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1. Meadow View PavilionMeadow View Pavilion
Meadow View Pavilion is open first-come, first-served, though occasionally reserved for education programs. Enjoy views of Clayton Hill meadow, home to diverse plants and wildlife. Watch for butterflies, birds, and insects, and listen for crickets and buzzing bees around you.
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2. Meadow KaleidoscopeMeadow Kaleidoscope
A kaleidoscope uses mirrors and the reflection of light to create patterns. Combining a Kaleidoscope with meadow plants creates stunning nature patterns. Look through the kaleidoscope to see the patterns created when looking at the plants. This planter has a few vibrant meadow plants you can explore using your senses!
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3. Discovery PavilionDiscovery Pavilion
Discovery Pavilion is first-come, first-served but may be reserved for education. Let nature spark creativity—use sticks, leaves, and acorns for art or play. Please leave tools and loose parts for others to enjoy.
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4. Timber FortTimber Fort
The Timber Fort is designed to be a starting point for using your imagination. You can add to the structure with natural materials found nearby.
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5. Rest NestRest Nest
This is a space where you can check in with yourself and take time to rest in a way that works best for you!
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6. Pebble HarpPebble Harp
Nature's music surrounds us. Use the pebble harp to add notes—drop stones through the holes to create sound. Handle with care as you explore and experiment with nature’s harmony.
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7. Sit SpotSit Spot
Be still and observe. Use our prompts to connect through your senses. Take three deep breaths, engage as you choose, and reflect on what you appreciate about this space.
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8. Observation DeckObservation Deck
This deck lifts you among the trees, offering a new view of nature below. Notice what changes from this height. Imagine drifting like a leaf—where might the wind take you?
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9. Whisper TubesWhisper Tubes
The Whisper Tube transmits sound underground, like a stethoscope. Speak into one cone while someone listens at the other. Experiment and discover how sound travels!
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10. Raised Forest FloorRaised Forest Floor
This space makes the forest floor accessible to all. Gently explore leaves and logs to discover wildlife, then return everything as you found it—this is home to many small creatures.
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Outdoor Discovery Space
The Outdoor Discovery Space provides an accessible area for everyone to enjoy the park. We encourage you to use this space to observe local nature, be curious, and have fun. Through this space, you will find QR codes to scan. These QR codes provide extra information and prompts to further engage with the space.
1. Meadow View Pavilion
The Meadow View Pavilion is available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy may occasionally reserve this pavilion for nature-based education programs. As you sit in the pavilion, you can view the Clayton Hill meadow. Take a moment to observe what is happening in the meadow. It is a home to many vibrant plants that provide food and shelter to local wildlife.
Now take a moment to look for movement in the meadow. Butterflies may flutter around the plants. Birds might be searching for seeds and insects to eat. Next, listen for the sound of insects chirping, buzzing, or clicking. You might hear crickets rubbing their legs together to create sound. A bee might buzz close by.
2. Meadow Kaleidoscope
A kaleidoscope uses mirrors and the reflection of light to create patterns. Combining a Kaleidoscope with meadow plants creates stunning nature patterns. Look through the kaleidoscope to see the patterns created when looking at the plants. This planter has a few vibrant meadow plants you can explore using your senses!
Engage Your Senses!
- What colorful patterns do you see when you look through the kaleidoscope?
- What do the patterns remind you of?
While looking in the kaleidoscope, what natural sounds do you hear around you?
Gently rub one of the leaves between your fingers, then bring your fingers to your nose. If you feel comfortable, bring your face close to the plants and breathe deeply through your nose.
- How would you describe what you’re smelling?
- Does the smell remind you of anything?
Gently touch one of the plant leaves. Gently run your fingers over the stem of the plant.
- What do the different parts of the plant feel like?
- How does touching the plants make you feel?
3. Discovery Pavilion
The Discovery Pavilion is available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy may occasionally reserve this pavilion for nature-based education programs. Let nature inspire your creativity! The tables here can be a mud kitchen, a nature lab, or an art studio. Take a closer look at loose nature parts such as sticks, leaves, and acorns. You can arrange them to make pretend food creations or an artistic masterpiece.
Please keep tools and loose parts that you find in this space here for others to enjoy.
4. Timber Fort
The Timber Fort is designed to be a starting point for using your imagination. You can add to the structure with natural materials found nearby.
- Look nearby first! You can find logs and sticks in the adjacent wood-chipped area.
- Caregivers are responsible for the safety of children in this space.
- Take care when moving and placing heavier pieces.
- Please keep the main path clear so others can pass by.
- You may leave your structure intact, but clear up any loose pieces before leaving this area.
- Cognitive skills – problem-solving and planning
- Social skills – cooperation, negotiation and teamwork
- Construction—physics and mechanics
- Physical development—both gross and fine motor skills
- Personal skills – independence and confidence building
- Creativity and imaginative skills
Sensory Nature Trail
This accessible trail is approximately 1/3 mile long, looping through the South Clayton area of Frick Park. Throughout the trail, you will find QR codes to scan. These QR codes provide extra information and prompts to further engage with the space.
