Category Archives: Urban Hike

Urban Hike Scavenger Hunt – Be There or Be Square

Each year the folks who plan all of the Urban Hikes end the season with a huge scavenger hunt around a Pittbsurgh neighborhood. I have competed in the past – it is tricky, educational and a ton of fun all at once. There are some serious competitiors and lots of folks who are just there to explore a new neighborhood.

Previous UH Scavenger Hunts have visited East Liberty, Squirell Hill, Lawrenceville and Bloomfield. The 2012 Urban Hike Scavenger Hunt will be tackling the neighborhood of Regent Square. This is a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon – plan for at least 4 hours for the hunt and for scoring.

IMPORTANT TRAFFIC INFO – According to PennDOT’s website the Squirrel Hill Tunnel will be closed on Sat. October 20. What this means is that the traffic going into the tunnel which is slow on a good day will be a complete mess – allow extra time to get to the starting point. We’ve made a map to show you how close the starting point and the Squirrel Hill Tunnels are to each other. Forbes and Braddock will likely serve as the detour for traffic.

Here are the details from the Urban Hike folks….

It’s here. The hunt.
Regent Square.Mark your calendars for 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 20. Teams can be up to five people. If you don’t already have teammates picked out, come as you are and we’ll help you find folks to hunt with!Urban Hike will provide you with a map, dozens of clues, and a time limit for wandering up and down the streets of Regent Square. You provide the answers. Some of the clues require taking pictures, so bring a camera with a blank memory card and a cable to download those pictures onto a computer. Bring a pen or pencil too.

The hunt will start in Frick Park at the corner of Forbes and Braddock. The hunt ends at a nearby local restaurant where we will score the answers, announce winners, and hand out prizes from our *awesome* neighborhood sponsors including:

Ambiance Boutique
Clipps Salon
D’s Six Pax & Dogz
Dunning’s Grill
Glenn Greene’s Stained Glass Studio
McBroom’s Beer Distributor
Paws-itively Pets
Square Cafe
Styles by Cardamone
Typhoon Lighting

If you have any questions in the meantime, as always, you can find us at info@urbanhike.com.Be there or be, um, square.

Here is the Facebook Event for the 2012 Urban Hike – RSVP and invite your friends to attend too!

The Next Urban Hike Heads to Marshall Shadeland on September 15

If you are new to Pittsburgh or just eager to explore a new neighborhood than this is the activity for you. Every month from April to September the Urban Hike team plans out a hike around a different Pittsburgh neighborhood. The hikes are free but the group usually stops for lunch after the hike.

Urban Hike – Marshall Shadeland
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Meet in front of the red LED sign that marks the entrance to the ALCOSAN plant. It’s just past the intersection of New Beaver Street and Tracy St., 15233. Public parallel parking is available on the nearby side streets, so give yourself a few extra minutes to park and join us at the sign.
Facebook Event Link

This hike will include a tour of ALCOSAN followed by some other sights in the Marshall-Shadeland area. Here is the description of the hike from the organizers…

Urban Hike loves to explore new perspectives in Pittsburgh and our Marshall-Shadeland hike is no different. Not only will we take in this city neighborhood’s streets and sights from above, we’ll look into what’s below too! Our hike starts early at the ALCOSAN (that’s short for Allegheny County Sanitary Authority) plant that provides wastewater treatment services to 83 communities including the City of Pittsburgh. You’ll never look at a drain the same again.

After the ALCOSAN bus tour concludes, we’ll get our exercise on by climbing some of Marshall-Shadeland’s hills. This hike will be a bit brisker than most, with fewer stops to outweigh the extra time we’ll spend on the tour at the beginning. But just in case you’re not convinced to come out, rain or shine, with us… we’ll sweeten the deal just a bit more. A pit stop at a neighborhood ice cream and coffee café. Yum.

RSVP Requested!

If you are coming on the hike, we ask that you please RSVP to Emily at emilykeebler(at)yahoo.com or http://www.facebook.com/emilykeebler by Thursday, September 13 so we can give ALCOSAN an approximate headcount.

[geo_mashup_map zoom=”12″]

Sq. Hill Scavenger Hunt

From the Sharpsburg Urban Hike

The competition is already heating up for the annual Urban Hike Scavenger Hunt. Each year the folks from Urban Hike end the hiking season with a scavenger hunt around one of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods.

This year the scavenger hunt will be heading to Sq. Hill. It is free to participate and open to all ages – Families too! Those kids are serious competitiors.

Image by ryanrocketship via Flickr

Urban Hike Scavenger Hunt – Sq. Hill

Satruday, October 22, 2011
Meet at the public parking lot behind Gullifty’s (behind the 1900 block of Murray Avenue)
Parking – the lot behind Gullifty’s, the meters have a pay station that takes credit cards – $4 for 4 hours.
Teams are limited to 5 people
Bring one digital camera per team, and your cable for downloading pictures. The camera should be clear of any other photos.
Facebook Event – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=295106217168137
Questions? Contact info@urbanhike.org

Urban Hike is Back – and in search of a 24 hour donut shop

I am sitting here looking out the window at SUNSHINE. Last saturday was perfect weather – and I enjoyed walking around Lawrenceville on Saturday afternoon. See my post about the Slaughterhouse Gallery here. I just checked Weather.com and we are looking at another 70 degree weekend.

So it is time to get outside and not do yard work. Thankfully Urban Hike is back for the 2008 season. If you are a regular reader of IheartPGH – you will know I heart Urban Hike. I have been on number of their hikes and give it a huge endorsement.

Please don’t let the word hike scare you – this is a walk, through an urban area – you are almost always on cement so just wear your sneakers and you will be fine. The walk takes about 2 hours and the leaders have lots of fun historical facts to share so the pace is not too fast.

On Saturday April 26, 2008 – Urban Hike heads to Crafton. They are meeting at the Sharp Edge Creek house which is one of those places I have always wanted to go to but not had a chance to visit yet.

We’re starting the season in Crafton, the boyhood home of Bill Cowher and the current home of a 24-hour donut shop and much more. Spend a few hours exploring the area with us on Saturday, April 26th beginning at 1:30 pm. We’ll park at the Sharp Edge Creekhouse, 288 W. Steuben Street. Check out their web site to see a map and get a taste for what we’ll be tasting after the hike.

Our hike will last 2-3 hours. As always, we recommend that you wear comfortable shoes, and bring water, sunscreen, and a sunny disposition. If you haven’t hiked with us before, no RSVP needed-but if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us at info@urbanhike.org. See you there!

Tasty Hikes

Oh I know it is cold outside – you want to stay inside, eat pizza be lazy. Venture Outdoors has the solution – hiking with treats. So now can enjoy the great outdoors and some tasty treats. You will feel better if you get some fresh air. Here are just a few of the upcoming hikes. Venture Outdoors has many other trips – snow shoeing, skiing, camping, and more – details are available at www.VentureOutdoors.org.

Saturday, February 23 – Hot Chocolate Hike

Sunday, February 24 – Soup of the Month Hike

Sunday, March 2 – Chocolate Tasting Hike

Saturday, March 8 – Hot Tea Tasting Hike

Venture Outdoors hikes are led by trained guides, no outdoor expierience necessary – all you have to do is show up.

To sign-up for a hike contact Venture Outdoors 412-255-0564 or www.VentureOutdoors.org

* This picture was taken on the recent Venture Outdoors Member’s Day – thanks to shultzlabs for sharing this picture on Flickr.