Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy buys East Deer land to enhance trail

The Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy acquired 43 acres of wooded land to make a stretch of the trail that goes through the Alle-Kiski Valley safer and more enjoyable.

The conservancy paid $145,000 for the property, located on Murray Hill Road in East Deer.

The purchase is part of a yearslong strategy to make that section of the trail safer and give hikers a more enjoyable experience by taking them off the road and into the woods.

Last year, as part of that goal, the conservancy bought an 18-acre wooded parcel along Murray Hill and Riddle Run roads at the border of East Deer and Frazer.

“Prior to our focus in this area, the Rachel Carson Trail just used Riddle Run Road itself to head up through this valley, and it was unsafe because traffic on that road was getting faster all the time,” said John Stephen, the conservancy’s trail network development coordinator. “There was so much wonderful woodlands around, we wanted to find a way to get the hikers’ experience improved by getting that trail into the woods.”

The Rachel Carson Trail is a varied hiking trail spanning about 45 miles between Harrison Hills Park in Harrison and North Park in Hampton, McCandless and Pine townships. The trial passes through woods and along paved roads.

Stephen said hikers that went through the Murray Hill Road parcel had been using a utility trail built under a power line.

Volunteers now are building a hiking trail that veers away from the power line and leads hikers to a viewing area, where they can look across the Allegheny River into New Kensington and other parts of the Allegheny Valley.

“All of that needs to be improved a little bit. It’s nothing major. … But it has to be done correctly to make sure erosion doesn’t become an issue or we don’t harm any of the existing trees and woodlands,” Stephen said.

Stephen Tobe, 70, is the previous owner of the Murray Hill Road property, which he bought because of its proximity to the Pittsburgh Mills mall, Route 28 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Tobe said the property totals 60 acres, but a majority of it is wooded land that cannot be developed.

He decided to sell the wooded area to the conservancy to make the trail safer for hikers. The remaining land is being used to develop patio homes.

“This gets them off the road. It also will give the residents of the new development walking trails,” Tobe said. “To me, it was the best of all worlds.”

The conservancy used proceeds raised from the annual Rachel Carson Trail Challenge and a $127,000 DCNR Community Conservation Partnerships Program grant to pay for the purchase.

Stephen said the conservancy will work with the developer to make sure the two initiatives complement one another.

“We’re going to be good neighbors,” Stephen said.

Stephen said the conservancy has a “Safer Trails Committee,” which works to improve the trail and get it off roads whenever possible. However, this is last land purchase the conservancy will make for the foreseeable future, Stephen said.

“We’re always keeping alert, but we don’t have anything in the burner right now,” Stephen said.