PITTSBURGH — The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s Toms Run Nature Reserve, located just 10 miles from downtown Pittsburgh in Kilbuck Township, expanded recently by 52 acres to a total of 369 acres, thanks to a newly protected property near the reserve.
The addition protects a large forested slope above Toms Run, a tributary to the Ohio River, and keeps the forest intact along the road leading from Route 65 to the reserve’s trailhead.
The newly conserved area is part of the former Dixmont State Hospital property, which closed in 1984.
Toms Run Nature Reserve has been protected by the conservancy since 1977 and is open to the public for hiking, nature watching, hunting and birding.
The reserve includes large stands of mature maple, oak and American beech trees and is one of the largest remaining undeveloped forested areas in the county.
Toms Run is the largest of several streams on the reserve.
Over the past decade, the conservancy has made improvements to enhance outdoor recreation options and help restore the forest and streams on the reserve. With donations from individuals and state grants in hand, the conservancy will soon provide a new 2.5-mile trail loop, which will contain an ADA-accessible path, and an expanded parking lot.
These improvements are expected to conclude in late 2019.
Before exploring Toms Run Nature Reserve, visitors are encouraged to first contact the conservancy for parking and access information due to upcoming trail-construction activities.
Contact the conservancy at 412-586-2356 or azadnik@paconserve.org.
