any Pittsburgh hikers here?

“Anyone in here actually from Pittsburgh or somwhere pretty close to it? It'd be nice to find some dayhike companions and/or people doing slightly longer trips nearby. I don't want to have to drive half a day EVERY time I want to go out for a trip.”

“I'm originally from Pittsburgh (Murrysville), but I'm living in California now.”

“buddur lives kinda close”

“I'm in Altoona (2 hours east). The are a few trail between us. The John P Saylor Trail is in New Ashtola, along with the Lost Turkey trail. (trail heads share the same parking area).There's the Laurel Highlands trail that runs from near Johnstown to Ohiopyle. Check out this link for some trails from the PA states site.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/hiking/
I know that there's plenty of trails north of you in the Alleghney Forest but, I haven't got up that way ... yet.”

“Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I'll be hiking the Laurel Highlands because they're not dog friendly. Any recommendations for guidebooks for the state?”

“Jmitch (a frequent poster here) has a book out about hiking in PA
"Hiking the Endless Mountains: Exploring the Wilderness of Northeast PA"
I haven't got a copy yet but, I hope to soon. I'm headed to the Boundary Waters in MN in a few weeks and need a good book for the evenings.”