Allegheny Land Trust Green Spaces for Recreation and Quiet Contemplation (Mon., 9/11/23)

Sycamore Island is a ‘Green Space’ haven river-bound and close to town.

Speaking of Pittsburgh’s best-kept secrets: Have you heard of Allegheny Land Trust?  The nonprofit maintains “Green Spaces” across the city and into the suburbs and exurbs. There’s a bunch of them, open daily for activities ranging from relaxed walks to biking, birding, and even camping. Wingfield Pines, south of Downtown, is a reclaimed strip-mining area. Audubon Greenway in Sewickley is notably bike-able. Emerald View Park on the slopes of Mt. Washington offers wooded trails with, as the name implies, great views. And Sycamore Island—in the Allegheny River, just a few miles upstream from the Point—is singularly cool. Reachable only by boat, it’s a patch of undisturbed nature where one can camp overnight (get a permit in advance) almost within shouting distance of the city limits. But don’t shout; check it out. The Land Trust has 22 Green Spaces overall, having added Girty’s Woods in the Shaler/Millvale communities under its protection. The Land Trust has also now secured a tract in Churchill Valley. (M.V.)

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