Elizabeth Township, PA – At the end of December 2025, Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) purchased 10 acres of green space for permanent protection in Elizabeth Township. The land is nestled between the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) Trail and the Youghiogheny River, expanding ALT’s adjacent Dead Man’s Hollow Conservation Area and creating an important connection between the Hollow and Boston Riverfront Park.
“We are thrilled to be able to expand Dead Man’s Hollow, a place that holds deep meaning for this community and for the many people who experience it from the trail,” said Carrie Gilbert, ALT President & CEO. “Protecting this land ensures that natural beauty, quiet refuge, and ecological value of the Hollow will continue to welcome people for generations.”
The first parcel of Dead Man’s Hollow was protected in 1994, making it ALT’s very first successful conservation project. Since that initial purchase, ALT has collaborated with the boroughs of Liberty, Lincoln and Elizabeth, along with local leadership, neighbors and trail advocates, to grow the Hollow into the 460-acre green space it is today.
Today, the Hollow offers more than eight miles of sustainable trails, hosts a tributary of the Youghiogheny River called “Dead Man’s Run”, contains the popular “Catfish Pond” and holds a 2017 designation as a “Wild Plant Sanctuary” through Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Permanent conservation of this land was made possible thanks to support from the Mon/Yough Trail Council (MYTC), the Sierra Club and many dedicated community members and trail users. MYTC stewards 15 miles of the GAP trail and was thrilled both to be involved and to learn of the success in expanding the Hollow in this corridor.
“The Boston Trail Access is one of the most heavily used trailheads on the GAP,” MYTC Treasurer Tim Banfield said. “These conservation efforts will benefit thousands of trail users who frequent this section every year, whether to access Dead Man’s Hollow or continue on the GAP towards Pittsburgh.”
This newly protected land further enhances the benefits of Dead Man’s Hollow by providing a natural buffer along the GAP trail and Youghiogheny River. Towering Sycamores and other floodplain trees offer shade, scenic beauty and vital wildlife habitat, while also helping absorb stormwater, sequester carbon and filter pollutants to strengthen the health and resilience of the river corridor.
“Dead Man’s Hollow is a cherished natural area where neighbors and trail users visit to tune into the natural world,” Gilbert added. “Whether someone is hiking the trails, attending on of our programs, listening for birds or simply sitting quietly among the trees, this land offers something restorative. Being able to protect and expand that experience is a great honor.”