Riverview Park

I was recently out enjoying a fine November weekend and decided to explore Riverview Park. Riverview Park is located just north of Pittsburgh along Perrysville Ave (Route 19). Probably the most well-known and visible feature of the park is the Allegheny Observatory, located on a hilltop in the center of the park. The park itself winds around the hilltop and includes wooded paths, a road/path, several pavilions and a pool. The park opened in 1894 within the City of Allegheny and today is undergoing some improvements thanks to the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

At this time of year, there was ample space to park up by the Observatory. Because the leaves are all down, you can get a good sense of the overall layout of the paths and roads without much difficulty (I can imagine in the summer months that the paths would feel much more secluded). I really loved how the domes of the Observatory peaked out through the trees almost everywhere I walked; it was an easy way to navigate and quite scenic as well.

The hillside around the observatory is well maintained with a long sloping lawn. A fenced-in, off-leash dog area is located here next to the Observatory. Around the lower portions of the hillside and on the slopes, the park has a number of wooded paths. The paths can be as short or as long as you like since they mostly double back on themselves. They were fairly well kept and several joggers were out when I was there.

One section of paths that is beyond the hill is the Snyder Point natural area. The conservancy is working to restore the setting and right now with the trees bare, you can enjoy the view across to the Ohio River.

A narrow road winds throughout the park with wide shoulders well marked on either side. This is a great option for bicyclists and joggers, and even a number of dog walkers that I saw. The speed is of cars is kept down and there is little traffic. A few pavilions, a playground, and a pool are also located within the park.

Being lucky enough to live near Frick Park, I get to enjoy the Pittsburgh city parks almost every day. Riverview Park is another nice option within the parks system and we’re lucky to have it. I’m glad I took the chance to explore a new part of my city.

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The family's all here! Now what do we do?

The holiday season is fast approaching, a time to be surrounded by family and friends, to feel the joy of the season, ... to generally stress out!

Let Your Active City do our part to relieve your stress and encourage you to have a fun and connected holiday season. Below is our list of ideas for things to do with the family around Thanksgiving.

#1. Take a tour - Ok, I may be biased, but tours are a great way to spend a big chunk of time with friends and family and maybe even learn something new.

Oakland on the World Stage is a walking tour of Schenley Plaza, which sounds pretty tame but it actually a surprisingly interesting and information-packed tour. For example, on the tour you learn about the 1st artificial ice rink in North America, a bridge that was buried in the ground, and a hotel that housed the rich and famous of the early 20th century - all in Oakland! It’s an easy walk and fully accessible.

Another great tour option are the 27 Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral of Learning. The rooms are visited by over 15,000 people each year (no kidding) and are world-renowned. Take a tour with us and you’ll learn all the secrets of these rooms. Groups of 10 or more can also tour with University of Pittsburgh student guides, or simply wander through the rooms on their own (although there is a lot to see and a guide is highly recommended).

Both tours can be modified to run either 1 hour or 1½ hours in length. They can also be combined for a 2-hour tour experience. Call (412) 303-0566 or email info@youractivecity.comto ask questions or to set up a tour for your family and friends. More details can also be found at http://www.youractivecity.com/.

Hint 1: Combine a tour with a visit to the Carnegie Museums or Phipps Conservatory. You’ll have a full day of activities with your loved ones and no stress added!

Other great tours in the Pittsburgh area include‘Burgh Bits & Bites food tours and Sole City tours.

#2. Go to a park - I know, I know. It’s too cold, there’s no leaves, what will we do there, etc, etc. I am a huge fan of fall and winter hiking and if you’re looking for a free and fun way to spend some time out of the house – I say “Send your family to a park!”

Now that the leaves are down, you’ll see things you never noticed, before I guarantee it. Plus, this is the time when we really need to get outside and enjoy the sun (what there is of it) and crisp fall air. You’ll be amazed at how refreshed and invigorated you feel after even an hour outside. There are no crowds, parking spaces are there for the taking, and the kids can run around. It’s not really that cold anyway. Come on, give it a try. Admission is FREE.

#3. Museums - Museums abound around Pittsburgh, so you can take your pick. Both sections of the Carnegie Museum in Oakland have new exhibitions running which will please patrons of all ages. The Carnegie Museum of Natural History has just opened Whales/Tohora, on loan from New Zealand’s National Museum. It is all about whales and the connection between whales and the peoples of New Zealand.

