State group names Frick Park and Boyce Park additions Great Places

Allegheny County residents already know that the Outdoor Discovery Space and Sensory Nature Trail in Frick Park’s Environmental Center and the Bouldering Park and Pump Track at Allegheny County’s Boyce Park are great recreational places.

Now the whole state will know. Both have been recognized by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association‘s annual Great Places competition. Both received the honor in the group’s public spaces category.

The association has been naming Great Places since 2014. This year five more have been selected, bringing the statewide total to 64.

“These Great Places, located in 35 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, have a sustainable vision for the future and serve as a model for other communities,” an association news release stated. “They are high quality examples of successful planning efforts that build healthy and vibrant communities throughout the Commonwealth and promote the Chapter’s mission and vision.”

The association called the Outdoor Discovery Space and Sensory Nature Trail “a unique, interactive destination designed to engage all senses through nature. Visitors of all ages and physical/cognitive abilities are encouraged to explore, touch, listen and connect with the environment and small wonders of the natural world.” It officially opened in May.

Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Director of Marketing and Communications Alana Wenk said her organization is honored by the selection. “We know how special this Outdoor Discovery Space and Sensory Nature Trail is to the city,” she said. “To receive this type of recognition on the state level is something we are inspired by. And we hope this inspires people to come and experience the space. This project was a long time coming; to have this kind of recognition is incredible.”

This is the only Pittsburgh park facility that the conservancy works on with the city that has received the Great Places designation, she said.

The APA-PA chair of the Great Places program, Pamela Shellenberger, said the conservancy submitted a nomination form with supporting information and photographs that a panel of judges reviewed. This year the association received 15 nominations in three categories: public spaces, greenway trail/preserve and great transformations. It selected five — four great public spaces and one great greenway/trail or preserve, according to the news release. It declined to select a winner in the great transformation category.

She said the selection process was “very competitive, especially in the public spaces category” this year. “[The judges] look for what is unique in these [nominations], not just the everyday park. What makes yours stand out from everybody else’s?”

The other component often considered is how the park or trail or preserve contributes to the city or region’s economic development, and it’s “not just a park sitting there,” she said.

To that aim, if a nomination form is missing elements, the applicant receives feedback on that submission and can resubmit it the next year.

In the news release, the association explained what made the Frick Park Outdoor Discovery Space and Sensory Nature Trail stand out. “The Discovery Space sparks curiosity through plant and wildlife observation areas and nature-based play and art making,” it stated. “Along the fully accessible one-third-mile Sensory Nature Trail are hands-on stations that encourage exploration through sound, texture, scent and sight. From musical features made of natural materials to fragrant plant areas and textured walking paths, each stop stimulates a different sense. Designed with accessibility in mind, the wide smooth paths and thoughtfully created spaces make it easy for everyone to interact with nature.” 

It also noted that the conservancy “had created an Advisory Committee and engaged the public through focus groups, public meetings and a public survey throughout the design process. An array of community partners and funders brought the strongly supported project to fruition.”

It summarized its selection: “The result is a place where education, relaxation and sensory awareness come together outdoors. It serves as an outdoor classroom for visitors, school groups and summer campers, as well as during planned public events. Individuals of all ages and abilities frequently visit to play and experience the physical, sensory, emotional and healing benefits of nature and the environment.”

Announced in August, the honor comes as the conservancy is just starting to roll out its Track Chair pilot program and lending library as part of the Frick Park Outdoor Discovery Space and Sensory Nature Trail. It will permit those with mobility issues to experience the trails, Wenk said. After this pilot, she said the conservancy may add it to other city parks.

The Bouldering Park and Pump Track facility at Boyce Park is a one-of-a-kind outdoor recreational space, according to the Allegheny County Parks website. “It is one of the largest free outdoor bouldering wall sites in the country, offering over 6,000 square feet of climbing challenges. The paved pump track, at nearly 800 feet long, is the largest in the region. These types of outdoor activities are well known to adventurers who may climb or mountain bike in locales in and around Allegheny County and are now offered to the general public at a convenient and accessible location.”

The free park cost $4.7 million and opened in October 2024. The track can accommodate bikes, scooters, skateboards and roller or inline skates, according to a 2024 Pittsburgh Magazine article. The new park also features two rain gardens that filter stormwater, as well as new landscaping and seating areas.

Located next to the Boyce Skate Park, it  was built in response to a 2022 study by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and local firms, identifying the need to expand free access to outdoor sports, particularly for underserved communities. 

The study’s purpose was to identify locations to increase opportunities and equitable access for rock-climbing in southwestern Pennsylvania, according to the county.  The study was a response to the changing profile of how people recreate, according to Joel Perkovich, one of the landscape architects in the county’s Parks Department.

He wrote, “Traditional playgrounds and athletic fields offered by municipal park systems, while still popular, do not meet the growing desire for more personalized, outdoor adventure activities, such as rock climbing, kayaking, mountain biking, etc.  Outdoor and indoor climbing has seen a big surge in popularity. Pittsburgh alone has seen several membership-based gyms open in recent years.  However, access and even introduction to the sport can be prohibitive, due to factors like geographic vicinity, transportation, and cost.” 

The study identified opportunities to create a free, accessible, outdoor climbing facility in city and county parks in Allegheny County, Perkovich added. 

Because the site is free, county parks staff does not have data on visitors of the venue. They can, though, attest to its year-round popularity.  It is consistently very busy and highly reviewed.  It has garnered national attention and articles and is now receiving awards acknowledging its success, Perkovich said.

Environmental Planning & Design, the Pittsburgh-based firm that commissioned the study, submitted the county’s application for the honor, Perkovich said.

The Boyce Bouldering Park and Pump Track’s recognition by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the APA as a Great Public Space is a great honor for the Allegheny County Parks Department and County leadership, he wrote, as well as for the people of Allegheny County. 

“It justifies the vision and hard work that went into the project,” Perkovich added.  “We built a facility that is unlike anything else in the region, and unique nationally as well. The response from the public has been overwhelmingly positive.  Observing park users of all ages and skill levels at the site, spending time outside, testing their abilities and building community, is priceless.  It is a testament to importance of high-quality public parks and the role they play to help grow and maintain healthy communities.”

The association will present framed certificates in recognition of the honor to park representatives at one of the Pittsburgh APA chapter meetings or at the parks this fall.

It started the program through Great Places in America, an organization that wanted states to start their own selection processes. It no longer exists, Shellenberger said.

The hope is the designations will bring more residents to the selected parks, trails, preserves and more. Shellenberger said her group shares the selections with state tourism bureaus. And she always looks to visit them when she is traveling across the state.