Category Archives: Urban Hike

This Sunday Take an Urban Hike Around the Upper Hill & North Oakland

From the Sharpsburg Urban Hike

Urban Hike is another one of the best kept secrets in Pittsburgh. For over a decade a group of faithful volunteers have been mapping and researching routes around different Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

This Sunday, join the Urban Hike crew for a 2 hour walk around the Upper Hill and North Oakland. The hikes are usually on paved surfaces, but sometimes off road was well.

 

Pop-up Urban Hike in the Upper Hill and North Oakland

Date: Sunday, July 16, 2017
Time: 10am-Noon
Location: TBD. Keep an eye on the Facebook event page for updates.
FREE
RSVP – not required but it is helpful to reply to the Facebook event.

Past Urban Hikes

Some of the previous Urban Hikes have traversed…

And those are just the Urban Hikes that we have posted about here on the blog. Visit the Urban Hike website to see a list of previous hikes.

The best way to learn about upcoming hikes is to follow Urban Hike on Facebook.

If you are headed to the hike or out for a stroll in your neighborhood, keep an eye out for some neighborhood bars and share them with the #NeighBARhood hashtag. We are working on building a list of the best neighborhood watering holes.

Urban Hike Heads to Allegheny Center & Deutschtown (Jane’s Walk Pittsburgh)

Urban Hike is a free guided walk around one (or several) of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. The guided hike is led by a group of volunteers who carefully research each route and invite experts from the neighborhood to come speak to the group on local history and neighborhood development. If you like history, exploring or you are looking for a way to learn more about Pittsburgh, then Urban Hike is for you.

I have attended many of the past Urban Hikes, which has led to discovering all kinds of secrets about Pittsburgh. The John Woods House, aka the 2nd oldest house in Pittsburgh which I posted about earlier this week was a find from the Urban Hike in Hazelwood two years ago.

The first Urban Hike of the 2017 season will be exploring Allegheny Center & Deutschtown. If you aren’t familiar with these neighborhoods, they are on the Northside, just North of the area where PNC Park is located.

Urban Hike = Jane’s Walk Pittsburgh

English: Mrs. Jane Jacobs, chairman of the Com...

English: Mrs. Jane Jacobs, chairman of the Comm. to save the West Village holds up documentary evidence at press conference at Lions Head Restaurant at Hudson & Charles Sts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This Saturday’s Urban Hike coincides with Jane’s Walk. Jane’s Walk is an annual event in celebration of Jane Jacobs, author of the book The Death and Life of Great American Cities (Amazon affiliate link), which many consider this book to be the bible of urban planning. Jane’s Walks are free walking tours talking place in cities across the globe to support walkable neighborhoods and to encourage people to learn more about their communities. Pittsburgh has hosted several Jane’s Walks over the past decade and this weeks Urban Hike is currently the only Jane’s Walk scheduled for Pittsburgh.

Interested in learning more about Jane Jacobs? Pittsburgh Filmmakers will be showing the documentary Citizen Jane: Battle for the City from May 12-May 18, 2017.

Urban Hike: Allegheny Center & Deutchtown

  • Date:Saturday, May 6, 2017
  • Start Time: 9:30am
  • Starting Point: Arnold’s Tea on East Ohio Street

Check out the email from Urban Hike and the Facebook event for more information and parking suggestions.

Follow: @UrbanHikePGH @JanesWalk

Urban Hike Heads to Springdale – Sunday 10/18

If you like exploring, then you need to know about Urban Hike. This is a group of volunteers who plan out a fascinating route around a different neighborhood, town or borough.  IheartPGH has participated in many of the past Urban Hikes. It was a stop at this church on the Sharpsburg Urban Hike that first got me thinking about church reuse. Earlier this Summer, I was inspired to write about the John Woods House (aka the oldest house in Pittsburgh) after sharing an Instagram photo I took during the Hazelwood Urban Hike.

This Sunday, October 18, 2015, Urban Hike heads up the Allegheny River to the brough of Springdale. There are two things I know about Springdale which are both good reasons to go and check out this hike. Springdale is home to:

  1. Photo I took of Glens Custard in 2008

    Photo I took of Glens Custard in 2008

    Glen’s Frozen Custard – this is one of those places you NEED to know about. Glens is an establishment and worth the drive. When I was a kid, we would pile into the family station wagon for a drive out to Glens – I have vivid memories of riding backwards in the way-back seats of our Chevrolet station wagon as we crossed the Highland Park bridge. Many people who live in the East End often claim that if they have to cross a bridge to get there, then the destination is not worth the trip. Glens is one of those destinations that is worth crossing the bridge for.

