Pittsburgh and its surrounding Allegheny County are a delight for hikers to explore, thanks to over 200 miles of trails within the city and around its limits. Walking the 33-mile Three Rivers Heritage Trail along the city’s three iconic rivers is one of the five best free things to do in Pittsburgh. Yet even this popular inner-city trail might not make it into the city’s five best hiking routes — that’s how steep the competition is here.
Whether you’re wanting to escape to the rugged Pennsylvania countryside or stick to city sights and sounds, you can find numerous hiking routes. Along with the aforementioned inner-city trail, Pittsburgh has enticing hikes 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and further from the city center. Where you choose to hike really depends on what you’re seeking. With that said, there are certainly some hiking trails with better scenery and open outdoor space that are more popular overall among locals.
When you’re next visiting The ‘Burgh, you might want to consider one of the trails in this list for your outdoor exercise and recreation. Not only have they featured heavily in local blogs and tourist guides, but we’ve also cross-checked their popularity with avid hikers on forums like the r/Pittsburgh subreddit and AllTrails. We’ve tried to offer a mix of trails in terms of difficulty, length, and proximity to the city, but consistently high appraisals have taken priority. Here they are, in no particular order: Pittsburgh’s five best hiking trails for a proper escape in Pennsylvania’s beautiful outdoors.
Frick Park Tour Loop Trail
Frick Park is a 644-acre green space only a 15 minute drive from Downtown Pittsburgh. Beautiful and transportive nature sprawls all the way from Point Breeze down to the Monongahela River. Hiking is one of the biggest reasons people visit Frick Park, which has numerous trails of varying lengths. One of the most consistently popular among hikers is the 5-mile Frick Park Loop Trail, which is ranked as the second-best Pittsburgh hiking route on AllTrails…