Tag Archives: parks

TUESDAY – City Planning Hosts Community Meeting on Enright Park

Sorry for the last minute post, but just learned about this meeting and wanted to help spread the word. One of the more interesting discussions about public space in the East End over the past few months has been around the future of the Enright Parklet. A small public park located in East Liberty. Google maps shows that Enright Parklet is in the middle of the Penn Plaza green space, from the street, I am not sure if this space looks very green, so it would be easy to miss this little park if you were just driving down Penn Avenue.

Tonight, Tuesday, February 23, 2016, the Pittsburgh Department of City Planning will host a community meeting on the Enright Park.

Facebook Event for Enright Park Community Meeting: http://on.fb.me/21dt2OF.

Read more about the community meeting the Post-Gazette here.

For more information on Enright Park check out EnrightPark.org, Save Enright Park on Facebook and follow @EnrightPark on Twitter.

Guide to Pittsburgh public pools: hours, cost, locations, rules

UPDATE 6/2019 – Please visit Very Local Pittsburgh for an updated pool guide for 2019.

Image courtesy of Citiparks.

All 18 Pittsburgh city pools are officially open for the summer, until September 2! Check the Citiparks website to make sure your local pool is open for the day.

While none of the locations provide refreshments, guests are welcome to bring their own food and drinks (no alcohol).

Don’t forget to check out the water carnivals, hosted by a different pool every few days in July. Basically an open pool party for the neighborhood, the carnivals feature unique themes, fun games, raffle prizes, and free food and drinks (normal admission prices apply).

Hours

Mondays – Fridays, 1:00- 7:45 p.m
Saturdays, Sundays & Holidays, 1:00- 5:45 p.m.

Adult Lap Swim:
For individuals 16 years old and older.

Mondays – Fridays, 5-6 p.m.
Every pool

Mondays – Fridays, Noon – 1 p.m.
Highland, Moore, Schenley and Sue Murray

Saturdays – Sundays, Noon – 1 p.m.
Bloomfield, Highland, Jack Stack, Magee, Moore, Ormsby, Phillips, Ream, Riverview, Schenley, Sue Murray, West Penn and Westwood

Family swim:
Any individual under 16 years old must be accompanied by an adult 18 years old or older.

Monday- Friday 5pm-close
Every pool

Cost
Payable by cash, check, or money order only.

Year-long pool passes
Year-long (June-June) pool passes can be purchased at outdoor pools (except Ammon) during operating hours, or at the Citiparks Office on the fourth floor of the City-County building (414 Grant Street, Downtown Pittsburgh).

City of Pittsburgh residents (proof required)

Family of four: $60; each additional family member: $10
Adult (16 years old and older): $30
Youth (3-15 years old): $15
Kids (2 and under): free

Free pool tags are available for City residents who are disabled veterans, plus families of active duty military and activated reservist/guard members. Proper ID is required.

City of Pittsburgh residents who receive welfare benefits can buy tags at a 50% discount. A case print-out and proof of identity are required to receive the discount.

Non-City of Pittsburgh residents

Adult or youth: $45

Daily pool pass

Adult (16 years old and older): $4
Youth (3-15 years old): $3

Locations

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East/Central

Ammon (Hill District)
2217 Bedford Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412-255-2627

One of the biggest pools in Pittsburgh, they get a lot of camps during the day but quiet down after about 4pm.
Water carnival: July 23

Bloomfield
408 Ella Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
412-622-6956

Water carnival: July 9

Highland Park -good for families -one of biggest
151 Lake Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
412-665-3637

With a kiddie pool and a mushroom spray fountain, plus handicap accesible features, this pool is great for families. It’s also one of the biggest and busiest in Pittsburgh and has sand volleyball courts
Water carnival: July 13

Homewood
540 N. Lang Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15208
412-244-4186

Another pool that gets a good amount of camps during the day but is very quiet in the evenings.
Water carnival: July 2

Magee (Greenfield)
745 Greenfield Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
412-422-4265

Known for having one of the best swim teams in the program, this pool next to the recreation center gets decent crowds.
Water carnival: July 9

Schenley Park
1 Overlook Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-422-4266

One of busiest, this pool is favored by the college-aged and young adult crowd, with not a lot of kids swimming here. It is a walk-in pool though, which is great for kids and new/apprehensive swimmers.
Water carnival: July 13

West Penn (Polish Hill)
450 30th Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
412-622-6908

Water carnival: July 20

North

Jack Stack (Brighton Heights)
600 Brighton Woods Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
412-766-4577

This newer walk-in pool (great for kids and different swim levels) also has a smaller kiddie pool.
Water carnival: July 4

Riverview (Perry North)
400 Riverview Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15214
412-323-7223

Water carnival: August 6

Sue Murray (North Side)
301 Cedar Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
412-323-7914

Although it gets busy with camps during the day, this walk-in pool with slides is much more quiet in the evenings. It’s also handicap accessible with a lift chair.
Water carnival: July 6

South/West

Banksville
1461 Crane Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15220
412-571-3231

A great (yet quiet) pool for families, this facility has a kiddie pool and fountain, baseball fields, playgrounds, an attached pavilion available for rent, and a brand new deck hockey rink sponsored by the Penguins.
Water carnival: July 11

