BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

I commute through there often and never had a problem or even seen anything suspect. There is often police by the soccer field just taking breaks.

I've lived close to there for 15 years. I've nver heard of an idssue there. It's true that if you were caught there by evil-doers you'd be pretty much at the mercy of your cell phone skills. But I'm cool with going through at midnight. I imagine that it is much safer during commute times.

I rode through there a bit later each time 5x a week for 12 years -never any problems, rarely saw a lot of people who did not seem to have a good reason to be there (soccer games, dog walkers, other commuters). I was always pretty scared when I had to commute on 2nd ave though when the jail trail was too snow covered.

Are you looking for stats or just anecdotes? My personal experience has been the same - frequently zip through there all kinds of days/times. Used to feel sketchy at night before I had a really good headlight, but that is an easy fix. Connections are good on either end. No dicier than anywhere else, in my opinion....

I smelled cannabis through there a couple times. I rode away as fast as I could fearing for my life.

I smelled cannabis through there a couple times Cannabis smoke? or the freshly grown plants that sometimes pops up next to railroad tracks? This is a serious crime and someone should investigate.

I've never had any issues using the trail at odd hours other than the occasional close deer encounter. I have heard there was an aggressive wild turkey a few years back but I suspect he eventually ended up on someones table. I'd be more concerned with traffic on Boundary than evil doers on the trail.

^ exactly Marco. I hear more stories of cyclists being struck by a vehicle than being held up at gun point by Pitt hooligans causing shenanigans in the dark soccer field.

+1 to what Marko82 noted re: wild turkey. There was also a guy who regularly walked his dog off leash and didn't have it under verbal or any other kind of control, but haven't seen him in a while. If you have a solid headlight, during standard commuting times, I wouldn't forsee an issue. I've never had a problem there. Never seen people loitering, especially now that it's getting colder. Strangest things I've probably seen are the hoola hooper w/ a LED hoola hoop and the human skeleton someone hung off the bridge probably as a joke.

I've been monitoring this board daily for at least seven years, and have never heard of anyone getting jumped. Not one. You are far more likely to clobber a rabbit or encounter a deer than be bothered by a human, anytime of day or night.

I believe the proper names for these hollows are: Panther Hollow is the one running east-west, with the lake, in Schenley Park (the one spanned by the bridge with Panthers on it); Junction Hollow is the bigger one running north-south, with Neville St & Boundary St running through it. I don't know the history of why the community in Junction Hollow calls itself "Panther Hollow".

I corrected google maps a few years ago and asked them rename the trail that goes by the soccer fields to junction hollow trail to be in sync with the parks map. https://www.pittsburghparks.org/userdocs/schenleymap.pdf

I think I saw a fox once, but it was dark and I wasn't sure. Seriously, though, I've ridden through there around 8 or 9 at night a few times in the summer and I passed some young fellows who seemed to be sleeping out of doors, but they didn't seem dangerous or argumentative at all. Never heard of any trouble either.

Also, so many folks ride through there that I am sure you could do a bike-pool/ riding buddy if you are nervous. Other people saying we aren't anxious may not be enough for you to be confident, and if that's the case, you can still find a way to take the route you want.

I go through between 515 and 530am most days. Sometimes there are some weird animal noises, and once I had a raccoon trying to cross the path into me, but I shoved it away with my shoe. Lights are good to see the deer that are there. Occasionally when it is cold and snowy and there is less noise pollution, it can be creepy but calming at the same time. No encounters with other people that I have had in the past 5 years that I have used that as a commuter route.

Also used to go through there regularly at all hours and never had any issues. Use a light though, sometimes peds walk through too and may be hard to see without lights. Once I came across a loose pomeranian dog