Monongahela Incline

I had some free time upon arriving in Pittsburgh and wanted to do some sightseeing. I picked the Monangahela Incline first. Parking at Station Square was easy. I then walked into Station Square and the little indoor shopping center area. It didn’t seem like there was much to see or do there. I went to the bottom of the incline and got in the car and rode it to the top. My advice is to sit as low in the car as possible to get the best view. The view of this incline is the Monangahela River and downtown Pittsburgh. When I got to the top, I purchased a round trip, ticket for $ 3.50. At the top there is a nice viewing platform about 25 yards away from the top building. About 50 yards from the viewing platform is an area of shops, restaurants and bars including a popular ice cream stand. This makes for a great diversion of killing some time while up here.
I recommend when coming up here to plan your trip to eat lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants here. The incline runs late at night and after dinner and/​or drinks the view at night would be very nice. If you can’t do a meal then get some ice cream like I did and enjoy.
I could have walked over to the Duquesne and rode that but round trip it would have been 2 miles and I didn’t bring the right shoes and it was a little warm that day.
I prefer riding the Duquesne slightly more due to its car construction which allows a great view from all of its seats. Also the small museum at the top of the Duquesne is neat too. However I prefer the dining, shopping and drink options at the top of the Monongahela better. My recommendation is to do both.
If you come to Pittsburgh this is a must do. It’s interesting to see that residents use this as a form of transportation.

Unlike the Duquesne Incline the Monangahela Incline doesn’t have a museum on inclines or anything like that attached to it. With that being said it is still worth a visit for the awesome side panorama view of the downtown skyline you get while ascending or descending this incline. The Monangahela Incline is located about a mile east of the Duquesne Incline so its pretty easy to visit both of them on the same day if you don’t mind about a 2 mile round trip of walking that offers some amazing views along the way. Just park at the bottom of the Duquesne Incline (really cheap parking there) and ride the Duquesne Incline up then walk about a mile east on Grandview Avenue to the Monangahela Incline while taking in the views. Ride the Monangahela Incline back down and head back west to your car. The main center of Station Square is right at the bottom of this incline so you can stop for a drink or to look at the shops there before heading back to your car. Just make sure you tell the person working at the Duquesne Incline that you want to buy a transfer ticket to ride the Monangahela Incline back down and you’re good to go.

The oldest and steepest operating incline in the United States. A blast to ride also! A great way to get up to the amazing views and restaurants of Mt. Washington from the south side of Pittsburgh.

Fun to step back into history on this one of a kind incline built in 1877.
Price is affordable just $ 2.50 each way but man was it hot. Very nice museum at the top and an excellent mode of transportation to get to the Altius restaurant overlooking Pittsburgh.

Very cool experience and hopefully I will be in Pittsburgh next year and get to try this again. Ticket prices are reasonable and allow for other rides, like the bus. The staff operating this unique experience are super friendly and helpful. Thanks guys! You made our trip up the hill and back memorable. You should be commended for a job well done and providing such great customer service. Thanks again, my wife and. Little Isabella loved it too.

I have been on the Monongahela Incline for two round-​trips. Sometimes I am lucky to get a front seat in the car so I get a better view of the city below. Other times I get a back seat that gives no view of the city below at all. Still, once you reach the top of the mountain, you can walk for about one mile along Grandview Avenue to see prettier views of the rivers and buildings. When I went for my round-​trip ride yesterday, the cost was $ 3.50 per person, and they request exact change. The cars are old so get hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

Cool, incline. Line was LONG but it moved. What I didn’t understand that there was no-​one working/​monitoring the bottom of the lift… so literally many people were squeezing onto the lift although the sing clearly stated 8 people to a car.
At the top, you paid, EXACT change only… which was fine…
At the top, when getting on the car to come back down, there were numerous employees, counting people and checking passess…

The view from the incline is awesome. If you are visiting Pittsburgh for the first time, like I was, I highly recommend taking the complete ride. I also recommend taking it right before sunset and hanging around at the top at the great restaurants until the lights in the city come on. Absolutely beautiful. A round trip ticket for adult is $ 3.50. Well worth it.

