Best Dog Friendly Hikes in Pittsburgh

Looking to take your furry best friend on an adventure in the Pittsburgh area? Read on for the best dog friendly hikes in Pittsburgh!

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Like every dog-obsessed millenial, I try to take my dog everywhere I can. My dog actually got me into hiking (read more in my About Me) so I love to take him on my outdoorsy adventures. One of the worst parts of living in California was how many trails don’t allow dogs. However, I’ve been surprised by how many parks and trails in Western Pennsylvania allow and even encourage dogs!

Keep reading for my list of favorite dog-friendly places hikes near Pittsburgh! (And at the bottom I have a list of trails that don’t allow dogs!)

Quick Picks for Best Dog Friendly Trails Near Pittsburgh
  Best Dog-Friendly Hikes in the City: Frick Park
  Best Hard Trail: North Park - Rachel Carson Trail
  Best Dog Friendly Hike with Views: Harrison Hills - Rachel Carson Trail
  Best Off Leash Trail: Hardie Valley Park
  Best Park with Long Trails: Mingo Creek
  Best Winter Hiking with Dogs: Hartwood Acres

As always, follow the principles of leave no trace when you're out exploring! Pack out all trash, leave wildlife alone, and generally leave it better than you found it - for more information visit the Leave No Trace Center.

Best Dog Friendly Hikes Near Pittsburgh

Frick Park

Frick Park is one of my all time favorite places to take my dog. I might be biased because I live close to this park, but it’s got all sorts of options for hikers (and dogs) of all athletic abilities.

Frick is a relatively crowded park on nice days during the weekend. Avoid the mountain bike trails, like Irongate, when it’s prime mountain bike season. Nine Mile Run, Riverview, Firelane and Hot Dog Dam are all great options for dog friendly trails.

The only area dogs are allowed off leash in Frick is the Off Leash Exercise Area (OLEA) near Blue Slide Park. Rangers can fine park users whose dogs are off leash in areas that require dogs to be leashed, however, in my experience you will run into someone who is breaking the rules. If you have a reactive dog, pick a park further outside the city.

For more information about hiking here, check out my guide to Frick Park trails.

If you want to make sure you never lose a route, upgrade to AllTrails+. Then you can download trail maps to stay on trail even when you don't have service!

North Park – Rachel Carson Trail

North Park is one of my favorite places near Pittsburgh to hike and a huge part of that is how great it is to hike with dogs there. I highly recommend taking your dog on the Rachel Carson Trail (RCT) sections there, as it’s easy to navigate due to being well maintained and well-marked.

Note: There are sections of the RCT that I would not bring your dog, depending on their athletic ability. My dog did the entire RCT with me last year, but he is able to handle stream crossings and extremely steep inclines and declines. Please be realistic with your dog’s abilities!

Settlers Cabin Park

South of Pittsburgh, Settler’s Cabin Park is a great place to take your dog for a hike. The trails are color coded loops and are relatively easy to navigate (especially if you’re using AllTrails!).

Check out the park’s main attraction for hikers, the waterfall, by completing the almost six-mile full park loop or the 2.8 mile green loop hike. The park also offers an off-leash dog area, but dogs must be on leash in all other areas.

For more information and to plan your visit, check out my guide to Settlers Cabin Park.

Hardie Valley Park

This trail system in Fox Chapel is great for hikers looking for somewhere close to Pittsburgh to exercise their dog. Park at Beechwood Farms and cross the street to access the trailhead. It’s about a three mile round trip to visit this awesome waterfall!

Note that dogs are allowed off leash on this trail. If your dog does not react well to off-leash dogs, I’d skip this one. For a trail map, visit the Fox Chapel website here.

Harrison Hills – Rachel Carson Trail

Harrison Hills in the northeast corner of Allegheny County is a great place to take your dog. The well-maintained trails are wide enough for all trail users and it’s never particularly busy.

I love the section of the Rachel Carson Trail here, since it’s well blazed and easy to navigate. Keep an eye on your dog on the steep cliff sections near the river, even if they are leashed (which is required). Chasing a squirrel over a cliff wouldn’t be a fun experience for either of you! However, these sections offer amazing views of the Allegheny River, and is a great pick for an interesting hike during stick season.

For more information and to plan your visit, check out my guide to Harrison Hills park!

Mingo Creek Park

Located in Washington County, Mingo Creek Park has miles of both paved and wooded trails that are great for those who like a variety of trail types. My personal favorite trails are the Orange and Blue Loop Trail (3.8 miles) and the Mingo Creek Perimeter Trail (11.8 miles). Tom has joined me for both of them and enjoys laying down in the stream crossings.

Mingo Creek also has an off leash dog area if you want to let your dog run free, however dogs must be leashed in all other areas. Bonus for dog owners – there’s a ton of garbage cans everywhere around the park to ditch poop bags!

If you're thinking of exploring this park, check out my Guide to Mingo Creek Park!

Hartwood Acres

Hartwood Acres, located northeast of Pittsburgh, is a great option for a dog friendly hike in the winter. I generally don’t take my dog here in the spring, summer, or fall, because the park is much busier, but the crowds calm down in the winter.

This is a very popular park for mountain biking, so keep your eyes out and ears open for approaching bikes, especially if your dog has a bad reaction to bikes. I try to pick longer, less popular trails but have to make sure to keep my AllTrails+ map out because the routes have a lot of crossover and it’s easy to make a wrong turn.

For more information and to plan your visit, check out my guide to Hartwood Acres!

Hiking Trails in Western PA that Don’t Allow Dogs

Beechwood Farms

While Beachwood Farms is great for families with human kids, it does not allow furry family members. If you accidentally end up at the Farms with your dog, cross the street to the Hardie Valley Trail. As I noted above, this trail system is dog friendly and allows dogs to be off leash.

O’Hara Township Trails

Both the Salamander Trail + O’Hara Township Park Loops do not allow dogs. Keep an eye out if you’re hiking in Hardie Valley Park because the trails connect!

Raccoon Creek – Wildflower Reserve

While most of the other trails at Raccoon Creek State Park allow dogs, the Wildflower Reserve does not. So leave your dog at home during the last two weeks of April when the Wildflower Reserve is at its peak!

However, the Reserve is absolutely worth a visit in peak season, so check out my guide to the Raccoon Creek Wildflower Reserve to plan your visit!

Love taking your dog on a hike? Let me know in the comments about your favorite dog friendly hikes near Pittsburgh!