The Carnegie Museum of Art has just opened a new section – the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Galleries, which showcase some amazing pieces from the museum's decorative arts collection. These galleries include furniture from the 18th century to mid-20th century modern. Admission is good for both museums and is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $11 for kids 3-18. *Remember that the museums are closed Mondays and major holidays.

Phipps Conservatory is another great staple for all ages and interests right there in Oakland. With the winter season, it’s nice to be back among flowers and warmth. The glass art pieces scattered throughout the conservatory add a great dimension to the visit, and kids will adore the Tropical Forest. You can read my review of Phipps here. Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and students with ID, and $7 for kids 2-18. Phipps is closed on Thanksgiving day both otherwise open daily from 9:30 am to 5 pm, plus open late on Fridays until 10 pm.

Other museum possibilities are the Warhol, hosting the Shepard Fairey exhibition Supply and Demand until the end of the year, the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, celebrating 50 years, or the Frick Art and Historical Center where admission to the Art Museum and Car and Carriage Museum is free.

Please search our Your Active Blog archives for further ideas and feel free to provide some suggestions of your own by commenting below. I hope every one has a happy Thanksgiving celebration!

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Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum

Since this week includes Veteran’s Day and I’ve just launched my historic tour of Oakland, the signs all seem to be indicating that it’s time to blog about the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum in Oakland.

Many do not realize there is a museum inside the large temple-like building along 5th Avenue in Oakland, just across from the William Pitt Union. Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum opened in 1910 as a project of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) to honor the veterans of the Civil War. Today the Hall honors American veterans from all eras and houses a great hidden treasure - the military museum.

The building was designed by Henry Hornbostel, the architect also responsible for the CMU campus and an early version of the University of Pittsburgh campus in Oakland. For those that appreciate neo-classical architecture, this is an impressive example of Beaux-Arts in the original Oakland Civic Center.

Journey up the long lawn and you’ll come to the main entrance of the Hall. Step inside and sign in, no admission is required in 2009 although a donation is encouraged. Once you’ve signed in, you’ll be able to walk around the “museum”. The majority of the hall is taken up by a central auditorium, but the halls around the auditorium have been made into a museum housing over a hundred years’ worth of militaria.

Starting to the left, you’ll move through military history from pre-Civil War to the recent conflicts in the Middle East. In addition to the hallway exhibits, there are a few thematic rooms displaying aspects of military life.

Along the main halls of the museum, the amount and variety of military memorabilia is impressive and certainly a must-see for anyone interested in militaria. In addition to numerous uniforms and a scattering of guns and cannons, there are a variety of personal artifacts and even a Korean War-era Jeep. As to the thematic exhibits, I particularly liked the “Thinking of You” section, which includes touching mementoes and letters from service men and women to their families.

Wandering these halls, you can also learn about the some of the unsung and unremembered groups in the military. There were a number of pieces about the place of women, including a WWII female pilot from our area whose service was only recognized decades later. Near the start of the museum there is a small room describing the place of children in wartime, which included becoming soldiers themselves during the Civil War.

If you are looking for a hidden museum and/or enjoy militaria, this is the place for you. It is also a great time to honor the service and sacrifice of thousands of local military service men and women. The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday 10 am – 4 pm and parking can be found in the garage under the hall as well as around Oakland.

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I’m on a roll. And now…Frick Park

Since I’ve covered the Frick house and the Frick Art Gallery, I might as well complete the trifecta and review my favorite park – Frick Park! Sadly, I never really appreciated the beauty of Frick Park until I moved to Squirrel Hill and can now visit it nearly every day. If you have only ever driven past and never entered the park (as I did countless times) give yourself a little present and take some time to explore it during these last days of fall. I’ve included some photos here to give you a sense of the park.

Frick is the largest of the Pittsburgh parks at 561 acres (!) and the most natural-feeling, in my opinion. While I enjoy the other city parks, Frick is absolutely my favorite for its variety and sense of wilderness in the city. Unlike the other city parks, Frick Park was not as obviously “created” or landscaped by the Victorian sensibility of the early 1900s, and so you retain the slopes and valleys and woodland feeling. I’ll try to cover the park in sections since there is so much to see.

Upper Park (Beechwood and Nicholson/English Lane, Squirrel Hill)
At one time there was a golf course in the park and you can see evidence of this in the grassy plateau mounds in the upper part of Frick. This section of the park is kept more like a large lawn and offers a great view of the Monongahela River valley. There is also the Blue Slide Playground, a baseball diamond, and in the winter some really great sledding riding here! If you're up for it, you can also take advantage of the exercise stops around the path here (or just practice your parcour moves).

