Hartwood Acres Park — Attraction in Indiana Township

Beautiful park with many trails. You can hike 10 miles or 1 and they are all connected. Because of the many trails it's probably better to have a map of the park. I used all trails or I would have probably gotten lost. I hiked the white, red, orange, and purple blaze trails and they were all clear and very well marked. The trails are shared but I have met only a couple of mountain bikers. People ride horses on these trails and don't clean after their horses so you'll likely find many huge horse feces that the owners don't bother to shovel off trail or even cover with straw. I almost ended up stepping in one. If you are a mountain biker good luck because those are definitely slipping hazards. I have encountered a few people walking or jogging but only closer to the parking lots; I didn't encounter a single person on the white, purple blaze, and orange loop sections further away from all the parking lots. There are a couple of pretty views and the vegetation changes so much throughout the park. Dogs are allowed and some people leave them off leash. There are parking lots all around the park so parking won't be a problem. The Mansion is pretty cool and you get a peak from the white loop trail. I'd definitely go back to hike some more trails. Highly...

Being a "SHALER TOWNSHIP" Resident, I've SEEN How GORGEOUS & AWESOME "HARTWOOD ACRES PARK" Really IS. My Wife & I live on MIDDLE ROAD & We pass that BEAUTIFUL PIECE of LAND at least TWICE A WEEK. We can tell if SOMETHING SPECIAL is Happening at "HARTWOOD ACRES PARK" bc of the HEAVY TRAFFIC TRAVELING on MIDDLE ROAD on a SUNDAY NIGHT. My Wife & Our Youngest Daughter have seen the "PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATRE" Perform Several BALLETS at the AMPHITHEATRE located just on the GROUNDS of "HARTWOOD ACRES". We've seen JOGGERS, YOUNG PARENTS pushing strollers, YOUNG BIKE RIDERS, GRANDPARENTS pushing strollers & PEOPLE SPEED-WALKING on the HARTWOOD CEMENT PATH. My Wife & I used to go for a WALK there too, but MORE & MORE PEOPLE Started Showing-Up & the PARKING LOT was BECOMING TOO CROWDED. But, "HARTWOOD ACRES PARK" is an EASY DRIVE & NOT a LONG DRIVE for NEARBY Residents. Many HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES use the ACREAGE to WALK, RUN or JOG to STAY IN SHAPE. The PARK is VERY WELL MAINTAINED by LANDSCAPERS Who Take GREAT CARE in MAINTAINING the HUGE COUNTY PARK. PEOPLE of ALL AGES Visit the PARK Either Weekly or Every CHANCE THEY GET & have COMMENTED on the GREAT BEAUTY of the PROPERTY on...

Heartwood Acres has really changed a lot, and not for the better. The last time I was there was about three years ago, and now the parking lot has changed. There’s limited parking, and the walk to the mansion is a little bit further than it was before. The outdoor garden used to be so beautiful, but now there’s weed in it and all the plants are dying. there's a lot of weeds growing up between the cobblestone blocks for the driveway leaning up to the mansion. Is this partially why I think the cleanliness and caretaking of the grounds has gone downhill.

I noticed a small pet cemetery off to the side of the garden, which wasn’t there before. I thought it was really odd. There was a pet Sematary, and that’s one of the changes that I think distracts from the beauty of Hardwood Acres mansion.

If you have a 10-speed bike, you're still able to ride around the grounds and on some...