I discovered Thornburg Conservation Park earlier this year, when I was searching for a new place to…read morego for regular walks. I now really love coming here for a quick dose of nature during my week! Finding the parking lot ended up being my first adventure here, because Google maps kept taking me to a residential street on the other side of the railroad tracks that sit above the park. The actual entrance is behind the Thornburg Public Works Building; easy to get to once you know where you're going, but boy did the GPS make it hard initially. The park itself is apparently thirty-eight acres (so says the borough website), and it has interconnecting trails that are very easy to navigate. The terrain is fairly flat overall, although if you walk further up the creek it can get bumpy in spots. It's definitely worth stopping by throughout the year to see the changing colors and the seasonal blooms come and go. I even saw a hummingbird during one visit this summer - not sure anything will top that! Note that dogs are allowed in the park by permit only, although I tend to see a lot of folks walking with their four legged friends so I don't think it's hard to get a permit. All in all, this is a peaceful and beautiful place to visit, and is especially nice on days where a shorter and easy-paced nature walk is needed. Here's to my next stroll at Thornburg!

I just took a venture over this way for some very light hiking. I usually bring my hiking boots,…read morebut this time I just wore regular shoes and that was a bad choice. There is grass covering the main trails that is very wet and kind of like a bog. My shoes and socks got very wet romping through here. There was multiple species of butterfly including cabbage white, silvery checkerspot, pearl crescent, hackberry emperor and a hawk moth. I also saw some white tailed deer and squirrels. There were two sets of wooden steps that looked very dilapidated. The wood is rotten and uneven. If I was not more agile I would have fallen trying to walk on them. This didn't make me want to walk on the rest of this trail. Besides the fact that some of the park is in a sad state of disrepair and there is very thick grass covering a good portion of the trails, it is a nice place to explore and very picturesque scenery. The Chartiers Creek is a nice big body of water that is relaxing to enjoy. There is beautiful wildlife to experience and it is quiet and peaceful. The trails are of a very mild difficulty for hiking as it is mostly pretty flat. Not too bad.

An amazing place to hike and observe wildlife. They have a "no pets" rule, which I support…read morecompletely. Parking is up at the top by the road, and it is limited to about 6 spaces, however I have always found a spot. There are a series of ponds which are used to remove iron from the water (from an old mine that existed on the property. In those ponds you are likely to see migrating water fowl. On my most recent visit, I observed 26 species of birds, including a rather rare Green-winged Teal. There is usually a very shy Great Blue Heron in the back pond, which you can see if you approach quietly. Charters Creek runs along the backside of the park, and there's a cute wooden bridge that connects you to Charters Park. In all, it's a beautiful escape from urban life. Check out OTB Hastings, which is a half mile down the road, for a perfect ending to your wildlife adventure.

Wingfield pines is a beautiful hidden gem! It's a massive passive mine drain area into the upper…read moresaint Clair creek. It's also connected to Boyce mayview Park next door so it's a big area to cover! There is A beautiful trail that runs long side the creek. There's a old pool that filled in for great picture options, there's is a porta poty on site. There's a good bit of markings telling you where the trail is as well as a few signs advising no dogs aloud in the area. There is also a leash free area for the dogs as well. On average you'll spend about a hour or two hiking around all the trails to cover the whole area. I definitely recommend this place.

Wonderful, large park with many paved, groomed or grassy trails plus large field…read more Just a word of caution. I took my small dog there and he was killed by a pack of loose dogs. It is an off leash park, and the owners were no where in sight as my dog was surrounded by the pack. May be safer for medium to large dogs.

Beautiful park!! It allows dogs to be off leash. People also ride their horses here. Several trails…read morein the woods that are well kept. My favorite part is the huge field near the Halloway Rd entrance to the park. The grass is always cut in the field so you can lay down a blanket for a picnic or play with your dog. This may be one of my favorite parks in Pittsburgh. Only thing that sucks is I didn't see any public restrooms? Unless I missed them.

I imagine in the warmer summer months this is a very popular destination especially with the water…read morepark located here. There are also soccer and baseball fields as well as shelters for picnics. I wasn't at North Boundary Park for any of that. I was only there on a cold fall morning to take advantage of the "hiking trail" loop around the fields. I put quotation marks around the words hiking and trail because I don't know how much of a hike I consider it due to the entire trail being paved. It's just over a mile in length with some elevation. Regardless, I found it to be an easy to find suburban community park where I felt safe to wander around when there were maybe only two other people wandering the trail. I also found it clean and well maintained. Park hours are posted as 7am - 11pm. There are 2018 plans for a disc golf course and a nature trail that I'm hoping will lead into the actual wooded area (and maybe into some more challenging terrain). I'll check out the park again once the trail is complete.

This is a nice place for heliophiles, walkers, runners, soccer players, and swimmers. There is a…read moreloop that's almost 100% unshaded and a mile long. You can traverse it in either direction, just remember to stay to the right (unless your passing). Inside the loop is a ball field, a few soccer fields, a playground, an outdoor body weight gym, and a large swimming facility with various types of entertainment. There are also a couple shelters with picnic tables underneath, that I assume you can rent for maybe a private party. There are a few restroom facilities with a water fountain as well. Half of the park is wooded and there is a approved plan in place to create an 18 hole disc golf course. The course is supposed to be top tier, compared on a national level. With a planned average of 588 feet per hole, I'm sure it will attract lot skilled talent and probably a competition or two in the first year. If you're new to disc golf, there is a handicapped accessible recreational course planned with six holes, averaging about 175 ft per hole, respectfully. One of the only thing I don't really like about the park is a portion of the paved trail butts up to the road. There is no space or physical barrier between you and cars passing by.

I love hiking in autumn. The crisp air, the crackle of leaves under my boots and the quiet moments…read morein nature. Kane Woods Nature Area in Scott Township is a great place for a hike. Several trail heads with parking. Well maintained easy trails. And super cool that dogs are allowed off leash in this wooded wonderland.

This is going to be my go to walking area if I want a quick car ride, clean trails and moderately…read morechallenging hiking. It takes me about 15 minutes by car to get here and it is a synch to find. Parking is super ample. In fact there are three different parking lots. The trails are so well marked and plotted that there is almost no way to get lost. I admit at first try I got a bit side tracked, but then found my way in a few minutes. Be ready for friendly four legged furries coming over to say hello to you. I was actually pretty stoked about this, but some people are not so big on dogs. They do have signs posted about leashing your dog, which most people adhere to, so no problems there. Will post pics soon, with possible videos as well.

This is a cute little park. We got to see turtles which was a highlight and there's some small…read morehiking trails and a nice relaxing swing while you watch the pond. The playground is nothing to write home about but it's nice. It'd be a nice place for a run and outside workout.

This is a great park for walking. Just be mindful of the fly fishermen that cast their lines before…read morelooking behind them. The lines when cast are coming onto the walking path. This is happening at the end near the bridge. We have been almost hooked a few times now. Who would be liable for any injuries that might occur?

A nice little park to sit and enjoy the view of the Allegheny River. There is a small picnic area…read morealong with a playground and basketball courts. I recommend a visit if you happen to be in the area.

It's a wonderful park on the Allegheny River with nice pavilions. It has a spectacular bike trail…read morethat follows the river all the way to Downtown. I go here every year to see birds, especially the Yellow Throated Warblers that sing from the Sycamore trees. The hit series, the Mayor of Kingstown, was once filled in the park.

This is a nice trail. My kids got distracted immediately by the natural playground which was small…read morebut fun and then we walked and rode our bikes. Great views. Mostly flat trail. Well kept.