The inclines are one of the must-​visits in Pittsburgh. I’ve only been on the Monongahela Incline at night, when Pittsburgh is beautifully lit. This incline is also conveniently located next to a T station, so if you take public transportation, this incline might be easier to access than Duquesne.
The ride is great, and the view at the top is unbeatable, especially at night. There are also lots of shops at the top, including an ice cream place (Dilfiore’s).
Note: The incline is run by the Port Authority, so if you have a ConnectCard, you can use it here.

Open till late and the view of the city is more beautiful at night with all the lights

You sort of have to do this if you visit Pittsburgh, especially if you have a clear day. Just walk into the incline, which is just steps from the train. Then, like a creepy fair ride, it will just magically start going up at some point. As it makes its way up to Mt Washington you’ll have an absolutely fantastic view of downtown Pittsburgh.

It was AWESOME!!! The view when you get to the top is totally worth it! It’s $ 3.50 for round trip and I would bring exact change because they didn’t give us change when we didn’t have the exact amount. But it’s so freaking cool! A total must see because of how breathtaking the view is. And the total experience was just really sweet!

There was a little trouble getting the car (up lift) started, but eventually we were on are way. Beautiful view of the city… now going back down.
Follow up — we waited in line to return only to be told 20 min. later that the down lift was broken and it will take 1:30 to 1:40 for the repair truck and 1hr to 1:30hr for the buses or we could get a transfer to the other lift a mile away or walk back down which was not advised. so we’re having lunch at Micro Diner (more on that later) and wait for a bus.

Every time I bring people to Pittsburgh that have never been I must always take them here to the Monongahela incline. This one is convenient because it serves multiple purposes.
There’s meter parking in a lot on Shiloh so I can leave the car there, walk across the street if I want a hot dog and/​or beer and if kids are along there’s Diofore’s ice cream which isn’t the greatest but hey it’s ice cream. At the end of Shiloh there’s an observation pad with a great view of the city. From here you can see Heinz field, all of downtown Pittsburgh and directly below is Station Square.
The thing is you can take the incline down to Station Square and while it’s not really what it used to be back when I used to go here more often it still has some good places to have a drink or grab a bite. I you go to where the fountains are you can have a good view of the city and Mon river where there are several places with patios and such.
When you’re done you get to ride it back up again. I much prefer leaving the car up he hill.
The last time I checked it was 2.50 a trip.

LOVE the Mon Incline. It holds a special place because it was the first date for my fiancé & I. He is originally from Florida and I brought him here to show him the real city view — Mt Washington. I also take my niece on here often. She loves it. It’s only $ 2.25 (one way. $ 3.50 round trip) Anyone new to the city or if you have out-​of-​town family members visiting should take a ride on the incline.

A must visit on any trip to Pittsburgh. It is located just over the Smithsfield Street Bridge on the South Side of Pittsburgh. It costs $ 3.50 for a roundtrip ticket, which they claim requires EXACT CHANGE, but it doesn’t. If your amount of requested change is reasonable, they will have it.
The treck to the top: The train goes about 6 MPH, and I highly recommend sitting in the lowest level against the window. This will give you the best view as you ascend or descend. At the top, there are various lookouts in between the Monongahela and the Duquense Incline. These give you picturesque views of the Pittsburgh skyline and the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers.
What to do at the top: Take lots of pictures. There is an ice cream and coffee shop up there. You can also walk across and take the Duquense Incline down.
The views are great at sunset and nightfall when the city is lit up. Sadly, PNC Park is blocked by the buildings, but you can see Heinz Field very clearly!

