Frick Environmental Center

Frick Park is a beautiful city park with so many trails good for walking, running, and mountain biking. The Environmental Center is something to see, great for adults and kids. All the trails around it and the beautiful wood deck are beautifully maintained and showcase our local Flora and fauna. Birds and pollinators love the gardens and the woodland areas. I recommend it specifically for kids so they can start learning and getting close to nature. I love this place, even just sitting on a bench in the clean, well kept entrance. There are restrooms and water fountains here and some others along the trails near the parkings. For the trails: dogs are allowed and not always kept on leash. Bow hunting is now allowed (I saw a hunter just today) in Frick Park albeit in a very controlled number and locations so stay on trail. If you unleash your dog during bow hunting season make sure it's wearing an orange vest. Very recommended for working out or just for a relaxing stroll.

This is an awesome place to bring the family for a nice, relaxing walk in the woods and enjoy the extremely well-designed and informational environmental center. The building is a stellar exemplar of green architecture and thoughtful design including benches made from planks of fallen trees recycled for the purpose, large windows to allow lots of natural light to avoid electricity use, and solar panels over the parking lot to shade cars while powering the building. The staff is very friendly and helpful, willing to answer any question you have about the building or park. There is a large room for kids to learn about the park’s wildlife and even watch the bird feeders. I was here today for a meeting of the Pittsburgh Young Birders Club. By the looks of it, there were many young people interested in this startup public club, so I’m looking forward to see how it progresses. Today we got to see a gray morph Eastern screech-owl while learning much about raptors, particularly owls. The group also split into several smaller groups to take a small bird walk, introducing birdwatching to the participants. What a great, if a little cold, day to be out!

Great place for the kids, also some really great hiking trails.

The first time I visited this place was for yoga and singing bowls on the terrace overlooking the park, on a Saturday morning. It left me with a permanent good impression. The building is beautiful and functional and all the events I've attended thereafter have been well organized and insightful.

There is often a friendly staff member posted at the front full of helpful information. The center is open as far as I've noticed despite the weather. In the center is very nice and clean bathrooms, and lots of books and coloring things for kids. Books range from kids books to adult books. There is a bird watching balcony and binoculars you can borrow. It's just a cozy feeling space that you can hang out without needing to buy anything with friendly staff members excited to talk about the park.