60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Pittsburgh: Including Allegheny and Surrounding Counties

by Donna Ruff

Overview

From a city of smokestacks to a city of culture, technology, and trees, Pittsburgh's revitalized city parks, abundant state parks, tranquil state forests, and enhanced riverfronts offer endless opportunities to hike and explore. 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Pittsburgh has something for explorers of every ability and interest.

Diverse hikes include Frick Park, which can be combined with a visit to the Frick Art and Historical Center (free); Ohiopyle State Park, with views of the beautiful Youghiogheny River and Cucumber Falls; Beechwood Farms, where kids and adults can opt to participate in nature programs and walks; and Mt. Davis Natural Area, where hikers can stand on the highest point in Pennsylvania. History buffs will love Bushy Run and its museum and other historical site/hike combinations. Those seeking solitude will relish time spent walking in lovely Todd Sanctuary or one of the scenic and tranquil destinations of Forbes State Forest. Beautiful river, lake, waterfall, mountain, wildflower, and historical walks are all in your backyard.

From the city's riverbanks to the Laurel Highland mountains of the south and southwest to the lakes and meadows of the north and northwest, every hiker will find trails to their liking in 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Pittsburgh.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780897327411
Publisher:	Menasha Ridge Press
Publication date:	01/24/2011
Series:	60 Hikes Within 60 Miles
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Donna Ruff was born in Pittsburgh and, although a lifetime resident of her hometown, has hiked, biked, climbed, skied, and tested her skills in mountaineering in many parts of the world. She has a special passion for hiking in southwestern Pennsylvania, not only because it is her home but because of its diverse and enchanting beauty. Ruff spent her formative years as a student at the University of Pittsburgh and was at that time beginning to explore the many trails of the area, including those of the Laurel Highlands.

A writer by trade, Ruff spends as much of her spare time as possible away from the computer and in what she calls the real world, that is, the natural world. Over the years, she has been an active member of the American Youth Hostels and the Explorer’s Club of Pittsburgh, where she has established valuable frienships with like-minded outdoor enthusiasts.

Read an Excerpt

Schenley Park Loop

Distance & Configuration: 1.7-mile modified loop

Difficulty: Easy

Scenery: Panther Hollow Lake, ducks, Panther Hollow Run mixed foliage, deciduous trees, wildflowers, birds, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Exposure: Mostly shaded

Traffic: Light on the lower trail, busier on the upper trail

Trail Surface: Varies from dirt and flat rocks next to the run to very wide packed-sand trail above

Hiking Time: 1 hour

Access: Park is open year-round.

Wheelchair accessible: No for trail; yes for visitor’s center

Maps: A map of Schenley Park is available at www.pittsburghparks.org/schenley-park; USGS Pittsburgh East

Facilities: Restrooms and cafe in visitor’s center

Dogs: On leash

Contact: 412-682-7275; www.pittsburghparks.org/schenley-park

Location: 101 Panther Hollow Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Comments: The trail at Panther Hollow Run narrows in a couple of spots and may be slippery. It can easily be avoided by taking the upper trail as described as an alternative. Hiking down by the water though is a fascination for children and fun for dogs.

In Brief: Schenley Park is Pittsburgh’s flagship park and should not be missed. It has a pleasant environment, historical value, and aesthetics that reflect its roots and the care devoted to it through time. In addition to hiking, the park offers biking and running on most trails, and facilities and fields for tennis, soccer, baseball, softball, track running, and ice skating; there are also many picnic accommodations and playgrounds, a golf course (with golf programs for kids) and a disc golf course. For nostalgia, visit the Neil Log House, one of the last three existing 18th-century buildings in Pittsburgh, and the Westinghouse Memorial, honoring George Westinghouse, inventor and founder of more than 60 businesses, who made Pittsburgh his home.

Description: What was once Mount Airy Tract became the object of desire between land developers and Edward Bigelow, who was the director of Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Works in 1889. Bigelow felt strongly about the preservation of the land for recreation and athletics. When he heard developers were sending lawyers to London to pursue its purchase from Mary Schenley (originally Mary Elizabeth Croghan of Pittsburgh), he sent his own via train and steamer to reach her first (beating the others by two days). Schenley agreed to donate 300 acres of land, with the option to purchase 120 more if the park were named after her and never sold. The city agreed and purchased the remaining property immediately.

