IN Shaler Spring 2020 | Page 40

Take a After being indoors all winter, a spring hike or bike ride is the perfect way to recharge. There are dozens of scenic trails to choose from in your area – all unique and worth visiting at least once. IN Fox Chapel Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve 614 Dorseyville Road, Fox Chapel; 412.963.6100, or aswp.org/locations/beechwood Nature lovers will marvel at all the hiking options offered at Beechwood Farms! There are 5 miles of trails winding through several varied habitats. Try the Spring Hollow Trail which passes through a hardwood forest, a stream hollow, a meadow and past a treehouse for a bird’s eye view of the forest. Visit the website for more info on this venue with year-round events and how you can volunteer at the reserve. Fox Chapel Flower and Wildlife Reserve Loop Trail Squaw Run Road, Fox Chapel; 412.963.1100, or fox‑chapel.pa.us Take this scenic one-mile hike along a trail of trillium accented with Virginia Bluebells at Stony Camp Run. This reserve was dedicated to Richard Boyles, the first borough manager of Fox Chapel. Salamander Park Trail Fox Chapel Road, Fox Chapel; 412.963.1100, or fox‑chapel.pa.us See if you can catch a glimpse of a salamander on this 1.5-mile round‑trip trail. The cute critters can be seen on the dry pond bed along the trail. Want to help maintain the trail? Visit the Fox Chapel Land Trust website at fcalandtrust.org to learn more. 38 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE ❘ Todd Nature Reserve Kepple Road, Sarver; 412.963.6100, or aswp.org Looking for a new area to hike this spring that’s just a short drive away? Todd Nature Reserve is “full of hiking trails, abundant with the natural beauty of the forest, streams and a pond.” IN Hampton Crouse Run Nature Reserve Wildwood Road by Tuscan Inn lower parking lot, Allison Park; pinecreeklandtrust.org Put on your muck boots and enjoy crossing the stream to the trail that follows. Crouse Run is an enchanted and magical nature reserve! This area includes exposed rock, hemlock trees, wildflowers and birds. Interested in helping to maintain the reserve for years to come? Visit the “Support” page of the website. Hampton Municipal Park – Rachel Carson Trail 3101 McCully Road, Allison Park; 412.486.0400, or hampton-pa.org This scenic park provides forested hiking trails, along with a portion of the Rachel Carson Trail, which extends 35.7 miles from North Park to Harrison Hills Park. icmags.com Hartwood Acres Park 200 Hartwood Acres, Allison Park; 412.767.9200, or alleghenycounty.us Hartwood Acres features a 1929 mansion surrounded by a lush forest. Hike or bike the wooded trails, or take the paved path by the mansion and formal gardens, peppered with magnificent sculpture. Wildwood Mine Loop Pie Traynor Field Parking in North Park, South Ridge Drive, Allison Park; alleghenycounty.us/parks Put your loyal canine friend on a leash and get some fresh air at a unique 4-mile trail. Pass through Rocky Dell Run, a forest of giant trees and an abandoned picnic pavilion from 1927. IN Mars Adams Township Community Park 698 Valencia Road, Mars; 724.625.2221, or adamstwp.org/parks-community-park.html Celebrate spring with a 1.3-mile hike that takes you through a beautiful country setting. IN North Allegheny Acorn Park Magee Road Extension, Franklin Park; 412.364.4115, or franklinparkborough.us Acorn Park welcomes mountain bikers this spring! This 25-acre park is “a natural area having been untouched for over 100 years. Hiking, equestrian, and mountain bike trails traverse most of this park.” Bradford Woods Reserve Bradford Road, Bradford Woods; bradfordwoodspa.org, or alleghenylandtrust.org Hike on a winding trail through tall trees, over a charming wooden footbridge and through a clearing with wildflowers and a pond that make up this 4.5-acre reserve.