Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on March 14, 2024.
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Deer Lakes Park in West Deer Township is a 1,180 acre park that is known for its man-made lakes that are stocked with numerous types of fish for residents' use. Although these are beautiful in their own right, the thing we love most about this one is the hiking trails in the woods!
What You Can See at Deer Lakes Park
One of the biggest highlights at Deer Lakes Park is, naturally, the three man-made lakes that are found along the main road after entering the park.
Two of these lakes have paved walking trails with workout gear scattered throughout, making them a great place to get some exercise with some beautiful scenery regardless of your abilities.
The trails at Deer Lakes Park head throughout the far corners of the property, and on our recent visit we checked out the purple trail, a one-mile hike through the forest that briefly visits the third lake as well (but only if you enter on the path with the purple and black blaze).
For those who want to explore the third lake more (which is one the most beautiful in our opinion), an unblazed dirt path does exist.
In addition to the numerous hiking trails, Deer Lakes Park has a small water spray park for kids, an observatory, and one of the best disc golf courses we've seen in the region. So whether you want to visit this one to hike, relax, or play, there is something for everyone with the gorgeous park as a backdrop.
Hiking at Deer Lakes Park
The blazed paths at Deer Lakes Park are among the best out of all of the parks in Allegheny County for two reasons.
The first is due to the fact that every trail is an easy to navigate loop. The second is because, while the trails are marked with their own color, the paths that connect to the parking areas are marked with their own distinct color for easy navigation.
So if you head onto the purple trail, for example, you may enter on a purple and white trail blaze which is only found on the path to your specific car park. This is incredibly helpful as multiple car parks may end up connecting to the same trail, and the extra blaze markings help ensure you do not get lost on your way out.
It is worth noting, however, that there are very few signs for where any trail begins in the first place relative to the parking areas. You may wish to plan a bit more ahead of time to see which car park you need to park at if you have a specific trail in mind. Once there, it is a breeze.
Overall, Deer Lakes Park is one of our favorite parks in Allegheny County for its varied scenery as well as ease of hiking. We look forward to returning in the future to try out the incredible disc golf course as well!
Deer Lakes Park is located in West Deer Township north of the city off of Route 28.
Deer Lakes 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!
Visiting the park in the summer? Grab a cup of Glen's Custard on your way back home! Or for something open year round grab a beer at Leaning Cask Brewing or a treat at Oakmont Bakery on your way back home.
