Natural Areas of Pittsburgh and Its Countyside

Thanks for visiting. This blog has information about natural areas within about 1 to 1.5 hours of Pittsburgh. Below, I've listed a number of natural areas and the organizations that manage them. Information is linked if a website is available. The rest of the blog has more detailed information on state park and forest natural areas, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy properties, and a few county, municipal, and privately-managed properties of note.

Plain Grove Fen, Fringed Gentian, Beaver Creek, and Toms Run Natural Areas. These are undeveloped properties managed by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy - they have no trails, parking areas, etc. Contact the WPC for more information.

Enlow Fork Natural Area, part of State Game Lands #302. Originally protected by the WPC and now managed by the State Game Commission.

Rock Point and Glacier Wetlands Natural Areas, managed by the Wild Waterways Conservancy

A number of properties in and around Murraysville are managed by the Westmoreland Conservancy

Roaring Run Recreation Area, managed by the Roaring Run Watershed Association

Kimberly Run Natural Area, managed by the Somerset County Conservancy

Dead Man's Hollow, Barking Slopes, Fern Hollow, and a number of other properties managed by the Allegheny Land Trust

Powdermill Nature Reserve, managed by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, managed by Saint Vincent College

Jumonville Glen, managed by the National Park Service

Frick Woods Nature Reserve and Nine Miles Watershed, managed by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

Buttermilk Falls Natural Area, managed by Beaver County Parks and Recreation. It is located right off of Route 18 near Beaver Falls.

Wagner Hollow Natural Area

Wagner Hollow is located off of Fern Hollow Road in Sewickley Heights, right past the Y intersection with Little Sewickley Creek Rd. There is no parking available - there is some space along the southbound side of the road. The natural area is wooded and contains a scenic portion of Little Sewickley Creek, along with an abundance of spring wildflowers. A single, one-way trail cuts through the center of the property - it crosses the creek a number of times, so be prepared for wet feet. Wagner Hollow is managed by the Little Sewickley Creek Watershed Association.

Natural Areas in Forbes State Forest

Forbes State Forest is comprised of a number of tracts in Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland Counties, which vary in size from a few to thousands of acres in size. More information, along with a bunch of maps, may be found HERE. Some notable areas include Roaring Run Natural Area (pictured above), Spruce Flats Bog, Mt. Davis Natural Area, and Quebec Run.

Todd Nature Reserve

Todd Nature Reserve is managed by the Western Pennsylvania chapter of the Audubon Society. It is located a few miles north of Route 28 in Butler County. Directions and more information may be found HERE.

Raccoon Creek State Park Wildflower Reserve

Most peoples' Raccoon Creek State Park experience is centered around the 1930's era "fake lake" that offers fishing, swimming, etc. It was built during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps, which also constructed other lakes and campsites across the Pennsylvania.

The Wildflower Reserve, on the other hand, is all natural, and has been a focus of study by botanists for decades. It is estimated that something in the neighborhood of 600 different plants grow there, from Skunk Cabbage in the late winter/early spring to Asters of all sizes in the late fall. The flower pictured above is a Cut-Leaf Toothwort, which is plentiful in the early spring.

The Reserve is open to the public from 8:00 am to sunset all year long, and is located right off of Route 30 in just inside the Beaver County line from Pittsburgh. There are about 5 miles of trails, and seasonal interpretive guides are available at the Reserve office. Please Note: No pets are allowed on the trails.

Cedar Creek Park

One of the hotspots for wildflowers in Southwestern Pennsylvania is Cedar Creek Park, which is right beside the Rt. 51 and I-70 Interchange in Westmoreland County. In late March, the slopes of the park begin to see scattered snow trillium, and the blooms continue for the rest of the season.

For more information on Southwestern PA's Spring Wildflowers, check out Paul Wiegman's Pittsburgh Tribune Review Articles (especially this one).

Westmoreland County also manages a number of other properties that it has protected for their natural value. These include Ann Rudd Saxman Nature Park and the Loyalhanna Creek Greenway. The Loyalhanna Watershed Association manages a trail through a portion of the latter.

The Relict Prairie at Jennings Environmental Education Center

This one is another leftover from the glacial period up in Butler County. Back in the day, glaciers dumped and packed down a bunch of sentiment, and as they retreated and the country warmed and dried a massive prairie emerged. Much of it still exists out in the Midwest, but from Ohio eastward wetter weather allowed forests to dominate except in a few isolated pockets, many with an underlying layer of clay that kept trees from successfully taking root.

