Explore Archives - Discover the Burgh

A Brief Visit to Mount Davis – Pennsylvania’s Highest Point

At 3,213 feet, Mount Davis is recognized as the highest point in Pennsylvania. And at just under two hours driving from Pittsburgh, it is an easy day trip to check off this spot from your Pennsylvania bucket list.

But while Mount Davis' claim to fame is its elevation, I have to admit, visting this one may not be exactly what you are envisioning.

Forsythe Mini Golf Offers Up a Challenging Course in Carnegie

A recent adventure in Carnegie found us stopping at Forsythe Miniature Golf for an event with our friends from Quantum Spirits. We had heard about this course for a while but never seemed to be able to make it in for a round.

It didn't take long for us after arriving to really regret that decision, as the course at Forsythe is quite fun!

Laurel Summit State Park – Spruce Flats Bog and the Views

Laurel Summit State Park is an interesting one as it is technically only just six acres in size and can be found within Forbes State Forest surrounding it on all sides.

So while all the highlights you may expect to see when visiting this one are technically in Forbes State Forest, they're often described as being part of Laurel Summit State Park thanks to the trailheads mostly being within Laurel Summit. (The state park maps show this as such as well.)

While this is a somewhat odd naming convention, we're sticking with calling the sights as part of Laurel Summit State Park all the same, and there are several interesting things to see here!

Laurel Hill State Park – One of Our Favorites in the Highlands

When it comes to hiking in the Laurel Highlands, there are a number of parks to choose from. In fact, this region is home to ten state parks and state forests that cover roughly 120,000 acres- and that is not even counting the smaller parks, runs, and green spaces as well.

As such, when we say that Laurel Hill State Park may be our favorite of them all, we say that with some gravity behind it.

This park is simply stunning!

7 of the Best Places to View Fall Colors in Pittsburgh

Fall is a special time in western Pennsylvania. Our normally green part of the state starts to explode with vibrant colors just about everywhere you look between early-to-mid October and the start of November.

We'll be upfront in saying that nearly any Pittsburgh park could make for great fall color viewing during this time of the year. But when we get out to chase pretty leaves, we have to admit, we like to go to places that are large and give us a chance to truly explore in the beauty of nature.

Part of this is because color change may be gradual over the various tree types found in any given park- peak color is truly a relative term. But the other part is that when colors are at their peak, we simply want as much as we can get. So the parks we wanted to feature in this fall foliage guide are just that- big parks that tend to be color explosions in the fall!

The West Penn Trail is a Challenge for Bikers, But Great for a Walk

The West Penn Trail is a 17-mile partially converted rail-trail that is located about an hour east of Pittsburgh and connects the boroughs of Saltsburg and Blairsville.

If you've read our biking in Pittsburgh guide, Saltsburg may sound familiar as this is also the terminus for the Westmoreland Heritage Trail where it intersects with the West Penn Trail (and, in fact, biking that trail to the end was the only reason we discovered the West Penn Trail at all).

Naturally, only a few weeks later we loaded our bikes onto our car, drove out to Saltsburg, and tackled nearly all of this one. After finishing, we have to admit, we're not sure we'd do this one again- on our bikes at least.

The Ghost Town Trail is a Favorite for Biking in Southwest PA

We've been on almost all of the bike trails in Pittsburgh, and have to admit, the Ghost Town Trail starting in Black Lick, PA (about an hour east of Pittsburgh) may be our favorite we've been to so far.

This trail covers 46 miles (~10 miles of which are on an extension trail) from Black Lick to Ebensburg. During our first visit, we hit up the first 25 miles of this route (turning around on the main trail in Nanty Glo) and saw so many beautiful sights.

As an added bonus, this trail was quite an easy ride!

8 Breweries You Can Visit from a Bike Trail in Pittsburgh

Over the years, we've had a growing interest in biking, and have developed a love of finding more and more bike trails in Pittsburgh. As much as getting out on the trails for ten, twenty, or forty-plus mile rides is something we quite enjoy, we have to admit it is even better when we can finish the ride at a Pittsburgh brewery for a draft (or two).

Thankfully, our beer scene is quite well developed and there are a number of breweries where you can access them straight from a trail (or within a block or two max on city roads). In this one, we wanted to share all of the ones we've hit to date!

Note: Beyond breweries that are located right off of the bike trails, this article will also give shoutouts to other breweries that are close to the trails but may require a short drive or a longer ride on city roads to reach. The accessibility for bikes varies with these. Some have private parking lots and windows where you can keep an eye on your bikes mounted on your car. Others do not. Some are larger and may allow you to bring your bikes inside. Others may not. As such, you may want to look into the supplemental breweries mentioned a bit more to see if you'd feel comfortable taking your bike as all of their setups are different.

Exploring the Westmoreland Heritage Trail on Foot or Bike

The Westmoreland Heritage Trail is a popular hiking and biking trail that spans roughly 18 miles between Trafford and Saltsburg, PA.

We had heard great things about this trail and made the ~45-minute drive out of the city to check it out and were not disappointed. While the trail is broken up into two segments, we made a day of it and hit both during our visit.

Note: As of our visit in 2020 the Westmoreland Heritage Trail is split into two sections, each roughly 9-miles in length. One runs between Delmont and Saltsburg and the second runs between Export and Trafford. Eventually, these trails are supposed to be connected via a 3-4 mile addition. This article will discuss the two sections independently.

Going for a 10-Mile Ride on the Hoodlebug Trail Near Indiana, PA

While there are many bike trails in Pittsburgh worth exploring, one weekend we decided to go on a bit of a day trip east to Indiana, PA (roughly 60 miles from Pittsburgh) to check out a trail that is new to us.

This was the 10-mile Hoodlebug Trail which runs from Indiana to Black Lick, PA. With a relatively well-maintained path and an abundance of things to see (plus a few breweries nearby we enjoyed after), we certainly had a fun day out!