Panther Hollow Trail

This is a beautiful walk. With Greenfield bridge construction this is the walk of choice from Greenfield to the universities. View of the hollow, train tracks, etc. Stop at Big Jim’s on the return.

When I lived in souf oakland I power walked this trail everyday. I miss it so much. It is a gem. You don’t know what you go until it is no longer at your back door. I use to cut down alley ways and cut through campus and then past the fountain and then past Phipps and cross the street. I use to access the trail on the staircase behind the Schenley Park Café and Visitor Center. I would then walk the Lower Panther Hollow Bridle Path. I was thankful for the outhouses from time to time. When nature calls…
This historical park was partly built by the WPA back in the day. Over the years I recall seeing chain gangs doing maintenance as well as nature groups. This park was always kept clean and I never felt unsafe in the 14 years of use I got out of this trail. I also use to sometimes cut up frew street behind phipps where they store the roadway salt. Watch for large trucks if you go this route. Sometimes I would end my walk by visiting the wonderful and very huge Carnegie Library grab a book and enjoy the air conditioning on a hot day.
As another reviewer mentioned yes you can see wild turkeys at times. Wild turkeys in the middle of the city. Yes… and they are not in the bottom of a bottle, you are not seeing double, they do appear outta nowhere and then you feel like you are in a cartoon having to ward off the monsters from Thanksgiving’s revenge! They mainly live behind the post office on yarrow way. When it is mating season they get really mean. They will chase you on you bike. My Mr. has had to fend off the turkeys many times over the years when we lived in Souf Oakland.
I hope you enjoy the trails as much as we have. Be safe!

Given that I live in N. Oakland, this trail is my gateway to the Three Rivers Heritage Trail System, a.k.a. the bike trails that run along all of Pittsburgh’s rivers. It cuts through Schenley Park in pretty much the straightest and least hilly manner possible, connecting Oakland and Greenfield.
The only part of this trail that I don’t particularly like is the Greenfield end, where it loops around through part of the neighborhood, under the railroad bridge, and up into the trailhead parking lot for the Eliza Furnace trail. While it may be the safest way to get through this neighborhood at present, I particularly dislike the narrow blind corners, so on my way up to the trail, I often avoid them by climbing the hill and crossing the RR tracks (which you’re not supposed to do, but I’m a railfan, so I know about trains and I’m careful). Speaking of which, closer to the Oakland side, this trail connects to the other Schenley Park trails via a connector that crosses the RR tracks. While not nearly as busy as many other RR tracks in PGH, these tracks (the same ones I cross) see a few trains a day, so take appropriate caution when crossing them.
I’ve heard that wild turkeys live along this trail, but I’ve never actually seen them – at least, not in the park. (I did see them near Central Catholic HS one time). If you do encounter them, be careful, as they are hostile to cyclists and may attack!

The Panther Hollow Trail is really not much more than a connecting trail. It begins near the intersection of Boundary and Juno Streets at Junction Hollow and heads down towards Greenfield Avenue. It essentially connects Schenley Park with the Eliza Furnace Trail. It mainly saves you having to take the city streets down to the trail, but it’s a pretty if short ride.