Dog lovers take note – there is an off-leash dog area in the park which is most easily found by parking along Beechwood and entering here. Simply take the paved path back through the lawn area and keep walking until you see the sign for the OLEA (Off-Leash Exercise Area). Or, more simply, just follow all the other dogs and you’ll find it.

This is also a good entrance to the mountain biking singletrack which runs throughout the park. Just enter along the pathway and angle up above the baseball diamond, there’s a dirt path up the embankment that leads into the singletrack. Other paths run off the wider multi-purpose trails, just keep a look out on the sides. Here is a link to a nice map of the singletrack trais. Please remember that these trails are multi-use and consider joggers/kids/dogs.

Frick Environmental Center entrance (Beechwood just off Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill)
This is a great entrance for hikers and joggers. Once you enter the park here, you are right on the wooded jogging paths and have a variety of options. Check out the wooden deck “overlook”, it’s a relaxing spot to hang out. If you don’t want to hike very far, there is a short loop around the deck that is perfect for young kids. Also take a stroll up past the summer camp area into the path through the brush. This used to be kept mowed, but is now allowed to grow as a natural meadow. The FEC still holds classes and a summer camp for kids, although the main building was burned out decades ago and has never been refurbished. There is a parking lot at this entrance.

Lower Parking lot – Commercial St (Squirrel Hill/Swisshelm Park)
There are three gravel parking areas just off Commercial St, at the bottom of the valley, which lead to the lower Frick trails. These parking areas are a great starting point for mountain bikers and those who want to hike both sides of Nine Mile Run. Nine Mile Run is in the process of being restored by the great work of the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association and deserves a look. Where it passes through the main part of Frick Park, the run is now kept cleared and protected (where necessary) to encourage the return of more native species. Please note that the water in the creek, however, is still not suitable for drinking or play and does contain runoff matter.

Cross the street from the main park, and you can hike/bike a relatively new portion of Frick Park. This trail runs along the valley at the bottom of the Summerset residential plan, which was built on a slag dump. This trail gives you a sense of the earlier character of the area before restoration and leads ultimately to the Monongahela River at Duck Hollow.

Tennis Courts and Lower Parking (Lot off W. Hutchinson, Regent Square)
For those entering Frick Park from the Regent Square side, both parking lots offer direct access to the lower portion of Frick Park, Nine Mile Run, and the hiking/jogging paths. You do start at the bottom of the valley on this side, so at least you get a downhill going back to your car. There are playing fields next to the lower parking lot and what used to be the rugby pitch. There is also a small picnic shelter.

There are several other entrances to the park, some with parking and some without. A full map of the park and entrances can be found here or on the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy website.

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It’s the Frick…House (Part 2, Art Museum, Car & Carriage Museum)

If Clayton alone isn’t enough for you, or if you prefer a more economical day out, then may I suggest the Frick Art Museum and Car & Carriage Museum? Everyone I know would enjoy at least one, if not both, of these options and better yet, both are FREE admission (there is a box for donations at the entrances).

My focus for this trip was to see the Art Museum and the new exhibition Icons of American Photography. This is a collection of images from the Cleveland Museum of Art representing photography and technology from 1850-1960. The first pieces I saw walking in the door were a collection of daguerreotypes. I’ve seen daguerreotypes before, mostly faded and weathered, but these were crisp, sharp, and almost eerie. It was a very striking set with typically odd Victorian subjects.

As I moved around the room, I was struck by some of the turn-of-the-century western landscapes from Yosemite and other western parks. Since I just watched the National Parks series on PBS, I recognized several of the locations and it was fun to see in person images I had just watched on TV.

Portraits were scattered among these landscapes, including one of Georgia O’Keefe by Alfred Stieglitz and a striking photo of Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor. Turning the corner, I came face-to-face with an incredible photograph by Ansel Adams, whose work I’ve only ever seen in books. Seeing the real thing, in person, was a great experience.

In my opinion, this exhibit is well worth visiting and small enough that it can be enjoyed in a reasonable period of time.