5. Rest Nest
This is a space where you can check in with yourself and take time to rest in a way that works best for you!
Your Are Invited To:
- Stretch
- Take deep breaths
- Close your eyes
Settle into a comfortable position on the bench or in the area around you. Relax your muscles from your head to your toes. Where are you holding tension? Imagine it leaving your body as you breathe out.
Feel free to simply be present in the moment, letting go of any thoughts or worries. This is your time to rejuvenate and find peace within.
6. Pebble Harp
There is a constant flow of sound in nature creating music all around us. You can use this pebble harp to add notes to nature’s song. Gently pick up stones from the bottom of the pebble harp and drop them through the small holes at the top. Please use the pebble harp with care as you experiment with the sounds you can create.
Engage Your Senses!
- Find pebbles that are all the same size to put into the pebble harp.
- Find pebbles that are all the same color to put into the pebble harp.
- What does the sound remind you of?
- Does the sound change if you change the number of stones dropped?
- Bring a handful of pebbles close to your face. What do they smell like?
- Bring your face close to the pebble harp. Does the smell of the pebble harp remind you of anything?
- Put your hands on the side of the harp as pebbles run through it. What do you feel?
- What do the pebbles feel like in your fingers? Are they smooth or rough? Do they each feel different?
Proprioception (your body's ability to sense movement, action, and location)
- Can you pick up pebbles and drop them in the harp with your eyes closed?
7. Sit Spot
This is a spot to be still and notice what is around you. We have created a list of prompts that invite you to connect with this place by opening your senses. We invite you to take three deep breaths and use these prompts to connect in a way that feels best for you. When you are finished, take a few moments and note what you appreciate about this space.
Engage Your Senses!
Look up and look down. Pause in each direction. What is above you? What is below? Think about one of the things you saw. Why was it interesting to you?
Focus on the sounds around you. How many different sounds can you hear? What sounds are close and what sounds are far away? Cup your hands around your ears. Do you hear more?
Start with three breaths using your nose: Breathe in slowly to a count of five and breathe out slowly to a count of five. Tilt your head back and breathe in again. As you do this, focus on the aromas around you.
Pick up a small object near where you are sitting. Hold it in the palm of your hand. Focus on the weight of it. Feel it with your fingertips. Does it feel rough or smooth? Notice the shape of it.
8. Observation Deck
This observation deck allows you to be higher above the ground as if you were sitting in one of the trees. It provides a unique view of the nature below. What looks, sounds, or feels different now that you are at a higher point? Imagine you are a leaf floating down from one of the nearby trees. Where will the wind carry you?
Engage Your Senses!
Look for things in motion. Focus your attention far for a count of 10, then shift your attention closer for a count of 10. What is moving above you in the tree canopy? What is moving below you on the trail?
If you are comfortable doing so, consider closing your eyes as you listen to what is around you. Listen for birds calling, the wind blowing, or leaves rustling. What other natural sounds do you hear around you?
Take three deep breaths and take in the aroma of the area.
If you feel comfortable doing so, consider closing your eyes. What does the air feel like on your skin? Can you feel the wind? How is the temperature? Do you notice any changes if you face a different direction or change your posture?
9. Whisper Tubes
The Whisper Tube carries sound from one end to another through an underground tube. It uses the same scientific principle as a doctor's stethoscope. There are cones at each end of the tube that you speak through or listen to. Try talking into one cone, while someone listens at the other cone.
Experiment with different voices!
What happens when you move your mouth closer to or farther from the sound cone?
What happens when you move your ear closer to or farther from the sound cone?
Can you make a nature sound that travels through the tubes?
10. Raised Forest Floor
This area is designed to make the forest floor more accessible for everyone. We encourage you to sift through leaves, turn over the logs, and investigate what lives here. Remember that this area is a home for small animals. Please explore gently and return everything back to its original position.
Engage Your Senses!
- Look at the shapes of the leaves on the forest floor. Find two leaves that have a similar shape. Find two leaves that have very different shapes from one another.
- Gently lift a leaf or a piece of wood from the ground. Look for movement where it was and on the bottom of it. When you finish, put the leaf or wood back in its original position.
- Gently run your fingers over the ground while listening. Can you mimic the sounds you hear?
- Pick up a leaf. Bring it to your ear and rub your fingers over. Hold it up and let it drop. Listen as it falls. Can you hear it falling or hitting the ground?
Put a pinch of dirt into the palm of your hand and bring it to your nose. Does the smell remind you of anything?
- Place your hand flat on the ground. How does the ground feel beneath your palm? How would you describe the temperature or the texture?
- Put a leaf in the palm of your hand. Feel the weight of it. Slowly close your hand around the leaf
Assistive Resources
The Frick Environmental Center hosts a collection of exploration backpacks, assistive resources and sensory kits that visitors can borrow to enhance their comfort and visitor experience in Frick Park. The Lending Library is free to all park users.