Jennings Environmental Education Center, a few miles north of Moraine State Park along Rt. 528 (and just south of Route 8), is home to one such "Relict" Prairie. It contains hundreds of plant species, many of which - including the pictured blazing star - don't exist in many (if any) other spots in Pennsylvania. Peak bloom ranges from late July through August. Butterflies and Goldfinches (especially when the thistles are out) also abound.

There are easy hiking trails mowed through the prairie, which make for nice, leisurely strolls that are accessible to anyone that can move under his or her own power. Interpretive signs and scheduled guided tours are also available.

Bear Run Nature Reserve

Bear Run is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River, and the woods surrounding it are owned and managed as a natural area by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. It is a pretty expansive property, with a number of hiking trails (see map) and Frank Lloyd Wright's famous Fallingwater home, which is built over Bear Run.

The hiking trails are very well taken care of and very well marked. Most of my wanderings have been on the Arbutus Trail, which is easily accessible from the main parking lot at the nature reserve. It is very scenic, and runs through a lot of rhododendron (early June) and mountain laurel (mid to late June) thickets, as well as crossing over Bear Run a number of times. To get to Bear Run from Pittsburgh, hop on the turnpike east to the Donegal exit and follow the signs to the state parks and Fallingwater. The main lot is on your left as you go south on Rt. 381 towards Ohiopyle, and Fallingwater is on your right.

Ferncliff Peninsula Natural Area

Ferncliff Peninsula is part of Ohiopyle State Park, which is one of the biggest and most-visited parks in Pennsylvania. To get there, follow the directions found here and a little history of the area here.

Ferncliff is unique because of its location nestled between the hills and along the Youghiogheny River, which flows from south to north. The relative warmth and protection of its spot combined with the northern flow of the river leads to existence of lots of plants that don't grow anywhere else in Pennsylvania, as well as old-growth trees and lots of mountain laurel (the state flower).

The trails of Ferncliff are all quite easy, owing to its flat topography. The most interesting are the Fernwood Trail, which cuts through the heart of the peninsula, and the Ferncliff Trail that loops around the outside of the peninsula and offers access to the riverbank (and offers some great views of Ohiopyle Falls).

Wolf Creek Narrows Natural Area

Wolf Creek Narrows Natural Area is owned and managed by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, and is located just outside of Slippery Rock. To get there, go north on I-79 to the Slippery Rock Exit, get onto rt. 108 towards Slippery Rock, turn left onto West Park Road, then right onto Miller Road. It eventually crosses Wolf Creek via an old metal bridge. The parking area is on your right just before the bridge. The trailhead is on the other side of the bridge on your left (there was nothing saying that a person couldn't cross - just no cars). There is one major trail, which follows the creek for a spell and loops up into the higher woods.

Wolf Creek Narrows is primarily known for its spring and summer wildflowers (read this), but don't underestimate its fall colors.

Trillium Trail

Trillium Trail is located in Fox Chapel Borough. This article from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review has directions. The time to visit is April, when the property's namesake flowers are in full bloom. When I was there this past Spring, there were tens of thousands of Trillium blooming, mostly of the white large-flowered variety (although red and purple are supposed to be lurking higher up from the main trail). The trail makes for a relatively easy walk (a little climbing here and there), and the crowd on a Sunday morning was minimal.

Buttermilk Falls Natural Area

Buttermilk Falls Natural Area is located in Indiana County, just a few minutes off of Route 22 (and a bit over an hour outside of Pittsburgh). Follow 22 until you get to Clyde, and look for Old Clay Pike Road on your right. After turning, you will come to a Y in the road (it's not easy to see - I have had to slam on the brakes and back up every time I've visited). Bear to the left and follow Valley Brook Road to the parking lot for the natural area. There is a trail that will take you down the hill to the falls.

For more information, visit Indiana County's website . Be sure to watch the slideshow - I took the photos...

Miller Esker Natural Area

This is one for the geology buffs out there. Miller (Jacksville) Esker was formed during the last glacial period, by a process best explained HERE.

The portion pictured here is owned and protected by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, and is open to the public. To get there, turn left onto West Liberty Road from Rt. 528, about a mile north of the big bridge that crosses Lake Arthur. Stay on West Liberty Rd. no matter what it does (there are some turns), and you'll eventually see the esker on your right (after Swope Road). Park on the side of the road. The natural area runs behind a privately-owned farm, so the WPC recommends hugging the wooded area to the right of it to reach it. You are free to roam on top of the esker between the woods and the tree pictured above.

Like Slippery Rock Creek Natural Area, this is admittedly not an all-day adventure. You go up, you look around, and that's about it. Miller Esker is right around the corner from the Glacier Wetlands Natural Area, a 100 acre plot on Swope Road owned by the Wild Waterways Conservancy. The Relict Prairie at Jennings Environmental Education Center is also not far away. Its amazing wildflowers usually are on full display in late July and early August.