McBride (Lincoln Place) – good for families
1785 McBride Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15207
412-476-1311

This pool is handicap accessible.
Water carnival: July 23

Moore (Brookline)
1801 Pioneer Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15226
412-571-3223

A big, popular walk-in pool, there’s slides onsite and a large shallow area that’s good for kids.
Water carnival: July 16

Ormsby (South Side)
79 S. 22nd Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
412-488-8377

This pool gets crowded with a wide variety of people, from teens to families to random passersby, and is right on the busline.
Water carnival: July 27

Phillips (Carrick) -good for families
201 Parkfield Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15210
412-885-7498

This quiet, mostly neighborhood pool has a spray pad for kids not quite ready for the actual pools, making it great for families with young kids. There’s also an attached rec center.
Water carnival: July 6

Ream (Mt. Washington)
321 Merrimac Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15211
412-488-8312

Right on the busline, this pool has a lot of programs and a playground.
Water carnival: July 20

Sheraden
1071 Adon Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15204
412-777-5011

Water carnival: July 25

Westwood
100 Guyland Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15205
412-937-3061

Water carnival: July 16

Rules

The pool promotes a family-friendly environment at all times.

Pool tags must be worn at all times.
Swim suits are required for the pool and deck area.
Patrons must shower before entering the pool.
No running, dunking, horseplay or profanity.
No diving on the shallow side of safety line.
Smoking is prohibited inside the facility, including e-cigarettes.
Food and drink are permitted only in designated area.
Swimmers under six years of age must be accompanied by an adult 16 years or older.
The Head Lifeguard must approve all flotation devices. Inflatable flotation devices are prohibited.
Lounge chairs & strollers must be kept at a minimum distance of ten feet from poolside.
Patrons with medical conditions should inform the Lifeguards.
Citiparks is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged property.
Complaints – see the Head Lifeguard for procedures.
Lifeguards are responsible for your safety, so please follow the rules.
Violations of above rules may result in disciplinary action up to and including loss of pool privileges.

Click the links for more information about the four spray parks the city operates, swim lessons, and other swimming programs.

Got information to add? Dying to know an answer to a question about the pools? Facebook us, send us a tweet, or leave a comment below. You can contact the city pools directly here: http://pittsburghpa.gov/city-info/swimming-pools.html

Trillium Trail & Salamander Park

Trillium Trail (Photo by Andrew)

The trails themselves might be officially dubbed “Xen’s Trail,” “Upper Trail,” and “Falls Trail,” but locals refer to the collective nature area off of Squaw Run Road as “Trillium Trail,” and indeed, maps recently posted at the site are headed with the moniker “Trillium Trail.” There are two parking lots available; both provide access to the ends of Xen’s Trail, so neither lot is inherently preferable; it all depends on how crowded they are (and apart from, say, the first few days of warm weather in March, the lots are rarely so crowded as to preclude finding a spot).

Xen’s Trail is the “main” trail, a level walk beneath a gentle hillside. The trail crosses a creek multiple times; this used to be more of a problem, particularly during rainy months, but recent redirections of the trail and new stepping stones placed in the creek have made this a relatively painless procedure. Be aware, though, that crossing will still be difficult when the creek is particularly high, and unfortunately, the stepping stones (particularly beneath the stairs across the street from the larger parking lot) do not offer optimal traction. This aside, Xen’s Trail is a very easy and relaxing trail.

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Westmoreland County Parks

Yough River at Cedar Creek Park (photo by Andrew)

Exploring the major Westmoreland County parks (Northmoreland, Twin Lakes, Mammoth, Cedar Creek) is a completely different experience than visiting Allegheny County’s parks (e.g., North Park, Hartwood Acres, Deer Lakes). Although there are “formulaic” Allegheny County parks, given that North Park, South Park, and Boyce Park all follow the same basic approach to layout and amenities, all of the Westmoreland County parks I’m familiar with are strikingly similar, in atmosphere and (generally) amenities and attractions.

The primary attraction in each park is a paved trail around a lake, or two, in the case of Twin Lakes (obviously); Cedar Creek is the exception, as we’ll get to later.. These lakefront trails tend to be very well maintained, even in the winter, in my experience. There are also plenty of picnic groves that actually feel relatively peaceful and rural, despite their proximity to a road (something that cannot be said for many Allegheny County parks). This is really the key to the Westmoreland County parks and what makes them so enjoyable; they’re lovely, spacious places with gorgeous landscaping and massive fields that can be a pleasure just to aimlessly walk through (assuming there are no baseball games going on, of course…). All of the parks are located in relatively remote locations; accordingly, they’re somewhat of a pain to get to, but their rural settings surely enhance their best qualities.

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Blue Run Trail

Until recently, the sign naming “Blue Run Trail” at the entrance wasn’t even there; I only remembered the area being called that from visiting in the 90’s. The Indiana Township website and municipal building simply didn’t seem to have any information about the trail, and until I visited the area the other day to write this article, I was planning to introduce it with an extended musing on the motives for not even bestowing upon the area an official name. I’m happy to report that a (rather weathered-looking) sign now graces the trailhead and makes locating the trail slightly easier (and will hopefully attract more visitors).

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