The Best Parks Pittsburgh Has to Offer This Spring
Pittsburgh spring has a reputation, and it's well earned. The city is grey and cold well into March — sometimes April and early May — and then something shifts almost overnight. The city streets get their color back. The neighborhood parks turn green once again. Cherry blossoms show up on sidewalks you walked past all winter without a second thought, and the sky goes from its typical Pittsburgh grey to a bright blue. And suddenly everyone remembers why they love to live here.
The best parks Pittsburgh has to offer are easy to overlook when you're buried in a never-ending February. But spring has a way of making them impossible to ignore. Frick Park's trails come alive. The Walled Garden at Mellon Park fills up with smiling people. Highland Park's Reservoir Loop gets crowded by 9 am on a Saturday.
Don’t take the weather for granted. Before it starts to get hot and humid, grab a coffee from your favorite spot and get out there — here are the best parks in Pittsburgh to visit this spring:
Schenley Park
Schenley Park is 456 acres, which is big enough that you will never get bored. In spring, the cherry blossom trees around the Westinghouse Memorial bloom early, and for about two weeks, people stop and take photos.
Phipps Conservatory is right at the edge of the park and runs a spring flower show every year that's worth the entry fee. Nothing beats seeing rows of tulips and hanging orchids, and the smell of actual growing things after five months of Pittsburgh grey.
Flagstaff Hill is a wide grassy slope with a clear view of the Cathedral of Learning rising above the tree line. On a warm afternoon, it fills up fast. Bring a blanket, some books, snacks, and some sunscreen. You'll probably stay longer than you planned.
Mellon Park
Mellon Park doesn't have a grand entrance. You won’t find a big parking lot or a sign for it. It sits between Shadyside and Point Breeze, almost hidden away.
The Walled Garden is the reason most people come back to Mellon Park. With stone walls on all sides and a formal layout, somehow — despite sitting in the middle of a city — it feels cut off from everything outside it. Spring mornings there are quiet in a way that Pittsburgh, for all its charms, doesn't offer you very often.
Also, Mellon Park is home to the Marshall Mansion grounds, which add a layer of history that most neighborhood parks don't have. The architecture alone is worth a slow walk.
Highland Park
Highland Park is an awesome spot to check out in the spring. The Reservoir Loop is a wide, flat path that circles the old water reservoir, and right around late April, the cherry trees along it hit their peak. The timing is never quite predictable — some years it's early, some years Pittsburgh's weather delays it by two weeks — but the walk is about as pleasant as this city gets. The Victorian-style gardens and fountains make you feel like you stumbled into a different era.
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium is right there inside the park, and spring is one of the best times to go. The animals are more active, the crowds haven't hit their summer peak yet, and the grounds themselves are gorgeous.
Frick Park
At 644 acres, it's the largest park in the system and the best park for hikers in Pittsburgh. Unlike Schenley or Mellon, it makes no attempt to be polished. The trails are rooty and uneven in places, the ravines are steep, and it feels like a forest that the city just happened to grow up around. Clayton Hill is a great, reliable spot for birdwatching during the spring migration. So bring a decent pair of binoculars.
Blue Slide Park sits at the Beechwood Boulevard entrance. The blue slide itself is a Pittsburgh institution at this point. Local artist Mac Miller famously put the park on the map for the rest of the world. But for those living in the East End, it has always been a staple neighborhood park.
A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go
Go early on weekends. Parking fills up fast by mid-morning most days. Layer up, because Pittsburgh spring weather will test you at least once. Bring out what you bring in. Don’t litter.
The best parks in Pittsburgh are ready for visitors. Spring here is short. So get outside while it lasts.
