Dead Man's Hollow Conservation Area - McKeesport, Pennsylvania

Sam L.

I really enjoyed my walk at Dead Man’s Hollow. The trails were well marked and maintained for the most part and they were not too easy or hard for my tastes. The history and ruins were enjoyable and fun to explore.

Some areas were definitely a little overgrown but I had no problems with the mud. There are maps at the trailheads and also QR codes to scan to get a more interactive map on your phone.

The park’s history is presented on plaques, and you can see many of the ruins firsthand. The tunnel and other remnants are located near the entrance to the Great Allegheny Passage. Additional points of interest include a triple-trunk sycamore, a tree trunk hideout, Table Rock, and a waterfall. All of these spots are worth a quick visit. However, when I saw the waterfall, it was only a light trickle and not particularly impressive.

Visited 9/14/24

Mary E. M.

Some beautiful scenery. We did Blue Trail & did it for 10 mile hike required for Boy Scouts. The trail has some small path ways as you travel down mountain (about 12 -15" wide). Bring your walking stick!! Very peaceful.

Megan E.

This was a cool hiking area, but unfortunately, the trails were not well-maintained when we went, so after only a short hike, the trails turned very narrow and overgrown by brush. We tried the 3 other trailheads before we finally had some success finding decent trails when starting at the GAP Trailhead at Boston Ball Fields. You could not hike very far from any of the other areas before running into very overgrown trails where you're walking through tall brush. Might be better in the fall after leaves fall. We hiked part of the Deadman's Hollow Trail and it was pretty cool getting to hike through the old pipe factory ruines.

Carm M.

Very nice trails, history and nature info posts. The main GAP/Youghiogheny River Trail is very flat and good with a wheel chair. The Industrial Ruins were an easy walk from that. The path up to the enchanted staircase across and up a land ramp from the bridge were still walkable for my elderly father with assistance (not up the ramp & stair)
Everyone is in different condition but it was very nice for him to be able to go on even a little adventure with historic background with us.

Audra D.

Lots of great trails and places to explore. Trails are well blazed and the map is helpful. We like to park at Boston Bridge park and walk on the a Great Allegheny Passage trail to the the entrance where the Industrial Ruins is close by. We’ve also parked near Catfish Pond and enjoyed the trails there. My dogs love it and we haven’t found any parts that are too steep though there are definitely some challenging areas. My dogs also love lots of spots to cool off and drink water from Dead Man’s Run.

Cheryl V.

Gorgeous hike, loved the waterfall and all the little flowers blooming. It was very easy to follow with clear markers.

Scott F.

Sad to see all the negative reviews that have nothing to do with this place or are a result of people not knowing what they are doing.

That said, I can only speak for the trailhead on Calhoun Rd. It looks like it may have been updated recently with a new map. It's easy to understand. Also, it seems that trail markers have been updated recently as they are extremely visible and useful. There are still trees down but I can tell someone has been working on that. These trails are a great change from going to South Park all the time. And what a view.

Colten R.

A nice little area that's still close to Pittsburgh proper but far enough where you won't see many people at all, and definitely don't get the sound pollution from all the vehicular traffic!

Recommend for a nice little hike but don't expect challenging terrain. Bikes and all motorized vehicles aren't allowed so you don't need to worry about getting run over either! Better when the trees are full and there is more color, but still fun in the non-green months.