Tropical Park, Beechview: 635 Tropical Avenue
The Seldom Seen Greenway is often considered one of Pittsburgh’s “quirky gems,” featuring abandoned bridges, tunnels, and railroad tracks. While most folks gain access from the bottom of the hillside on Saw Mill Run Boulevard, there’s another entrance at the top of the hill in Tropical Park.
Tropical Park features a small playground and a basketball court, lots of shade trees, and pleasant spots to sit. The neighborhood is quiet and residential, which makes it all the more surprising that for decades, the surrounding hillside was a hotspot for illegal dumping.
In 2021, Allegheny Cleanways mobilized dozens of volunteers in a dedicated effort to remediate the area. Having participated in some of those clean-ups (imagine HIIT + Tough Mudder featuring 300 tires, a smattering of refrigerators and washing machines, and thousands of pounds of household and commercial debris), I was eager to walk along the trails and enjoy a new and improved Greenway.
But, alas, it was not to be. Recent storms have wreaked havoc on this area, and several massive trees have toppled. It’s a bit sad to come upon these fallen giants, but also fascinating to carefully examine their trunks and branches, root systems, and the large and deep footprints they once occupied. Many of these trees are blocking the designated paths, so for those (like me) who don’t want to attempt an uncharted, solo hillside scramble, a return to Tropical Park provides a calm, cool, and clean spot to enjoy. At some point, the felled trees will be removed, and I will return!
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