Folks, I've had so many incredible photos I've shot from here over the years and need to really pull them up and get posted. Perhaps it's just an excuse to visit on my next trip home. The park is on the Mount (Mt. Washington) with over 250 acres and crazy-good views of the city. It has gardens and walking trails (10+ miles). The most interesting and best part of this park is that it was a dump site (illegal) restored into a beautiful area for everyone to enjoy. read more

Emerald View is a Pittsburgh treasure! The concept is stunning, a series of trails that encircle the neighborhoods of Mt Washington and Duquesne Heights. The reward is a natural paradise in the midst of an urban center and stunning views of the Downtown skyline. You can hike within the dense canopy of leaves, and then arrive at beautiful views of the West End, the West End Bridge, and of Downtown. The park showcases the city in such a unique way, and it is only minutes away from our downtown hotels. What a remarkable treat for Pittsburgh visitors, but also city residents. Created in 2005, it's the newest and smallest of our network of 5 main city parks, that include Frick, Schenley, Highland, and Riverview. The trails were professionally designed, then developed by community volunteers plus a workforce training program. It's 257 acres, and filled with opportunities for birding, nature hikes, and urban exercise. read more

The view is breath taking. I really wish I had time to see it during the day to see how far you can see but I was happy with seeing everything lit up read more

Emerald View Park - Hiking Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We met some friends here in March/April to do a little hiking. There weren't any leaves on the trees or undercover growing at the time we went but I can imagine it would add so much to this area and make the hike that much more enjoyable. The trail takes you towards Mt. Washington and provides really cool views of the city. It then winds around a few neighborhoods, through Duquesne Heights and Olympia Park. Some of the trail was hard to follow through the neighborhoods - you had to know what markers you were looking for to stay on it. Also there was quite a bit of trash through these parts which was a little bit of a turn off. There were broken bottles and glass laying around and with our four legged pups along, we had to watch our steps. I would give this area another shot during a different time of the year. I truly believe parts of it could be really beautiful and without much foot traffic, it was kind of peaceful and nice to get lost in nature with city views at hand. read more

Great way to get a quick hike within confines of city. Reward is the great views. One note: Google directed me to Grand View Park. So if using Google maps make sure you look close at destination before beginning journey. If you do end up at Grand, need not to worry, Grand View Park also has trail access. read more

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Without knowing too much about this area, we went specifically to go hiking on the Emerald View Trail, and it was a pleasant surprise. We parked at Olympia Park, near the dog play area, and walked down to the dead end of Hallock Street, where the trail begins. We hiked for approx. two and a half hours, and made our way from one end of the trail, all the way through the woods and ended up on Mt. Washington at the "Points of View" statue (This statue of George Washington & Chief Guyasuta has its own Yelp listing, just search for "Points of View."). We saw urban ruins of old foundations, some small streams, walked over top of the Fort Pitt Tunnel, all the way over and above the West End Circle. We saw great views of the river and bridges, and of the city. There were lots of trail markers, and a lot of other cross-trails that we could've taken. Also, there were a few breaks where you had to walk on the street for a short while, or cross over some streets, but it was pretty easy staying on the trail. Some of the areas were a little rough at times, and there were a lot of elevation changes, not too steep, but you do go up and down quite a bit. After we got to the end of the trail on Mt. Washington, we followed Grandview Ave. back to Hallock Street to our car (with a short stop at the Duquesne Incline and lookout), which really didn't take too much time at all. This trail is a hidden urban treasure, and I thought it was well worth giving it a try. Note: bring water, as there are no places to get a drink along the way, and we did encounter one port-a-john (didn't need to use it), but there were no other facilities along the trail. read more

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Read about Emerald View Park in Venture Outdoors calendar and decided to check out in my own. Took one of four recommended trails that were build on the side of Mt Washington -- who knew?? -- and was blown away by the views and extensive trails. It's a bit rugged and not for the faint of heart, but a real hidden gem. I attached a link to a map of the trails. You will need it to find the trailheads. Another feature that makes me proud to live here! read more

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This is such a hidden gem! I was looking for fun things to do for our family staycation and this park popped up in one of my searches. We did the Greenleaf - George & Guy Hike (2.5 mile loop). We parked at the trailhead and went to the right. The hike started out downhill and then got steep on the uphill with significant drop offs to the left. I would not take young children on this hike as there is no barrier to prevent falling down the mountain and the trail is rough. We absolutely loved the challenge of the terrain and the views (near Monterey Bay) were excellent. The "trail" also includes some street walking, and it was nice to see some of the Mt. Washington neighborhood that was not right on Grandview. I downloaded the trail map to my phone before we started out and was glad that we had it as the trail wasn't always well marked, especially when we got to the street sections. We will definitely do this hike again and maybe explore some of the other trails on our next visit. read more

Emerald View Park - Greenleaf - George & Guy Hike - Hiking Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The hike starts on Mt. Washington at the strange sculpture of George Washington and a Native American squatting closely face-to-face. It's definitely an urban hike -- my impression was that the Western PA Conservancy is still working on the aesthetics, trying to re-grow native plants and trees where now there's a lot of growth but much of it is plant life that has grown over industrial debris. There's a long-shot photograph posted along the way somewhere that shows the hillside completely clear-cut and barren, with a crazy long diagonal staircase stretching across to the top of the hill. The park wraps around so you get views down the river toward the West and then over the West End. We had to stop at that point because we brought our old neighbor with us and he was having a hard time -- there are some steep parts. So I'd say we only covered about half of the park, but will go back and do the whole thing. It was interesting and definitely worth doing, but probably not for little ones. read more