Published by Angie. Last Updated on January 4, 2023.
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Boyce Park, located east of Pittsburgh in the Monroeville/Plum area, is over 1,000 acres full of trails, playgrounds, picnic areas, and a few unexpected gems like ski slopes and a snow tubing area.
We recently did some hiking in the park and enjoyed the beauty of the densely wooded, quiet trails that had some of the best markings out of all of the parks in Allegheny County.
What You Can See at Boyce Park
Boyce Park has a nice mix of trails and other facilities like a skateboard park, wave pool, archery range, and the usual suspects like soccer fields, baseball fields, and picnic shelters.
There's even a log cabin that was restored in 1979; the original structure was built in 1822 and was the home of Jeremiah Murry, the founder of Murrysville. The log cabin is open for tours on Sunday afternoons in the summer, so timing your visit to coincide with this would be a great option for most.
If you're a beginning skier or don't want to venture far away from the city to enjoy some winter fun, Boyce Park is also a great spot to hit the slopes for skiing or snow tubing.
There are nearly a dozen blazed trails at Boyce Park, with many set-up in a loop for an easy return to your car. Although there are no notable highlights on many of the trails, and they are a bit repetitive at times, they do make for an easy and nice day out in the woods all the same.
Hiking Tips for Boyce Park
On our recent visit we started at the parking lot adjacent to the log cabin and hiked for several miles on the white loop trail through the woods (approximately two miles). You can download a trail map from the Allegheny County Parks website, although we found the trail to be one of the better-marked paths of all of the county parks that we've been to.
That being said, there are still some parts that are not well marked, especially when the trail splits to non-blazed paths, so you will need to pay attention at times to find the blaze for your path.
We can recall at least two times on the white trail where we had to turn around because we picked the wrong trail, but after 2-3 minutes you'll know if you are not on the right path if you no longer see a blaze.
The shaded trails were most welcome as it was hot and humid during our trip. We also noticed a lot of mountain bikers, so do stay alert for them if you are using the trails for hiking. We passed a few other hikers but for the most part, the trails were nice and quiet.
Boyce Park is also one of the features in the amazing book “60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Pittsburgh Edition” that we are working through as a part of this series. If you are interested in day hikes near the city we highly recommend picking this one up!
For more Pittsburgh parks nearby, why not check out Deer Lakes Park, Highland Park, or Frick Park!
