Lowries Run
Lowries Run (sometimes written as Lowrie's Run) is a stream in Allegheny County and has an elevation of 699 feet. Lowries Run is situated nearby to Ben Avon, close to Emsworth Locks and Dams.
Lowries Run flows into the Ohio River adjacent to Buzzie's Corner after flowing under the railroad bridges, under Route 65, through Avonworth Community Park (formerly Camp Horne) all the way to McCandless Township where it begins just south of West Ingomar Road in Ingomar. Along the way there are several small streams (or cricks as we Yinzers say) that contribute to the flow. You can find these tributaries at Sunny Jim's, Avonworth Community Park, near the intersection with Ben Avon Heights Road, near the intersection with Mount Nebo Road, and several other places along Rochester Road towards Ingomar.
While searching for those tributaries, please visit the Lowries Run Slopes.
Allegheny Land Trust’s 16 acres off of Lowries Run Road is an important property found within the Lowries Run Slopes Biological Diversity Area (BDA), which has been increasingly threatened by retail and residential development. Lowries Run Slopes is a recovering second growth forest dominated by sugar maple, black cherry, basswood, red oak, and black birch. While industrial development encompasses the floodplain and there is residential development on the uplands, the BDA is significant in that it holds a small population of a state classified rare-plant species, along with other plants such as Mayapple, Jewelweed, and Wild Ginger.
Allegheny Land Trust site stewards are actively working to remove man-made garbage that has been illegally dumped on the site, returning it to its state of natural beauty. A short trail loops through the property, and is open to the public for various outdoor activities. Hikers can witness first hand the reclamation of Lowries Run Slopes Biological Diversity Area as the forest matures and recovers from past man-made disturbances.
Parking is located at the back of Bruster’s Ice Cream Shop on Lowries Run Road. Ask for permission from an attendant at Bruster’s to park, be sure to thank them, and treat yourself to an ice cream cone.
For additional information and trail map visit alleghenylandtrust.org/green-space/lowries-run-slopes.
