Sewickley Heights Borough Park is a Great Off-Leash Park

Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on April 6, 2022.

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Sewickley Heights Borough Park is a large, 1,000-acre park located about 25 minutes west of downtown Pittsburgh that offers numerous trails to explore for those who want to get out in nature.

But what makes this park one of our favorites is not the trails alone, but rather the fact that it is open to off-leash roaming with your furry friend!

What You Can See at Sewickley Heights Borough Park

Tortilla Flats at the Sewickley Borough Park

While we would say that Sewickley Heights Borough Park is primarily a natural hiking place for humans and their furry friends, there are a number of spots to see while you are there.

Tortilla flats is located just a few minutes away from the main road and is a plateau clearing in the woods that often doubles as a makeshift dog park for dogs to run out in the open.

Butterfly Field at Sewickley Heights Borough Park

The butterfly fields is a few minutes away from the main road in the opposite direction and offer up tall grasses that are frequented by many butterflies. During our quick visit, we saw well over a dozen flying around off in the distance.

Nature Trail Map at Sewickley Heights Park

Likewise, off the gravel path trail, a short nature walk loop can be found with signage to learn more about what you can see in the park, the water cycle, and erosion.

From there, most of what you can see is simply beautiful woods!

Hiking at Sewickley Heights Borough Park

Sewickley Heights Main Trail

Sewickley Heights Borough Park is an easy one to navigate but often does not have as many blazed trails as you would normally expect at other parks. 

There is one main gravel path that circles a good percentage of the park, which is wide and fairly flat. From there, a number of side trails break off to go to various sections of the park. While most of these ultimately loop back around to the gravel path or the main road, it is best to take a photo of the map at your arrival (or use the digital one, here) in order to get an idea on the trail network overall, as in many cases markers for trail names at a path split is all we have seen.

Sewickley Heights Side Trails

The quality of these side trails also varies. Some can be quite dirty or, after a rain, muddy, while others can have taller grass that would be a bit of a concern for those hiking with smaller dogs.

Likewise, it should also be noted that while the park is entirely off-leash for dogs, there are rules in place such that no single person can have more than two dogs, dogs must be obedient and respond to their owner's voice, and leashes are required until at least 100 feet away from parking areas (this is clearly marked at main entrances where off-leash begins).

Most every time we go to this park we often see at least one of these posted rules violated (especially where dogs must be able to follow the command of owners if off-leash) and strongly advise to follow them for the safety of all dogs in the park.

Overall, Sewickley Heights Borough Park is a massive park whose best perk is being able to visit with your best (furry) friend. If you have a well-behaved pooch, this one is a must-visit!

Sewickley Heights Borough Park is located at Hallaway Road in Sewickley, PA.

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