Bigelow did not disappoint Pittsburghers in the park’s preservation and aesthetic development. He hired William Falconer, who was trained at London’s Kew Gardens, to lead the design and building of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, which was built in 1893. Bigelow also saw to the fulfillment of athletic needs, and today Schenley Park remains one of Pittsburgh’s finest and most popular parks with 456 acres set aside for hiking, biking, running, ice skating, tennis, soccer, baseball, golf, quiet contemplation, and social and cultural events (see Nearby Attractions following this description).

For a full morning or afternoon, combine this hike with lunch at the Schenley Park Visitor Center, a tour of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and a drive or walk around Schenley Park to the Westinghouse Memorial and Pond. If you have children, they will love a visit to one of the park’s playgrounds as well.

This hike begins directly behind the Schenley Park Visitor Center (across from Phipps Conservatory). Walk around the center and down the stone stairs. You’ll notice that “WPA 1939” is chiseled in the sides of most of the stairs and bridges throughout Schenley Park. Through President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration program, Schenley Park was improved, giving those setting the stone over which we walk today the ability to enjoy at least some relief during the hard years of the Great Depression.

Continue down the second pair of steps, cross the gravel path, and go down a third set of steps and over the small bridge. Turn right. A restoration of native plants and wetland is in progress. While following the path, enjoy the open scenery of trees, wetland, Panther Hollow Run, and the bridges that span it.

Turn right to walk around Panther Hollow Lake, which was dug in 1909 for boating; a boathouse once sat on its shores. Water enthusiasts turned out in numbers to rent the boats and enjoy the lake. The boathouse was demolished in 1979 or 1980. In 2005, the Parks Conservancy worked with City of Pittsburgh crews to rehabilitate the Phipps Run stream channel that stretches from behind the Visitor Center down to Panther Hollow Lake. Restoration of the Panther Hollow Watershed is continuous, with the ultimate goal of restoring Panther Hollow Lake to a water quality that will once again allow for recreational use. For now, children enjoy playing on its shores, skipping stones, and watching the ducks delight in the water. Considering the proximity to roads and bridges, when you reach the far side of the lake, the area is relatively quiet.

As you follow the turn of the far side of the lake, take the trail up to the right, away from the lake’s shore, and walk past the steps on the right, continuing straight. The trail opens wide here and the restoration project continues. Walk straight, past where you originally turned right to walk around the lake, and continue on the wide path until reaching a slight incline that leads up to the main Lower Panther Hollow Trail (there are no signs). At a little more than a half mile, before reaching the main trail, look right and you’ll see a short pair of stone stairs that lead down to Panther Hollow Run; there are many small WPA bridges and a path following the run. If you wish to hike on easier terrain (with no mud and very wide) then go up to the main trail. The run stays within view, and the hike can also be followed from there.

If you choose to hike down in Panther Hollow Run, enjoy a pleasant and mostly quiet and enjoyable walk in solitude, over the many small, charming, arched bridges constructed by the WPA. There are a couple of places where the trail narrows and you must step carefully or cross the small run using the many flat rocks, but it is worth it if you like to avoid popular trails and feel a bit more removed. As the hike along the water ends, there will be a choice of two turns. For each, turn right—the first begins to take you up to the main trail; the second puts you on the main trail, making a U-turn and avoiding going up to Panther Hollow Road. You should then be hiking on the wide main Upper Panther Hollow Trail (packed sand and no sign), with Panther Hollow Road above and left and Panther Hollow Run now below and to the right. (Note that if you took the main Lower Panther Hollow Trail rather than the Hollow Run Trail along the water, simply continue turning right, cross a larger bridge, and make a U-turn onto the Upper Panther Hollow Trail, also avoiding going up to the road.)

Although you’re hiking closer to the road now, the trail remains below it and is therefore still quiet. Where the trail and road begin to meet and, if the leaves are down, the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning and Phipps Conservatory come into view. Stay on the path and follow it through a tunnel under Panther Hollow Bridge, where the lake will soon come back into view. Take a set of stone stairs (watch your step in places) down toward the lake. Reaching the trail, make another right (or go straight down the short wooden stairs to be directly at lakeside) and follow the same trail you took leaving the lake. This time, make a left to go over the bridges back into the wetland-restoration area and return rather than going straight. Follow both sets of stairs back to the visitor’s center.

