Community Corner

Pearl In Suburbia: Take A Walk On The Gifillan Side

The Upper St. Clair trail that loops around the Gilfillan Farm features a recently opened section for walkers, runners and everyone in between.

But for the sounds of a radio and some occasional hammering, you might mistake the scene for, say, the Laurel Mountains.

Especially this time of year, when a canopy of green shelters much of Upper St. Clair’s Gilfillan Trail, with the sun shining through between the leaves here and there.

The trail, of course, winds through a relatively pristine patch amid a bustling neighborhood, next to upscale homes, across the street from the fire station and a stone’s throw from South Hills Village.

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“I think it’s a pearl in the middle of Suburbia,” said Jill Thurston as she took a break during a trail walk Wednesday. “Families can enjoy it together. You can enjoy it with friends. It’s just a nice little escape in the middle of your day.”

She was joining a couple of friends, Rebecca Paul and Mary Boyle, to take advantage of a sunny morning before the temperature really started rising. The ladies were unaware of a recently opened portion of the trail on its west side, taking a bit of distance off the full 1.25 miles.

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But that was OK with them. They’re looking to walk further distances.

“It’s just a great place to go out and exercise,” Paul said. “It’s very generous of the Gilfillans to allow the community to use this area and to openly welcome everybody to it.”

The trail is part of the property once owned by the Gilfillan family, the first settlers, about 250 years ago, in what would become Upper St. Clair. In 1976, the family sold 60 acres to the township for use as a park.

Inside the trail loop, fenced off and closed to the public, is the 15-acre Gilfillan farm. Margaret Gilfillan, the last member of the family who lived there, left the property to the Upper St. Clair Historical Society.

Summer foliage prevents a clear view of the Gilfillan house from the trail. But the expanse of the farm is clearly visible from the new section of the trail, near where it meets the main portion at a high point of the property.

On a typical decent-weather day, the trail is busy with walkers, runners or folks who are looking for a pleasant way to keep in shape.

“It just has such a sense of serenity, walking through the woods, walking through the trees,” Boyle said. “Even though there’s a road nearby, it’s just very peaceful. I always feel safe, whether I’m with friends or on my own.”


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