OVERVIEW
North Park has a beautifully scenic 75-acre lake in the heart of the park with a 5-mile loop trail around the lake that is well used by walkers, joggers, runners, cyclists, dog walkers and skaters all year long. This project worked to improve trail safety for users while providing them with an opportunity to explore and experience the park’s varied ecology. Highlights included widening the trail to increase usability by better separating pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles, and provided updated trail markings and signage. The trail was built to accommodate a range of users, provide lake access for recreational fishing, serve as an observation trail for adjacent wetlands, and provide an education venue for ecological studies.
In addition to the phases outlined below that we worked on, Allegheny County also made improvements along the remaining sections of the trail. Improvements to the trail also include a connection to the Rachel Carson Trail, a 34-mile trail that extends from North Park to Harrison Hills Park.
WORK PHASES
- Pearce Mill Road Section: Improvements to the Pearce Mill Road portion of the Lake Trail from Babcock Boulevard to the Boathouse were completed in November 2021. Runners, walkers and bikers now welcome the wider trail, newly updated signage and pavement markings that increase safety and promote wider use of the five-mile Lake Trail.
- Ingomar Road Section: The Ingomar Road section of the North Park Lake Trail was completed in spring 2015. These improvements increased safety and enhanced the trail experience for diverse users of this section of the trail, which is located on the shoulder of a heavily traveled roadway. This project also included the construction of a path along the lake shore, anchored at the Babcock Boulevard and Ingomar Road “Gateway” with the restoration of the Babblebrook picnic shelter, and the addition of an accessible path for fishing and rain garden with native plantings along the Municipal Row of shelters.
PARTNERS
Allegheny County
FUNDING
- Pearce Mill Road Section
- Allegheny County
- PA Department of Transportation’s Multimodal Transportation Fund
- Richard King Mellon Foundation
- Generous Individuals through the Love the Loop fund
- Ingomar Road Section
- Allegheny County
- PA Department of Transportation’s Multimodal Transportation Fund
- Richard King Mellon Foundation
- Generous Individuals