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Parks & Forests

See also Trails and Urban Parks.

Pittsburgh Region

  • Allegheny County Parks Department
    http://www.alleghenycounty.us/parks/
    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
    http://www.carnegielibrary.org/locations/pennsylvania/history/parks.html 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
    http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/parks/
    Provides information on the city's recreational programs (Citiparks). Includes a directory to all of the city parks.
  • GO Guide
    http://goguide.3rc.org/
    Great Outdoors Guide to Southwestern Pennsylvania. This is a pilot system showcasing information related to outdoor recreation in Southwestern Pennsylvania. If you have information about an outdoors group to add, they would like your input.
  • Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
    http://www.pittsburghparks.org/
    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.
  • Point State Park Planning Committee
    http://www.pointstatepark.org/
    The Allegheny Conference and Riverlife Task Force established the Point State Park Planning Committee in early 2001 to develop, coordinate, and implement a plan for the park (which is at the junction of the Ohio, Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers in Downtown Pittsburgh), convening stakeholders and citizens in the process. On their website you can see the Comprehensive Master Plan for Point State Park from January 2003.
  • Riverlife Task Force
    http://www.riverlifetaskforce.org/
    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.

Pennsylvania

  • Allegheny National Forest
    http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/allegheny/
    The USDA Forest Service website with information and links
  • Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation
    http://www.paparksandforests.org/
    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
    http://www.prps.org/
    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
    http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/
    Information on the state forests from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry
    • Forbes State Forest
      http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/forbes.aspx
      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
    http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/
    The official Pennsylvania state site with information on all state parks.
  • US Army Corps of Engineer Pittsburgh Division
    http://www.lrp.usace.army.mil/
    • 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.

Nearby States

  • Monongahela National Forest (WV)
    http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/mnf/
    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
    http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/
    Ohio has 74 state parks. At this website you can check to see whether campsites are available.
  • West Virginia State Parks and Forests
    http://www.wvstateparks.com/
    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.

United States - Directories

  • Fodor's Parks of North America
    National seashores, forests, parks and monuments in the US and Canada
  • L.L. Bean's Parksearch
    http://www.llbean.com/parksearch/
    browse nearly 900 national parks and forests, state parks and other great outdoor locales across the U.S.
  • National Parks and Conservation Association
    http://www.npca.org/
    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
    http://www.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
    http://www.nps.gov/
    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
    http://www.fs.fed.us/
    Includes Recreation Activities information, some from other sites.

International

  • Parks Canada
    http://www.parkscanada.ca/
    The federal Parks Canada National Programs include National Historic Sites of Canada, National Marine Conservation Areas of Canada, and National Parks of Canada