Beechwood Farms
Park
120 acres3.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Brastins · CC BY-SA 3.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Fox Chapel
Fox Chapel has 12 miles of mapped trails, 1.5 for every square mile of land
563 acres are parks and preserves, 107 per 1,000 residents. 10% of Fox Chapel’s land is conserved, about 499 acres. The biggest trail networks: Beechwood Farms (3.9 mi), Trillium Trail (1.9 mi), Riding Meadow Park (1.2 mi).
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns · #111 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. What drives it
Conserved land
10%
499 acres · of 7.9 sq mi of land
Trails
12 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
563 ac
107 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
76%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Fox Chapel?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fox Chapel have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fox Chapel is ahead of 91% of U.S. towns, #111 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fox Chapel’s overall grade.
Conserved land10% of the land · typical PA town 8% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (12 mi) · PA 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land107 acres of park per 1,000 residents (563 acres) · PA 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home76% of residents within a half mile of a park · PA 73% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 91%
LessMore
Pennsylvania towns of 2,500+ (1,037)Ahead of 89%
Pennsylvania towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 8%; the U.S., 4%), so Fox Chapel’s 10% is ahead of 56% of Pennsylvania towns, while its trails per square mile lead 87% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Beechwood Farms, with 3.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Trillium Trail
Park
198 acres1.9 mi of trail
Lockhart TrailTrillium TrailEliza Fox TrailGuyasuta Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Riding Meadow Park
Park
46 acres1.2 mi of trail
Eliza Fox TrailLockhart Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Salamander Park
Park
28 acres0.8 mi of trail
Salamander Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Old Squaw Trail Park
Park
44 acres0.7 mi of trail
Eliza Fox Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Fay Park
Park
30 acres0.3 mi of trail
Salamander Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 9 parks & preserves
Beechwood Farms120 acres · 3.9 mi of trail
DirectionsTrillium Trail198 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
Riding Meadow Park46 acres · 1.2 mi of trail
Salamander Park28 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
Old Squaw Trail Park44 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
DirectionsFay Park30 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMcCahill Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Scott Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Shady Side Academy Far Fields27 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
499 conserved acres
10% of Fox Chapel’s land. Who manages Fox Chapel’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Other or Unknown Local Government357 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits145 ac
Not recorded175 ac
Local Park · 344 acPrivate Conservation · 291 acLocal Recreation Area · 23 acConservation Easement · 12 acRecreation or Education Easement · 4 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 28 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve Private Conservation | Not recorded | 283 | Open |
| Trillium Park and Trail Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 159 | Open |
| Riding Meadow Park and Trail Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 46 | Open |
| Salamander Park Local Park | Not recorded | 37 | Unknown |
| Old Squaw Trail Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 35 | Open |
| Fay Park & Salamander Trail Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 28 | Open |
| Squaw Run Place Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 19 | Open |
| Hardie Property Open Space Local Recreation Area | Other or Unknown Local Government | 16 | Open |
| Riding Meadow Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 16 | Open |
| Beechwood Farms; Evans Nature Center Private Conservation | Not recorded | 8 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
5 places to go in Fox Chapel
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Fox Chapel
4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Scenic views in Fox Chapel
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.5 miUnpaved · 4.4 mi
Eliza Fox Trail3.0 mi
Lockhart Trail1.5 mi
Salamander Trail1.1 mi
Trillium Trail0.5 mi
Guyasuta Trail0.1 mi
Old Indian Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
39Tennis
8Golf
7Pickleball
7Soccer
4Baseball
1Basketball
1Tracks
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Fox Chapel: April and August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 41 | 50 | 63 | 73 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 52 | 41 |
| Rain (in) | 3.1 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.3 |
February is the driest month (2.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 84 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Fox Chapel →
Next door
Fox Chapel and its neighbors
Fox Chapel has the second most mapped trails of the 5 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fox Chapel | 10% | 1.5 | 107 | 76% | A |
| O'Hara Township | 8% | 0.4 | 41 | 89% | A− |
| Indiana Township | 6% | 1.6 | 89 | 69% | A |
| Harmar Township | 2% | 0.2 | 21 | 72% | B− |
| Aspinwall | 12% | 1.7 | 10 | 99%+ | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fox Chapel
Where can I hike in Fox Chapel?
The longest trail networks: Beechwood Farms, 3.9 miles; Trillium Trail, 1.9 miles; Riding Meadow Park, 1.2 miles; Salamander Park, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fox Chapel is conserved land?
10% of its land, against a typical 8% for a Pennsylvania town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Fox Chapel’s trails?
Beechwood Farms and Trillium Trail don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Fox Chapel?
17,568 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fox Chapel or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 563 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Fox Chapel have?
Ahead of 91% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #111 of 1,037 in Pennsylvania. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Fox Chapel neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →