Access to Duff park is right off Rt. 22 at School Rd's Sheetz. This park offers beautiful forested hiking trails/ cross country skiing, and most important: a place to feel secluded from the day to day city life.
Coming soon: connection to Pleasant Valley Park, which is already possible, but requires some bushwhacking. Yesterday we did a loop of each park and connected crossing Forbes Rd.
Also the train right of way along Turtle Creek side of Duff Park is going to become a rails to trails It should connect Monroeville to Saltsburg in the near future!
Neither Duff or Heritage Parks have playgrounds or swing sets, so kids should be interested in hiking activities. People tend to let dogs off leash.