Friendship Hill National Historic Site — Attraction in Springhill Township

We visited on a Saturday early afternoon in mid-April 2025.

There were a couple other cars with us in the parking lot but otherwise it was pretty empty. We maybe bumped into 3 other groups the entire time we were there. There was also one group doing a photo shoot. I'm guessing for like senior photos.

There aren't really any signs from the parking lot where to go but if you don't already know. It's up the hill. There are other structures down the hill from the parking lot but I guess it was call Friendship HILL for a reason. It's a nice paved path that does a little switch back to get you all the way up. So it should be wheelchair and stroller friendly. There is also at least 1 handicap accessible parking spot up the hill much closer to the visitor center/home.

As you go up the path there is a statue of Albert Gallatin with benches around it. Nice place for a photo. You continue on up towards the house.

You do not enter through the front door but actually the side door where they have also build a ramp. There is an elevator inside the house so the whole house is wheelchair accessible.

The first thing you come into is the info desk and gift shop. We only ever saw the one ranger working behind the desk the entire time of our visit. Part of the house is closed and you can not walk through it but the portions that are open are a bit bare. Each room's history is described but it was pretty sparse. Just mostly empty space. There is a 3D model of the estate in the main gift shop area. There is also a small table by the window with all the National Park Cancellation Stamps as well. There were 2 different stamps.

There is a park film that plays at the last room on the first floor down all the halls. It's on a large television. The kids sat here for a while and worked on their junior ranger booklets while we wandered throughout the house. There are a number of buttons on the stand with the TV which plays the different films. We watched a couple of them.

There honestly wasn't much to see. We went to the upstairs as well. The film honestly did a good job of explaining everything. The stone kitchen was probably the most interesting room in the house followed by the Stone House Parlor.

The bathrooms are in the basement and you have to take the elevator to go down to it. There are no stairs open to the public anyways. They had a fan and dehumidifier down there going as well. Guessing it doesn't have the best ventilation.

I think our entire visit was about an hour and that included watching the film and kids doing the junior ranger. I think that was about the amount of time we needed to see what we wanted to see. We mainly stopped by because we were passing through coming home from Cleveland, OH. It was probably worth the first visit. I'm not sure if I would stop here again unless there was some kind of special tour or new exhibits opened. It was a little underwhelming. The ranger was nice and swore my kids in for their junior ranger badges. This was more of a check the box kind of...

Excellent trails. The longest loop is approximately five miles. This loop includes views of the Monongahela River, the railroad, lovely mountainside views. This particular trail ends with stairs (picture of a small portion of the stairs included but does not indicate the steepness) which climb up from the river to the top of the trail. It is quite challenging! There are shorter trails which include a pond. If you are quiet you will often see deer, squirrel, chipmunks. Large turtles bask on logs in the pond. In the evening, I have seen 50+ deer in the meadow. The house itself is lovely. A visitor's room with historical goodies for purchase. Post cards too! Always guides available if you have questions. There are several floors: The basement is open and includes restrooms. The first floor includes the guide station, two open living rooms with lovely views and period pieces, a kitchen with walls cut so you may see the original, the dining area, two bedrooms with views of the long porch and a room to sit and view stories and info on a large television. The second floor includes four bedrooms, all period pieces. Lovely views. Including a second story balcony porch. The third story and attic are rarely open to the public. They have done a private, limited tour of them but I was unable to make it. The reason it is closed is for safety purposes of weight limits on the old floors until they are refinished. HANDICAP ACCESSIBILITY:. There is a lot of walking as you park at the bottom and walk up. However, there is handicapped parking. You may drive up directly to the house. The house itself has a ramp and the floors are accessible by elevator, including restrooms. One portion of the second floor is by stairs only...just two rooms. Some of the trails at the bottom would be accessible for some adventurous wheelchair owners! The grounds are open daily from dawn to dusk for walking, hiking. The house is slightly more limited. Hours are posted online. Festifall event is annual and a must! People in period dress with lots of displays and fun for the kids such as candle making, corn husks dolls, lessons on quilting, traditional sewing, blacksmithing, rug making and so much more. Free but accepting donations. Park in the field, walk up. Guides do offer rides on golf carts up to the...

Such an aptly named site! I had planned a trip to visit all the NPS units in Western Pennsylvania when I found out at Flight 93 NM that Friendship Hill NHS was closed that day and wouldn't open for the season until the next day. When I explained that I would be on a plane back to Alabama tomorrow, the lady from Eastern National who was working the gift shopped called over to Fort Necessity to make sure they still had the passport stamp for Friendship Hill there. Once I got to Fort Necessity, I was not only given then stamp, but because I had pre-done the Junior Ranger program, was given the badge and patch. The lady there even took my name to send me the Senior Ranger patch and new stamp once she got it. But the kindness doesn't stop there! I wanted to visit the grounds of Friendship Hill because I can't say I visited it if I didn't actually set foot on the place and because I heard the grounds were beautiful. As I'm there walking around, Jim the Ranger stops me and I tell him my dilemma about not being able to see the house because it's closed and I won't be able to return the next day. He proceeds to give me a mini private tour! From start to finish, the staff at these three sites were exceptional and embody the best of the NPS; people helping people and facilitating genuine experiences at places that are important to preserve. And then a few days ago, I got a package from Friendship Hill with the promised stamps and patches! Kindness and keeping your word are definitely part of...