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Running trails in Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh has 53 trails in the directory — 10 paved and 6 on crushed gravel or dirt, 6 loops that return to the trailhead, 2 with a stated distance, 6 shaded, and 22 open 24 hours. 49 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 40,024 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
Point State Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 9,624 reviews
36-acre park at the intersection of 3 rivers with boating, hiking, biking & a Fort Pitt museum.
Schenley Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 8,698 reviews
Park with 456 acres of trails, a sportsplex, botanical gardens, cafe, visitors center & golf course.
Highland Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 4,648 reviews
Scenic park built around 2 reservoirs, with lawns & a Victorian garden, plus sports fields & a pool.
Frick Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 4,132 reviews
Lush city park featuring grassy picnic areas, off-leash dog play spots & hiking trails.
Emerald View Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 3,544 reviews
Hilltop 257-acre park on a former coal mining area with trails, woodland & play & picnic areas.
Riverview Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 1,388 reviews
Sprawling public park for recreation including a dog park, baseball field, observatory & trails.
Boyce Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 1,256 reviews
Seasonal pools available to the public for a fee feature artificial wave-making machines.
Hartwood Acres Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 1,174 reviews
629-acre park offering tours of a Tudor-style stone mansion & wooded trails for hikes & horse rides.
Boyce Mayview Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 908 reviews
Huge local park showcasing vegetable gardens, hiking trails, fields & other features.
O'Hara Township Community Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 850 reviews
Green space featuring tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts, plus playgrounds, and a walking trail.
Highland Park Entry Garden
4.7 ★★★★★ 606 reviews
Neighborhood park with a restored entry garden and a playground, plus walking trails.
Beechview-Seldom Seen Greenway
4.4 ★★★★☆ 414 reviews
Just off the highway, this green space offers paths along a stream through woods & wildlife.
Forest Hills Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 276 reviews
Wooded park featuring basketball courts, playground, soccer field and fenced dog park.
South Shore Riverfront Park and Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 248 reviews
Part of SouthSide Works, this park features paved trails for walking, biking, and running by the water.
Westinghouse Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 222 reviews
Historic property now featuring a playground & quiet areas for strolling & dog-walking.
Mt. Washington Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 197 reviews
This elevated avenue offers city views & features a 257-acre wooded park, a statue & restaurants.
Churchill Valley Greenway
4.7 ★★★★★ 131 reviews
Laid-back green space featuring paved walking trails and a wildflower meadow on a former golf course land.
Riding Meadow Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 136 reviews
Off-leash dog park, also good for humans, with a creek and a waterfall.
Upper Frick Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 117 reviews
Public park with a children's play area featuring a slide, picnic tables, and trails.
Three Rivers Heritage Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 118 reviews
Paved trail running through different neighborhoods with historical markers and public art.
Thornburg Conservation Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 125 reviews
Dog-friendly park with trails and a creek.
Wingfield Pines
4.6 ★★★★★ 118 reviews
Natural area featuring a network of trails, plus an off-leash section for dogs.
Salamander Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 108 reviews
Park featuring a well-maintained trail that's suitable for families with young children.
Duck Hollow Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 107 reviews
Fishing, bird-watching and cycling spot featuring a paved path, a riverfront trail and shaded areas.
Grandview Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 103 reviews
Park featuring skyline views, picnic tables, hiking trails, and a bandstand.
Snyder Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 87 reviews
Neighborhood park featuring a playground, slides, swings, tennis courts and a baseball field. Playground pieces include a jungle gym and a tire swing.
Whitney Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 78 reviews
Park featuring a playground, a baseball field, swings and a half-court basketball setup.
Eliza Fox Trail Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 58 reviews
Kid-friendly park offering hiking trails.
Hazelwood Greenway
4.3 ★★★★☆ 61 reviews
Green space for hiking & cycling that connects to other parks along the Monongahela River.
Robb Hollow Park
3.9 ★★★★☆ 66 reviews
Leashed dogs are welcome at this 28-acre, wooded area, which is largely undeveloped.
Eagle Canyon Nature Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 53 reviews
Scenic trail along a bubbling creek that's great for dogs.
East Gate of Hawthorne Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 13 reviews
Lawrenceville Three Rivers Heritage Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 12 reviews
Allegheny River Trail
5 ★★★★★ 6 reviews
Frick Park Nine Mile Run Trail
5 ★★★★★ 5 reviews
Lockhart Trail
5 ★★★★★ 5 reviews
Saddle Trail branch off the Emerald View Trail
5 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
Oval Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
Three Rivers Water Trail Launch- Duck Hollow
3.8 ★★★★☆ 4 reviews
Ross Park Trails
4.7 ★★★★★ 3 reviews
Falconhurst Nature Reserve
5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
Brandt Trail
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Pittsburgh
- Match the surface to your legs. Pittsburgh gives you a choice: 10 paved, 3 crushed gravel, 3 natural surface, and 3 mixed. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More paved trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 6 trails here are loops, so you finish back at the car with no backtracking — the easiest way to run a set distance without thinking about it. On an out-and-back you turn round at half your target distance, which makes any trail fit any run. The longest stated distance in Pittsburgh is Brandt Trail at 93 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 22 trails in Pittsburgh are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 49 of the 53 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 3 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 25 have trailhead parking, 16 have restrooms, and 9 have a water fountain in Pittsburgh. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 6 shaded, 2 with mile markers, 17 that runners describe as quiet, 26 dog-friendly, and 7 smooth and wide enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Pittsburgh trails by type
- Paved trails
- Crushed gravel trails
- Natural surface trails
- Mixed trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Trails with mile markers
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Pittsburgh
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.