Parks & Forests

Pittsburgh Region

• Allegheny County Parks Department
  Includes information about and directions to the county's nine regional parks: Boyce, Deer Lakes, Harrison Hills, Hartwood Acres, North, Round Hill, Settler's Cabin, South, and White Oak.
• Allegheny County Parks
  The story of the parks system surrounding Pittsburgh operated by the Allegheny County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. An article by R. Jay Gangewere in Carnegie Magazine, July/August 1986.
• City of Pittsburgh Department of Parks & Recreation
  Provides information on the city's recreational programs (Citiparks). Includes a directory to all of the city parks.
  • City of Pittsburgh Regional Parks Master Plan - April 2001
    Download the PDF or Powerpoint presentations of the plans to restore the 4 main city parks. They are large so do this over a fast connection.
• Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
  The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, in partnership with the City of Pittsburgh, is working to restore, renew, revitalize and preserve the four great parks of Pittsburgh - Frick, Highland, Riverview and Schenley.
  • Schenley Plaza
    A new urban park located between the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Hillman Library of the University of Pittsburgh in Oakland.
• PopCity: Overrun South Side Park to get reclaimed, revitalized
  "For years, the 65-acre South Side Park has been little-known by residents in the surrounding South Side Flats, South Side Slopes and Arlington neighborhoods. It's become overgrown with invasive species, and its fields, trails, playground and former ice arena have gone all but unused."
• Riverlife Task Force
  The Riverlife Task Force is a public-private partnership established in 2000 to guide and advocate for the redevelopment of Pittsburgh's riverfronts. At the heart of our plan is the creation of Three Rivers Park: a grand urban waterfront park along the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers that provides a continuous green trail link between existing and future riverfront destinations, as well as exciting new park spaces, amenities and commercial destinations.
  • Three Rivers Park

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Pennsylvania

• Allegheny National Forest
  The USDA Forest Service website with information and links
• Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation
  The Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation (PPFF) was created in 1999 to give supporters and users of Pennsylvania's parks and forests a positive way to contribute to the conservation of our publicly-owned properties.
• Pennsylvania Recreation and Parks Society
  Founded in 1935, the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society (PRPS) is the principal state organization promoting quality recreation and park training, networking, and leadership opportunities for those working and volunteering in the field.
• Pennsylvania State Forests
  Information on the state forests from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
  • Forbes State Forest
    Forbes State Forest is the one closest to Pittsburgh, containing over 20 separate tracts of State Forest Land in Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland Counties, most lying along Laurel Ridge. Six State Parks and three State Forest Picnic Areas have been developed.
• Pennsylvania State Parks
  The official Pennsylvania state site with information on all state parks.
  • Southwest Region
• US Army Corps of Engineer Pittsburgh Division
  
  • Recreation
    The Corps provides recreation opportunities (camping, swimming, boating) at 16 flood control projects (lakes), and 23 navigation projects (locks and dams) on the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers. This website provides information for each one.

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Nearby States

• Monongahela National Forest (WV)
  Established in 1911, Monongahela National Forest covers over 909,000 acres in 10 counties in West Virginia, making it the fourth largest National Forest in 20 northeastern states. It is within one day's drive of one-third of the population of the United States and offers 23 campgrounds, 17 picnic areas, and 500 plus miles of hiking trails; 5 federally designated wilderness areas; 230 species of birds; 75 tree species; 129 miles of warm water fishing and 576 miles of trout streams.
• Ohio State Parks
  Ohio has 74 state parks. At this website you can check to see whether campsites are available.
• West Virginia State Parks and Forests
  This official website includes information on resort parks, cabin parks, camping parks, day use parks, trails, natural/historic parks, and state forests. Includes links to independent websites for many of the state's parks and forests, with information on camping and facilities.

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United States - Directories

• Fodor's National Parks Travel Guide
  the very best experiences in the U.S. National Parks.
• L.L. Bean's Parksearch
  browse nearly 900 national parks and forests, state parks and other great outdoor locales across the U.S.
• National Parks and Conservation Association
  NPCA's mission is to protect and improve the quality of our National Park System and to promote an understanding, appreciation, and sense of personal commitment to parklands.
• Recreation.gov
  Recreation.gov includes information on government managed and government affiliated (subordinate, subsidiary or member) sites, such as national parks, national forests, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites. You can make reservations for these online.
• US National Park Service
  An extensive site with information on all of the National Parks, National Battlefields, National Monuments, National Historic Sites, National Historical Parks, National Lakeshores.
• USDA Forest Service
  Includes Recreation Activities information, some from other sites.

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International

• Parks Canada
  The federal Parks Canada National Programs include National Historic Sites of Canada, National Marine Conservation Areas of Canada, and National Parks of Canada