Looking to check out an amazing park near Pittsburgh great hiking trails? Check out Hardwood Acres, home to free concerts, a historic mansion, and a sculpture garden.
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Visiting Hartwood Acres
Hardwood Acres is a super unique park near Pittsburgh! It’s part of the Allegheny County parks system and is located northeast of the city. Hardwood Acres is home to a historic mansion, a concert venue, and permanent art installations but it’s also a great place for a hike close to Pittsburgh.
Read on for more about Hartwood Acres and the hiking trails it offers!
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.
Hiking at Hartwood Acres
There’s some great hiking at Hardwood Acres. This park is especially amazing in fall, when the colors are at peak. Remember that you’ll be sharing the trail with mountain bikers and horseback riders, so make sure to be aware of your surroundings, keeps dogs on leash, and pick up after yourself.
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!
Hartwood Acres Loop
The 5.5 mile Hartwood Acres loop is a great way to explore the entire park. Most of this loop is single track, with some surprising elevation gain and loss. While the AllTrails loop doesn’t take you past the mansion, you can take a side detour off of the trail to check it out. AllTrails has the trailhead at a school parking lot, but the better area to park is the actual Hardwood Acres parking, located at 4100 Middle Road, Allison Park PA 15101.
This route is slightly challenging to follow without a map as there are a LOT of trail options, connectors, and different routes. I recommend making sure you have the map downloaded for this one.
Paved Trail
Want something a little more casual? Take a walk along the paved trail at Hardwood Acres. This trail passes by all of the amazing art exhibits as well as the historic mansion. It’s a popular trail so you’ll have a lot of company, especially on a nice day.
The paved trail is wheelchair accessible and wends through massive sculptures. Even as someone who isn’t the most interested in art, hiking by these huge sculptures was very cool.
Rachel Carson Trail (connector trail)
There is also a spur at Hartwood Acres that connects the park to the Rachel Carson Trail. This is great to utilize if you’re training for the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge, as there are few parking areas along this stretch of the trail. However, using the spur does add non-RCT miles to your hike, so make sure to factor that into your training planning.
Looking for more amazing hikes near Pittsburgh? Check out my guide to the best hikes near Pittsburgh!
About Hartwood Acres
Hardwood Acres has a ton to offer the local community as well as out of town visitors.
Concerts at Hartwood Acres
Allegheny County puts concerts on for free every summer at the Hardwood Acres amphitheater. This is one of the best free things to do near Pittsburgh. Tickets are not required – just show up! Most of the concerts start at 7:30p unless otherwise noted. Dogs are allowed, but must be kept on a leash and cleaned up after! For more information about summer concerts at Hartwood, check out the Allegheny County Parks event page.
Hardwood Acres Mansion
The mansion is one of the most unique features of any of the Allegheny County Parks. This historic mansion is open for tours run by volunteers and is a great view into the history of the county. During the holidays, the mansion offers candlelit tours. To sign up for a tour, visit the county parks site.
Weddings at Hartwood Acres
Hartwood Acres is a popular venue for weddings. It’s one of the most reasonably priced venues in the county! Different areas of the park can be rented for indoor or outdoor ceremonies. While I have never attended a wedding here, I’d imagine the photos would be stunning, especially at peak foliage season.
For more information about renting Hartwood Acres for a wedding and pricing, check out the Allegheny County Parks website.
Looking to visit ALL the Allegheny County Parks? Check out my guide to exploring all of the amazing county parks we have in Allegheny County!
FAQs about Hartwood Acres
How many acres is Hartwood Acres?
The park is almost 630 acres large.
Who was the original owner of Hartwood Acres?
The mansion was built in 1929 for John and Mary Flynn Lawrence.
Is Hartwood Acres open to the public?
The park is open to the public from 8a to sunset. The mansion is open during specific hours – if you want a tour, make sure to book in advance.
Can you picnic at Hartwood Acres?
Yes, picnicking is allowed at this park. Please clean up after your party and get rid of all trash.
Loved visiting Hartwood Acres? Check out Harrison Hills, another Allegheny County Park!
Updated August 25, 2025