Nearby Attractions: Schenley Park offers many recreational and cultural amenities. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens has both regular and special displays and makes a beautiful tour; visit www.phipps.conservatory.org or call 412-622-6914 for more information. The park also hosts popular public events, such as the Vintage Grand Prix (visit www.pvgp.org), Race for the Cure (http://komenpittsburgh.org), and movies on Flagstaff Hill in the summertime (www.pittsburghparks.org and select “Events”). To visit the Neil Log House, learn about disc golf and the course, swimming pool, Schenley Oval (tennis, track, and soccer), skating/hockey rink, or the golf courses, visit www.pittsburghparks.org/park-events or call the main office at 412-682-7275.

GPS Information: N 40° 26.303' W 079° 56.780'

Directions: From Pittsburgh, take the Boulevard of the Allies; go through two traffic lights and over the Anderson Bridge. At the second exit into Schenley Park, turn right. (This takes you under the Anderson Bridge and over the Panther Hollow Bridge.) At the fork, bear left. The visitor’s center is across from Phipps Conservatory.

Table of Contents

Hikes List

Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve Loop

Boyce Park Log Cabin Trail Expanded Loop

Deer Lakes Park Hike

Downtown Historic Walk

Emerald View Park Hike

Fox Chapel Flower and Wildlife Reserve Loop

Frick Park Environmental Center Tour Loop

Harrison Hills Park: Rachel Carson Trail—Pond and River Overlooks Hikes

Hartwood Acres Tour

Highland Park Double Loop

Linbrook Woodlands to Linbrook Park

Montour Trail: Cliff Mine to Five Points

Montour Trail: Panhandle Trail—Walkers Mill to Gregg Station

North Park: Nature Center Loop

North Shore: River, Memorial, and Sports Walk

Point State Park: History and Three Rivers Walk

Riverview Park Loop

Round Hill Park Farm Animal Visit and Walk

Schenley Park Loop

South Park: Sleepy Hollow Trail

Three Rivers Heritage Trail: Monongahela South Shore

Three Rivers Heritage Trail: Washington’s Landing Loop

Townsend Park Loop

Westmoreland County

Bushy Run History Loop

Cedar Creek Park: Gorge Trail Loop

Forbes State Forest: Laurel Summit—Spruce Flats Bog and Wildlife Area Loop

Forbes State Forest: Laurel Summit—Wolf Rocks Overlook Loop

Forbes State Forest: Laurel Summit Loop

Forbes State Forest: Roaring Run Natural Area Loop

Keystone State Park: Stone Lodge Trail

Linn Run State Park: Grove Run Loop

Powdermill Nature Reserve Tour

Twin Lakes Park: Loop the Lakes

Lawrence, Beaver, and Washington counties

McConnells Mill: Alpha Pass to Kildoo Loop

McConnells Mill: Slippery Rock Gorge Trail

Mingo Creek County Park Loop

Raccoon Creek State Park: Lake-Forest Loop

Raccoon Creek State Park: Wildflower Reserve Loop

Butler, Armstrong, and Indiana counties

Baker Trail: Crooked Creek Lake Area

Blacklick Valley Natural Area: Parker Tract Hike

Charles F. Lewis Natural Area: Rager Mountain Trail Loop

Jennings Environmental Education Center Trail Loop

Moraine State Park: North Shore Hike or Hike and Bike

Moraine State Park: South Shore Trails Loop

Todd Sanctuary Loop

Somerset and Fayette counties

Bear Run Nature Reserve: Southeast Loop

Forbes State Forest: Lick Hollow Interpretive Nature Trail

Forbes State Forest: Lick Hollow Pine Knob Overlook Trail

Forbes State Forest: Mount Davis Natural Area

Forbes State Forest: Quebec Run Wild Area

Fort Necessity Tour and Woods Walk

Friendship Hill Tour and Hike

Kooser State Park Loop

Laurel Hill State Park: Hemlock Trail

Laurel Hill State Park: Lake Trail

Laurel Hill State Park: Pump House to Tram Road Trail

Laurel Ridge State Park: Laurel Highlands Trail—PA 653 Access to Grindle Ridge

Ohiopyle State Park: Cucumber Falls to Meadow Run Trail Loop

Ohiopyle State Park: Ferncliff Natural Area Loop

Ohiopyle State Park: Laurel Highlands Trail—Ohiopyle to First Shelter Area