Hell's Hollow at Slippery Rock Gorge

Hell Run flows south into Slippery Rock Creek, and its last two miles or so are protected as part of McConnells Mill State Park (and it is considered to be part of the Slippery Rock Gorge Natural Area). To get to its parking area, go over the covered bridge by the mill, up the hill, and then follow the (small) signs for a couple of miles. Expect to make a number of turns along some skinny, hilly, winding back roads.

At the parking lot, you'll be faced with two trails - the 0.5 mile (easy) Hell's Hollow Trail and the 6.2 mile (moderate to difficult) Slippery Rock Gorge trail. I usually just plod along the easy trail, along which you'll find a number of geologic sites and wildflowers and scenic views of Hell Run. Some interesting points are the flume and (or course) the falls, which mark the end of the trail. The best time to see the falls is in the springtime during snowmelt, when they are at their fullest. By the end of the summer, especially a dry one, the falls will be down to a couple of trickling flows.

Slippery Rock Gorge Natural Area

Slippery Rock Gorge makes up the bulk of McConnells Mill State Park up in Lawrence County. To get to the park, head up I-79 to either the Portersville/Prospect or Butler/New Castle exits and follow the signs. Once you get there, all you need to do is head down the hill from the main parking lot and you are in the natural area. There area number of trails along Slippery Rock Creek that range from paved (but still not the easiest to walk on) to rough back-country. There are lots of rocks and lots of slippery areas, so wear sturdy boots and bring a walking stick.

The gorge was created back at the end of the last glacial period. When temperatures warmed the glacier receded, ice blocks that had created a number of lakes disappeared, allowing the water to rush out. Over time (but not that much time, geologically speaking), the rushing water carved out the gorge and left massive boulders behind.

The rocks are what many people come for (along with the creek, which is a challenging white water corridor), but the abundance of wild flowers, trees, waterfalls and other scenic niceties are certainly worth the trip. My favorite time to visit is after a large rain storm when the creek overflows, creating lots of new channels, rapids, etc. A good rain will also bring out the waterfalls, some of which are hardly noticeable without extra precipitation (or snow melt). Autumn colors are also quite spectacular, as are the trees' herculean efforts to grow on, around, and in the large rocks.

All-in-all, this is one of Southwestern Pennsylvania's most scenic natural areas, and certainly worth the trip in nearly any season.

Hemlock Trail Natural Area

Hemlock Trail is a part of Laurel Hill State Park over in Somerset County - take the turnpike to the Donegal exit and follow the signs. If you enter via to the main park road from S.R. 3037, the trailhead is just past a small parking lot that is just before the bridge over Laurel Hill Creek. It's in kind of a trough, so watch the winter visits (I thought I was going to have to call a tow truck...).

The Natural Area itself is only about six acres, but is certainly worth the mile or so walk, as it is just about the only major stand of pre-European, old growth Eastern Hemlock in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Its existance is one of those great accidents of history - the rest of the original trees in what has become the park were clearcut, but the six acres in question were just too difficult for the loggers to access. Now the 400 year old trees are huge, and there's always something special about old growth areas. Of course, this is the Laurel Highlands, so mountain laurel and rhododendron thickets are abundant, and Laurel Hill Creek itself is quite a site to behold.

Slippery Rock Creek Natural Area

Slippery Rock Creek Natural Area is officially part of Moraine State Park, but is located a few miles away from the contiguous areas around Lake Arthur and is NOT on the park map.

The easiest way to get there is to go north on I-79 to the Slippery Rock exit, go towards Slippery Rock, then turn right onto West Park Road (maybe a mile or so from the exit). Follow the road to a bridge over Slippery Rock Creek - the Natural Area and its parking lots are on your immediate left after you cross the bridge.

It's a relatively small property - around 90-100 acres - and really only has one hiking path that cuts straight back through the woods. There are some offshoots that take you down to the creek, and when the water is low it's kind of fun to splash around down there.

The state's official description is: "Floodplain forest of northern hardwoods and adjacent palustrine and shrub-scrub wetlands containing diverse and rare plants." In other words, see it in the spring for wildflowers and in the fall for pretty leaves. For the photographers out there, morning light is great and the property is low-lying enough that the fog nestles down into it quite nicely. Here are some more photos from the same July morning.

All-in-all, Slippery Rock Creek Natural Area is not an all-day excursion, but it is a nice stop if you're planning to tackle the rapids at nearby McConnell's Mill S.P. or take a sail at Moraine S.P.