could not find enough burial places for its deceased members. Parishioners prayed to St. Roch and vowed to keep a day holy if the plague would cease. It did. Another plague hit the South Side in 1853 but no members of St. Michael died. Cholera Day is observed each August in Prince of Peace Parish on the South Side, the successor to St. Michael Parish.
37. Pius St. - Make left. The brick complex on the right includes the Burning Bush, which once offered a retreat center for quiet meditation in overnight rooms.
38. * St. Michael’s Parish School - Just past the Burning Bush, at 44 Pius is the former St. Michael’s Madchen Schule and previous home of the Veronica’s Veil playhouse. The theater hosted a series of plays throughout the year but was most famous for its Passion play, Veronica’s Veil. Performed during Lent, it was said to be the longest running play in American community theater. These buildings were part of St. Michael’s Parish.
39. Pius St. Steps - On the right, beside 86 Pius St., are the Pius St. Steps. Make right and climb 21 steps to Gregory St.
40. Gregory St. - Turn left. Just after 30 Gregory are Yard Way Steps.
41. Yard Way Steps - Take right and climb 38 steps to Magdalene St. Most of the Yard Way steps date back to 1944 and number 314 in total. They are the longest set of stairs on this side of the Slopes. In addition to providing a fascinating tour of this hillside neighborhood, StepTrek encourages the city to make repairs to existing stairways for public access and safety.
42. Magdalene St. - Make left and walk to Oporto St. and Steps.
43. Oporto St. Steps - Cross Oporto and take left. Keep right to descend 26 steps to Gregory St. Continue down to Pius St.
44. Pius St. - Turn right and walk to S. 18th St.
45. S. 18th St. - Cross at light to opposite side. Then cross Mission St. to Mission St. Steps behind PRT bus stop.
46. Mission St. Steps - Descend 99 steps to S. 21st St. The bottom 15 steps were poured in 2025.
47. S. 21st St - Make right to return to StepTrek staging area. From here you can join the Black/East Route. Please see map and directions.