60-Minute Fixes: Pittsburgh
Hike, paddle, or ride in America's favorite steel town.
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America’s favorite steel town is a
city of surprising superlatives. This metropolis is home to over 2,600 acres
of open space, and ranks number one, not in I-beams, but trees per capita among
U.S. cities.
Hike
Six-hundred-acre Frick Park, the Burgh’s largest, has more than 10 miles of
trails in dense forest. For a stiff 3.5-mile quad-burner, start at the Environmental
Center and drop 400 vertical feet into a hollow along the Lower Riverview Extension
Trail to Fire Lane Extension. You’ll connect with Nine Mile Run, rife with white-eyed
vireos, pileated woodpeckers, and great horned owls. Regain elevation on the
Braddock and Tranquil Trails, and close the loop by cranking south to the Open
Air Shelter and Falls Ravine Trail. pittsburghparks.org
Paddle
Pop quiz: Which city has more bridges, Venice or Pittsburgh? The one with four
rivers—the Ohio, Monongahela, Allegheny, and Youghiogheny—takes
the prize 446 to 443, and makes Pittsburgh a great place to paddle. Rent a boat
from Kayak Pittsburgh ($14/hour) and head 6 miles up the barge-free Allegheny
to 42-acre Herr’s Island, home to the Three Rivers Rowing Association. Circumnavigate
the island and paddle back toward the skyline. kayakpittsburgh.org
Ride
With plans for the world’s longest urban linear park (it’ll cover 128 miles
along the city’s rivers) in the works, Pittsburgh is quickly becoming a serious
bike town. Get a preview on a 25-mile circuit starting at the Smithfield Street
Bridge. Pedal the Eliza Furnace Trail upriver to the Panther Hollow Trail. Follow
this rolling macadam to the 300-acre Schenley Park for a lung-burning one-mile
loop. Then lollipop back onto Panther and head toward the city again on Eliza
Furnace. bike-pgh.org
