Pittsburgh's South Side Slopes is one if the city's most unique neighborhoods due to the fact that the vast majority of it is built on the side of a hill. In true Pittsburgh fashion when a hill is involved things get weird, and this neighborhood is no different.
What makes South Side Slopes so unusual lies in its accessibility. As the hill is often quite steep, road access up and down is limited compared to other neighborhoods in the city. To account for this oddity, numerous staircases have been built over the years to allow residents to navigate the hillside and also reach neighboring South Side with ease (these staircases are a significant percentage of the 700+ that can be found in the city).
One of our favorite aspects of South Side Slopes is that many of these staircases offer impressive views of the city, and can be enjoyed during a one to two hour hike beginning and ending in South Side. As navigating South Side Slopes can be tricky at times, we wanted to share our most recent route for others who would like to get out, climb some stairs for some exercise, and take in several great city views!
Note: Since writing this post, the South Side Slopes Neighborhood Association has defined most of the route below as the “Church Route.” For more information beyond our post, check out their write-up about the Church Route here. Our recommendations are slightly different, but the listed route will make for a good climb all the same!
