Kid-Friendly Hiking Trail North of Pittsburgh: Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve

As a mom of two young girls who love to be outside, I'm always looking for new places to take my kids hiking. Because being outside is so important for kids! If your kids are like mine, they don't want to go on a hike, but are so excited to go on an adventure. So do I tell my kids it's a hike? No - absolutely not. It's always, "we're going on an adventure!" Because "we're going on a hike" and "we're going for an adventure" gets two very different reactions from my five and eight year old daughters. If we're going on a hike? The horror. The drama. The tears.... BUT if we're going for a adventure? All of a sudden, everyone is excited to climb on all of the rocks and eat snacks. And once we actually get outside and into the hike (adventure), my girls always have a great time. Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve has amazing kid-friendly hiking trails North of Pittsburgh. It has about five miles of trails you can explore, along with a pond, meadows, a forest, and a nature center - perfect for kids.

Finding new places to hike is also a great way to explore new locations for my photography sessions, because as a Pittsburgh family photographer, I'm always looking for new places to photograph my families! If you're already a client, you might have even been here for a session already - but I highly recommend going with your kids just for a fun adventure or even a picnic. Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve has so much to offer.

Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve is is one of the largest private nature reserves in Fox Chapel and is managed by the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. It encompasses over 100 acres of land and has multiple trails you and your kids can enjoy. Get more great trail information here.

What Makes Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve Kid-Friendly?

Accessibility

There's a large parking lot and bathrooms, which is a major plus. Also, if you're looking for a super simple, easy trail, you can take the Goldenrod ADA trail, which starts right off of the parking lot and makes a loop less than 1 mile and features a gravel trail. Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve also has more adventurous and well-maintained trails throughout its property!

Kid-Friendly Features

Aside from the well-maintained trails your kids will love exploring, Beechwood Farms also has a "toddler" area complete with a playhouse and tunnels built into the hill. The toddler area is fenced off and also has some benches so parents can relax while your kids play. There's also rocks your kids can climb and a pond along the Goldenrod loop.

Right off of the parking lot is a nature center with a small store attached. Various programming is run through the nature center.

More Kid-Friendly Trails North of Pittsburgh

If you're looking for other kid-friendly hiking trails North of Pittsburgh, check out this trail in North Park, and this trail in Allison Park! I love exploring and sharing trails that my family and I love. If you tried one of these trails and loved it, let me know... and happy hiking!