  2. Rachel Carson Homestead – Rachel Carson is a Pittsburgher whose name you might know because the bridge next to the Andy Warhol Bridge and the Clement Bridge is named after her.  She is also the author of the 1962 book Silent Spring about pollution in our environment. Check out our recent blog post on Rachel Carson’s other house here.

The Urban Hike folks have planned a short hike (short means the hike will be over before the Steeler game starts) for Sunday morning. Lucky for you, the hike starts at Glens which has not yet closed for the season and will likely be serving pumpkin frozen custard. Yes, PUMPKIN custard!

Urban Hike Springdale
Sunday, October 18
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Meet at Glen’s Custard, 400 Pittsburgh St, Springdale, PA 15144
Park on Porter or another nearby street by Glen’s Custard (just not in Glen’s lot!)
Facebook Event: http://on.fb.me/1RNyEXu

Follow @UrbanHikePGH on Twitter for updates.

 

Urban Hike Heads to Millvale – Macaroons, Murals and More

Maxo Vanka Murals, Millvale - 1

Maxo Vanka Murals, Millvale – 1 (Photo credit: the justified sinner)

Urban Hike is one of the best ways to check out the city and meet some new folks.  The Urban Hike organizers have mapped out a route, found the best places to eat and lined up some local experts to share some local history.  This hike to Millvale will make a stop to see one of the best kept secrets in Western PA – the Maxo Vanka Murals.

Urban Hike Millvale

Saturday, July 19, 2014

10am – meet at Jean-March Chatellier’s French Bakery, 212 North Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15209

Facebook Event – https://www.facebook.com/events/1439057913021684/

Join us for a 4-mile walk in Millvale this Saturday, July 19th. The hike begins at 10:00 a.m., but we suggest you arrive early to grab a treat from the highly-regarded Jean-Marc Chatellier’s French Bakery. As we hike, we’ll catch a couple of highlights in the business district, peak in on the Max Vanko murals, speak to some Franciscan nuns about their peaceful and eco-friendly Millvale home, and, as always, walk on residential streets to get the real feel of the neighborhood.

This hike is a bit flatter than most, but it’s still Pittsburgh, so there will be some hills and city steps. Come prepared with your walking shoes, a bottle of water and, if needed, an umbrella. We hike rain or shine.

Don’t let the parking meters on North and Grant Avenues fool you, they are free on weekends. Park wherever you can find a spot near the bakery.

If you have time after the hike, stick around for lunch at Sidelines Bar and Grill with the Urban Hike crew or brunch on your own at the original Pamela’s — the P&G Diner — which is within a block of our starting spot at Jean-Marc’s.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

[fb_embed_post href=”https://www.facebook.com/events/1439057913021684//” width=”550″/]

View of Millvale (Photo Credit: Millvale Bogough Facebook Page)

View of Millvale (Photo Credit: Millvale Bogough Facebook Page)

Urban Hike Links

Previous posts about Urban Hike

Urban Hike Heads to Garfield

Locator map with the Garfield neighborhood in ...

Locator map with the Garfield neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania highlighted. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of our favorite Pittsburgh activites (and its totally free) kicks off the 2013 season this Saturday with a hike around the neighborhood of Garfield. The Facebook event page for the hike is available here.

Calling all urban hikers …
Are you ready for the first hike of the year? Join us this Saturday, April 27th as Urban Hike heads to Garfield! It’ll be a short, sweet, and steep hike — around three miles in total.
We’ll begin at Artisan Tattoo / Gallery at 5001 Penn Avenue at noon. From there we’ll walk up and down the hills of Garfield, and take in some lesser-known vantage points. Following the hike, we encourage you to join us for a buffet at People’s Indian Restaurant. We expect the hike to take around two hours, followed by an hour lunch or so.
As always, folks of all ages are welcome. There will be some step climbing and unpaved trail walking, so pushing a stroller for younger kids could get a bit difficult in spots. If you have any other questions, post a note on our facebook page, or drop us a line at info@urbanhike.com.
We look forward to seeing you this Saturday — rain or shine!
– The Urban Hike crew