I also walked through the permanent collection and I was struck by the same feeling I had at Clayton. It was almost like Helen Clay Frick was welcoming me into her home, albeit the public and ritzy part of her home. The pieces displayed here are from her personal collection and include 14th century religious panel paintings, 18th century French paintings, furniture, and more. I particularly enjoyed the fact that I could get up close and really see these paintings. There are only a few rooms, so I felt that I could spend the time seeing each one and not worry about what was around the next corner. It was an intimate, relaxing experience to tour the Art Museum and for this price, you’d be crazy not to stop by.

If art is not your thing and you've been dragged to the Frick, perhaps you'll enjoy the Car & Carriage Museum which I thought was nice and which Your Active Husband could have stayed in for hours on end. This museum contains an array of fine cars and carriages, including several used by the Fricks, which Helen Frick brought back to Pittsburgh. Also in the museum are automobiles donated by G. Whitney Snyder. The cars range in age from an 1881 Brougham to a 1940 American Bantam Convertible Coupe. There is even a car built in Pittsburgh; I didn’t know we had a company.

I must confess that, as with all things cars, I probably could not fully appreciate the fine collection of vehicles in front of me. Nevertheless, they were very pretty and had nice upholstery. (I’m learning to appreciate these cars more after seeing the Vintage Grand Prix this year at Schenley Park. I highly recommend you see the race next summer, particularly early on when they’re racing the really old cars. It’s very unpredictable and fun.) Disregarding my untrained eye, Your Active Husband assures me that the cars was very cool and several were famous models that he had only ever seen in books or on TV. Even if cars are not your thing, I suggest at least taking a look in the museum.

The Frick Art and History Center is open Tue-Sat 10 am to 5 pm and includes free parking in the lot on their grounds. For directions and more information visit their website.

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It's the Frick....House (Part 1, Clayton)

If an ornate Gilded Age mansion can be called “cozy”, Clayton is that. I might also call it “cute” and “comfortable”. Clayton is a sparkling example of a fully decked-out, designer’s dream mansion that at the same time feels like a real home.

If you like material culture, design, or just seeing lots of cool old stuff, then Clayton should be on your must-see list (and shame on you for not getting there yet!). Tours of Clayton are only $12 and… get this …the Frick Art Gallery, Car and Carriage Museum, and grounds are all FREE!

More about this in Part 2, but really, if you live in the Squirrel Hill/Point Breeze/Regent Square area get yourself over there for an hour or two. It’s a great resource right on the edge of Frick Park and a perfect part of a day out on the East End. You can include lunch at the Café at Frick, or follow it up with a nice hike through Homewood Cemetery and a meal at Pointe Brugge (belgian beer and mussels, yum!).

But back to Clayton, this was the home of Henry Clay Frick, his wife Adelaide and four children, of whom only two survived. The Frick family lived at Clayton from 1882-1905 before moving to a much larger mansion in New York City. The home stayed in the family through Helen Clay Frick who obviously loved the house and thoughtfully preserved it and planned to have it opened to the public upon her death in 1984. After renovations, Clayton was opened for tours in 1990.

The great thing about touring Clayton is that with just a single owner over the last 100 years, and an owner who was dedicated to preserving it, 90% of the house is still as it was when the Frick’s bought and remodeled it in the 1890s. The wallpapers, the fixtures, the ceilings, the furniture – it’s like stepping back into that time and that family.

They do recommend you call in advance to sign up for a daily tour of Clayton. When you visit, the tours meet in the Visitor Center/Playhouse where you’ll check in and have an introduction by your docent prior to walking over to Clayton.

The downstairs, public rooms in Clayton are magnificently furnished and beautiful to walk through. My favorite rooms, however, were definitely the private rooms on the second floor. Mrs. Frick’s red boudoir is something to behold, as is Mr. Frick’s elaborate bathroom, but my favorite room was the “family room”. This was really their sitting room and study located just off from the family bedrooms. I could absolutely spend an entire afternoon in that space. You are just cocooned in wall paneling and can lounge on comfortably upholstered chaises, reading books or playing games while mom or dad works at their desk nearby.

I completely understand why Helen loved this house just as it was and wanted to continue to return there and preserve it. It is a like a memory of your house growing up, before you’ve moved out and they’ve turned your room into a “exercise den” and thrown away half your stuff (“oh, I didn’t think you still wanted that, dear…”).

As compared to visiting similar Gilded-Age mansions in Newport, RI, you get a much smaller house here and a different setting; but at Clayton you really see how the house lived. At other mansions the materials have mostly not been kept with the house, and what is displayed is really the public house, not the private/family house. Clayton is a treasure and a must-see.

