Park it: Our corner of the state offers plenty of green spaces to stay and play
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Bryan McCarthy of North Huntingdon holds his son, Michael, 4, as they cruise down the giant slide at Mammoth Park in Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County. -
Dean Sherwin, owner of a sheep and goat farm in Mount Pleasant, demonstrates sheep shearing at Round Hill Park in Elizabeth Township. -
Sharing a laugh at Round Hill Park are, from left, Rachel Briner and her mother Janis Briner, both of Brentwood, and Paula Bowman of Jefferson Hills. Janis Briner and Ms. Bowman, dressed in period costume, are members of the Oliver Miller Homestead Associates from South Park.
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Residents of Southwestern Pennsylvania easily can visit a county park each week this summer and never go to the same park twice.
Parks in Allegheny and adjoining counties offer many opportunities for traditional activities, such as picnicking, swimming, hiking and biking. They also offer chances to ride the region's longest slide, learn about Colonial heroes and get up close to a herd of buffalo.
While fees are charged for activities such as golf or swimming, entrance to the parks and most other activities are free. Bargain-rate costs for recreation become more important in tough economic times or when the price of gasoline nudges up toward $3 per gallon, said Tom King, Beaver County's parks director.
And parks are close by, said Andrew Baechle, director of Allegheny County Department of Parks. Depending on traffic and time of day, every Allegheny County resident can drive to at least one of the county's nine regional parks in 15 minutes or less, he said.
Westmoreland County also offers nine county parks, while Beaver and Washington counties each have three county parks, and Butler County has one.
Westmoreland's four major parks are home to large festivals during the summer, but Claude Petroy said his favorite park attractions are available every day. As director of public works in that county, he oversees the park system.
One of those favorites is in the appropriately named Mammoth Park, which is home to a giant slide. Built into the hillside, the slide relies on gravity to carry visitors on a 96-foot-long free ride, he said. Fear of heights shouldn't be a problem, he said. Descending riders are never more than 18 inches off the ground.
Mammoth Park is about eight miles southeast of Greensburg, just west of Route 982, in Mount Pleasant Township.
Westmoreland County's Cedar Creek Park, in Rostraver, stretches along the western bank of the Youghiogheny River, offering beautiful views of woods and water. The park also provides access to one of the region's longest and narrowest assets: the Great Allegheny Passage. The hiking and biking trail provides an off-road connection between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, Md. In Cumberland, it connects to the C&O Canal towpath, which continues on to Washington, D.C.
First Published June 10, 2010 12:00 am