How I could live in Pittsburgh this long and not ride the inclines is beyond me. Fortunately we made time to do it this weekend after dinner in Station Square. Little did I know we would need exact change to catch a ride to the top and back. (Who carries exact change?) We set to work searching my wallet and my wife’s purse to make sure we had the $ 7 on us, while simultaneously turning down other passengers asking if we could break a $ 20. Looks like this is a common problem and probably warrants implementing a new system.
We came up with the cash between us and stepped into line for the next ride up. The doors opened and, disappointingly, nobody got off from our compartment. A whole group of kids decided to just keep on riding. We opted to catch the NEXT next ride up and fortunately we caught an almost empty car.
It’s worth it to sit on the bottom side of the car to catch a view as you’re riding but you can’t beat the view of the city from the top. It makes for a great photo op and is a great place to watch the sunset.

During our road trip to Pittsburgh this incline was on our list to visit. We didn’t ride up the incline, instead we drove up. There is meter parking in the area. You get a great view up here, a closer view of the skyline and bridges. We came during the day and night the capture the different views.

For those who do not know or cannot keep them straight, Pittsburgh has two inclines, the Monongahela Incline («the Mon») and the Duquesne Incline. The Mon is slight older. It opened in 1870, as opposed to 1877 for the Duquesne. The Mon is also slightly steeper, shorter and lower than it’s sistah to the Northwest. The Mon is better accessible if you are coming from downtown on foot. It’s right by the foot of the Smithfield Street bridge and the boring-​but-​safe Station Square.
Right around the corner from the upper station of the Mon is Shiloh Street, home of Dilfiore’s Ice Cream, The Shiloh Grill and RedBeards (a kid-​friendly sports bar and restaurant.).
If I were looking for a safe, fun family outing I would definitely choose the Mon over the Duquesne. If you do want to see both it is an easy walk between the two along the most scenic road in the world — Grandview Avenue. There you will enjoy breathtaking views of Pittsburgh that make the city look as romantic as Paris. Personally I would not do the walk between the two on the lower level again. It’s a daunting stroll along an unpleasant highway (Carson Street). Mainly devoid of foot traffic, except for the occasional homeless person. You get the picture. I think if you want to ride both inclines, unless you have two vehicles and can park one by each, be prepared to ride up and down each one, and to pay for it.
The Duquesne does have the advantage of having a very informative museum attached to its upper station, so if you are older or have older kids, you may wish to visit that one instead of the Mon. Personally I think the lower level parking lot (in the middle of nowhere) for the Duquesne is a little scary (as opposed to the easy parking for the Mon at Station Square, or the option of just walking across the Smithfield Street bridge). But it is fairly easy to find safe street parking in the vicinity of the upper level station of the Duquesne.
Both inclines provide lovely views and are actually used for real travel by real people, not just tourists (just like the Staten Island Ferry). Both are, in my opinion, also too pricey for someone who just wants to ride up and back down again.
To ride the inclines you need exact change and cash only. Which prevented me from riding it once, with a friend who used that as an excuse to not ride, when really she was too scared!
Don’t be a scaredy cat yourself. Ride the most fun (and only) ride in downtown Pittsburgh!

It’s embarrassing that, even though I grew up in Western PA and have been to Pittsburgh numerous times throughout my life, I’ve never ridden up either of the Mount Washington inclines. Since I’m visiting the ‘burgh this week and staying at Station Square, I made it a point to walk across the parking lot head up the hill during the warm, summer evening.
Tid-​Bits:
— The 142 year-​old historic landmark is run by the Port Authority and it only costs a few bucks for a round trip ticket, which you have to pay for at the top. Have exact change.
— Each car is divided into 3 sections; max of 8 riders per section.
— Both cars run simultaneously upward and downward, so the wait for a ride is fairly short.
— It runs until at least midnight every night, so if you’re heading up for a meal, drinks and/​or more drinks, you don’t have to feel unnecessarily rushed during an evening out.
— The view of the Pittsburgh skyline is beautiful from the top platform.
Go up there, take some pictures and find a nice place to have dinner. It’s worth it.