Tours are $12 for adults, but Tuesdays are 2-for-1 days. The rest of the grounds, the greenhouse, the Car and Carriage Museum, and the Frick Art Gallery are all FREE. Parking at the Frick is fairly ample and also free.

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Allegrippis - "...and lo, they said there would be mountain biking for all, and it was good."

So Your Active Husband (YAH) and I (Me) heard this rumor about 8 months ago that IMBA (International Mountain Biking Association) was building, and we mean building, some mountain bike trails in central PA. This made us very happy since we would be returning to the motherland soon and could finally ride trails that weren’t made up of sand, large angular rocks, and more sand.

The Allegrippis Trails at Raystown Lake opened in May 2009 and comprise 32 miles of looped trail. You can find a trail map here. Last week, we finally made it to Raystown and the trails are like nothing I’ve ever been on, truly.

These are the first trails machine-built by IMBA and partners in Pennsylvania, and some of the first on the entire East Coast. In my mind the Allegrippis project represents a huge step forward in biking tourism in the state and I’m excited about what can happen in the future. (To learn more about how these trails came to be check out the article in Dirt Rag #143).

Just to ground you for this review, I’ll let you know that it will be written from two perspectives:

• Me - intermediate mountain biker, likes no stress rides, on a front-suspension hardtail Cannondale F1000 from 1998. I’ve named it the “Nimble Goat” or “Goat” for its fabulous climbing ability (YAH doesn’t believe in naming bikes, just taking lots and lots of pictures of them);
  
• Your Active Husband – advanced mountain biker, likes a challenge but will also slow down and ride with his low stress wife, biking on a no suspension, new-to-him, Kona Unit 29er (which just means oversize wheels, can someone say compensating? He assures me that the big wheels help him go over stuff, I believe him) single-speed (which means no gears and thus makes no sense) that does not have a name because that is not what men do.

Being machine-made, the Allegrippis trails are rated the way skiing trails are - green trails are easiest, blue trails are intermediate, and black trails are advanced. They are well signed and easy to follow.

So how are the trails? We’ve heard them described, as “fast”, “smooth”, “rollercoaster”, and these are all accurate but don’t quite describe the experience of riding the Allegrippis fully. Neither of us had ever been on machine-made trails before nor had a lot of the people we passed, so we all had this look on our faces kind of like disbelief – they actually built trails? Just for us? Here’s a rundown of pros and cons:

Pros:

• Accessible to all. This to me is key, because of the rankings and signage and the way the trails loop, anyone can ride here. I can ride with Your Active Husband and actually take some trails on my own, because I know I won’t get lost. For others who are directionally deficient out there, this is BIG!
  
• Less stressful day out. With the rankings you know exactly what you’re getting into, so no getting angry because you’ve been led to yet another steep climb, and forced to walk the bike through yet another rock garden, and… you get the picture.
  
• Fast trails. There were entire sections that looked flat but I didn’t need to touch a pedal, I just kept going.

Cons:

• Spontaneity. Since the trails are mapped out you do lose some of the sense of discovery and surprise. But for me, the surprise wears off about 30 minutes into yet another lost trail.
  
• Challenge. For advanced riders or those wanting a challenge, none of the trails are “technical” per se, but they offer a place and features to refine your skills that most trails don’t offer.

TRAIL REVIEW:
North Trails (suspension nice to have but not required)Fawn/Doe/Buck Trails (green).
(Me) If you can ride a bike you can basically ride these trails. True beginners still might find a few places they have to walk, but these trails are basically rock- and root-free and can be ridden at a slower pace. Good to build confidence and no surprises.

(Your Active Husband) If you’re advanced and riding these I found it a good place to warm up and work on dialing in my tire pressure and my pump technique.

Sleek Dog, Eagle, Osprey (blue).
(Me) The blue trails are not technical, but do require some more speed than the green, so you have to be comfortable riding with speed and taking some slightly bigger rollers and ups and downs. I LOVED these sections and thought they flowed beautifully. Osprey is entirely uphill going toward the parking lot, so keep that in mind.

(Your Active Husband) I’m gonna use a two words to describe Sleek Dog and Eagle – “flow country” - I didn’t ride much of Osprey so take the lady’s word on it.

