Alerts
Warning: The spotted lanternfly has invaded our area. This invasive insect could cause serious harm to Pennsylvania’s resources, businesses, and economy. LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAVE! Help us stop the spread of these unwelcome hitchhikers. Inspect your vehicle, camper, tent, gear, etc. before you leave the park and destroy any lanternflies you find. For more information, visit the
Penn State Extension’s Spotted Lanternfly website. |
Point State Park
Point State Park, located at the confluence of three rivers, is at the tip of Pittsburgh’s “Golden Triangle.”
The park commemorates and preserves the strategic and historic heritage of the area during the French and Indian War (1754-1763).
Point State Park is a National Historic Landmark.
DCNR works in collaboration with the Heinz History Center and the Fort Pitt Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution to interpret the history of the Forks of the Ohio.
Seasons and Hours
The park is open every day of the year, sunrise to sunset. Day use areas close at dusk.
The park office is open specific hours. Contact the park office for facility seasons and hours.
Directions
The 36-acre park is located at 601 Commonwealth Place.
From the east, take I-376 west to the Stanwix Street Exit. Turn left at the light onto Fort Pitt Boulevard and bear right onto Commonwealth Place.
From the south and west, take I-376 East across the Fort Pitt Bridge. Keep in the center lane to take Exit 70A, the Boulevard of the Allies. Follow signs for Boulevard of Allies. Turn right onto Commonwealth Place.
From the north, take I-279 South across the Fort Duquesne Bridge. Take the I-376 East Exit then take the Stanwix Street Exit on the left. Make a left at the light onto Fort Pitt Boulevard and bear right at the Y onto Commonwealth Place.
Parking
The park’s parking lot is located along Commonwealth Place (across from the Post Gazette building) and is operated by Boulos Parking Inc.
The lot is open from 6:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. daily for a fee.
To get to the park, visitors should walk out of the parking lot entrance, turn left, and follow the sidewalk to the main entrance of the park (located across from the Wyndham Hotel).
There is some limited metered parking along Commonwealth Place near the park entrance as well as a pull-in visitor drop off area.
Several parking lots and garages are located within walking distance of the park. For the locations and the parking rates, contact the
Pittsburgh Parking Authority.
Call ahead, reserved parking is available for the Parking Authority garages and lots Monday through Friday, from 10:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M.
Visitors must contact the
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership at 412-566-4190 at least 24 hours in advance. There is no fee for the service; however, parking rates still apply.
Public Transit
Visitors may wish to use public transportation to get to the park.
The T light rail system (subway) is free to ride in the Golden Triangle and the North Shore.
Buses are no longer free to ride within the Golden Triangle. More information about bus service and the T is available from the
Port Authority of Allegheny County.
GPS Decimal Degrees: Lat. 40.4417 Long. -80.00719
Special Event Guidelines for Point State Park
As a National Historic Landmark, significant natural asset, and a regional symbol, additional guidelines have been adopted to protect the park’s archeological, historic, and natural resources during special events.
For organizations interested in applying to host an event at Point State Park, contact the
Point State Park office via email or call 412-565-2850.
The
Point State Park Special Event Guidelines (PDF) provide additional information about holding special events at Point State Park.
Learn, Experience, Connect
Point State Park offers a variety of environmental education and recreation programs.
Through these programs, participants gain appreciation, understanding, and a sense of stewardship toward natural and cultural resources.
Programs are offered year round. Programs for student groups are available.
Historical Information
Monuments, plaques, and markers throughout the park commemorate events and people of historic importance at the Forks of the Ohio.
The location of Fort Duquesne is marked by a granite tracery (outline) within the Great Lawn.
The center of the tracery contains a bronze medallion depicting the fort.
The locations of four of the five bastions, projecting parts of the fortification, of Fort Pitt have been delineated.
The Flag Bastion and the Monongahela Bastion have been reconstructed of brick.
The Flag Bastion overlooks the Monongahela River and the parking lot. The Fort Pitt Museum is housed in the Monongahela Bastion.
Both the Music Bastion, located in the city-side lawn area, and the Ohio Bastion, located in the plaza across from the museum and block house, are marked by granite traceries.
The traceries of both Fort Duquesne and Fort Pitt are lit by LED lights for a spectacular view from above at night.
The original location of the river’s edge during the mid-1700s is depicted by a granite tracery within the Great Lawn.
Fort Pitt Museum
The Fort Pitt Museum is a two-floor, 12,000-square-foot museum that tells the story of western Pennsylvania’s pivotal role during the:
- French and Indian War
- American Revolution
- Birth of Pittsburgh
Built on the footprint of the original Fort Pitt’s Monongahela Bastion, the museum’s façade allows visitors to sense the enormous size of what was, at that time, the second largest fort in North America.
Through interactive exhibitions, life-like historical figures, and numerous artifacts, visitors can learn about the important role the region played in shaping the United States.
Operated by the
Senator John Heinz History Center, the museum is open to the public daily from 10:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M.
Special programs and group tours are available throughout the year. Please contact the museum to inquire about programs or tours at 412-281-9284.
GPS Decimal Degrees: Lat. 40.44097 Long. -80.0094
Fort Pitt Blockhouse
The Fort Pitt Block House was built in 1764 as a small defensive redoubt and is the only surviving structure of Fort Pitt -- a key British fortification during the French and Indian War, which also served as the western headquarters of the Continental Army during the American Revolution.
The Block House was originally constructed to help defend Fort Pitt from American Indian attacks during the mid-18th century.
After the British abandoned the fort in 1772, the Block House turned into a trading post for a number of years.
By 1785, the building was converted into a single-family dwelling. During the 19th century, it became a multi-family tenement with a family living on the second floor.
In 1894, the Block House was gifted to the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution by the structure’s owner, Mary Croghan Schenley.
The chapter embarked upon a 16-month restoration, which primarily involved the in-filling of window and door openings cut into the Block House during its century-long use as a residence.
The Block House is still owned and operated by the Fort Pitt Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
It has remained free and open to the public since 1895.
The structure is the oldest architectural landmark in Pittsburgh, and it is also the nation’s only authenticated pre-Revolutionary War structure west of the Allegheny Mountains.
Much of its architectural fabric is intact, including the stone foundation, bricks, and timber elements that are largely original to its 1764 construction.
For hours of operation, call 412-471-1764.
GPS Decimal Degrees: Lat. 40.44115 Long. -80.0097
Access for People with Disabilities
This activity or structure is ADA accessible. The main park entrance, walkways, restrooms, and drinking water fountains are ADA accessible.
If you need an accommodation to participate in park activities due to a disability, please contact the park you plan to visit.
In an Emergency
Call 911 and contact an employee.
Directions to the nearest hospital are posted on bulletin boards and at the park office.
Nearest Hospital
UPMC Mercy
1400 Locust Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412-232-8111