When Pittsburgh families need a full day outdoors, they point the car at North Park. Allegheny County’s largest park spreads across 3,075 acres in the North Hills — a 75-acre lake for kayaking and fishing at its heart, ringed by trails, playgrounds, groves and some of the region’s best picnic shelters.
Build the day your way: paddle boats and the boathouse in summer, the year-round ice rink (a beloved county institution) in winter, the skate park and dek hockey for the big kids, and miles of mountain bike and hiking trails for everyone. The park’s pool — one of the largest in Pennsylvania when it opened — still anchors summer, and its Latodami Nature Center programs connect kids with the park’s wildlife year-round.
North Park is about 12 miles north of downtown, free to enter. County park schedules are at alleghenycounty.us — this is the region’s backyard, and it’s a beauty.