Berry Patch, Loco – Motive, Red Legs (blue); Hydro Loop, Sidewinder, Ray’s Revenge (black).
(Me) Didn’t ride this time. But from his description, I believe I would be fine with Hydro Loop and Sidewinder is just painful, but doable.

(Your Active Husband) Hydro was super nice and not necessarily more technical than the blue trails, it just seemed that the interval between the rollers was closer together. I would not recommend riding Sidewinder or Ray’s Revenge from Osprey. They were steep with a few switchbacks that were loose, much better going down than up, plus there’s a small “dip” - think table top jump - on Ray’s Revenge. Berry Patch, Loco - Motive, Red Legs and Allie were great trails with a good mix of climbing and downhill to keep it interesting

South Trails (suspension highly recommended, unless you really like to be uncomfortable)
Dark Hollow, Shade, Dirt Sufer Barrel Bay (blue).
(Me) These trails are definitely bumpier and rockier (but not in a technical way) than the north trails; suspension was a great asset here. I really like these trails and they felt much more like “typical” PA mountain biking trails, a great view of the lake, and lots of up and down. I don’t know if it was because it was the end of the day or the way these trails are, but there was a lot of standing up on the bike for these and my body really started feeling it over here. I was actually hoping for stretches to pedal rather than coast because my legs and back hurt.

(Your Active Husband) For me these trails paled in comparison to the others. They felt choppy and just didn’t flow, but maybe that’s the point. I definitely wanted my full suspension bike for these as the single speed was starting to wear me down.

So that’s our review.

Whether you like these particular trails or not, I say - “Ride them!”, and get others to ride them, tell everyone you know about them. If Allegrippis is a success, and by that I mean brings in riders and money, then more will be created and more of Pennsylvania can work on developing more pockets of sustainable, outdoor-focused, tourism-based economies.

(Your Active Husband) These types of trails are very popular in England, pick up a copy of Singletrack magazine and see their perspective on the positives and negatives of the machine made trails (Me – I read it for the pretty pictures). All I can say is that we need to ride and support the groups that made them possible and I would urge everyone to buy an Allegrippis pint glass or t-shirt from Raystown Visitors Center (proceeds go back to the friends organization that made these trails possible). I wouldn’t want all of the trails to be like this in the future, but I think we need to establish more trails around the state like this just so new people can be introduced to mountain biking in a somewhat controlled environment.

Trail Etiquette (mountain biking edition). Here’s a helpful little reminder for those planning to visit Allegrippis (which I hope is a lot of people):

1. Uphill rider has the right of way. If you meet someone on the trail, the person traveling downhill should step off the path and let the poor guy/gal struggling upwards get by.
   
2. Don’t ride up on people. If you know you’re slow and hear someone behind you, get off the trail and let them pass. If you’re a fast rider but have only 300 feet left and a little bit of patience (!) don’t ride up on the slow guy on the green trail in front of you. Have some manners and slow down, you’ll be at the end soon enough.
   
3. Yielding. Hikers should yield to bikers, bikers should yield to horses (although if you see a horse on the Allegrippis, let me know).
   
4. Leave no trace. Be sensitive to the trails you’re riding, try not to ride on/chew up the trail if it’s muddy, stay on the existing trail and don’t create new ones.

How to get there from here:
To find the trails, follow all mapping/signs for the Seven Points Recreation Area at Raystown Lake which is run by the US Army Corps. There is mostly RV camping here, with one area for tents only, and is mostly overrun by motorboats and RVing families in the summer. There are one or two other campgrounds just off the Seven Points area where you may find a spot too. The Corps campground closes at the end of October.

The trails are 2 hours from Monroeville if you take Route 22 (130 miles), and 45 miles from State College, 100 miles from Harrisburg, 130 miles from Baltimore, and 145 miles from D.C. So it is actually really well placed for much of the Mid-Atlantic.

Once you arrive there are two parking options, parking lot #1 is along Bakers Hollow Road and to get there you’ll want to turn left just before entering the Army Corps area. This parking lot holds approx 20 cars and leads to green, blue, and black trails and is my recommended starting point. Parking lot #2 is located just after the registration office at the Seven Point Rec Area and holds 6 cars. This lot leads to a few blue and black trails, no green. (NOTE – the registration office has two bathrooms at the back of the building, this is probably the only bathroom you’re gonna find in the area so take note.) A blue trail does link the two parking lots and allows those camping at Seven Points to bike up to the other section of the Allegrippis.

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