Slightly adapted/updated original cache page below 

Happy Trails to U.(S.C) 

From Upper St. Clair's old website:

Gilfillan Park is 59.57 acres of farm and woodlands, including a 1.25 mile mulched walking trail along Rt. 19 and Orr Road.

In 1976 Upper St. Clair purchased nearly 60 acres of land from the Gilfillan Family to be used as a park. A Nature Trail, used also for walking, hiking, jogging and cross-country skiing, was later established around this property.

Over 20 different species are marked and identified along the Trail and in the "Gilfillan Trail: Tree Identification Guide" which is available at the Township's Department of Recreation and Leisure Services.

The trail winds through woodlands of native trees such as white ash, American beech and sassafras, some of which are estimated to be over 400 years old.

The park surrounds the adjacent 15 acre Gilfillan Farm which was left to the Upper St. Clair Historical Society in 2001 in the will of Margaret Gilfillan. A plan for a Visitors' Center, initially proposed in 2002, has been tabled.

From the 2001 Pittsburgh Post Gazette article about suburban trails:

"The Gilfillan Trail, which opened in the late '70s, is the oldest of the trio of trails. It's also the shortest, at a 1 1/4 miles, and the most unusual by it's location in the middle of a farm.

The trail might be described as a path between two eras, agricultural past and suburban present with a bit of the forest primeval added.

A woven wire fence separates walkers from the remaining 15-acre Gilfillan Farm on one side and the backyards of Upper St. Clair homes and Route 19 on the other.

The path is shadowed by distant views of the 19th century farm home, its barns and fields. At the trail's high point, one can look across the pasture to the opposite hill and view the buildings and shimmering asphalt of South Hills Village. The trail meanders through 14 acres of woods.

Upper St. Clair Forester Walter Jarosh claims some of the large trees here are close to 400 years old. The woods are a wilderness, especially in winter snow.

Gilfillan Trail is an easy walk with some uphill challenges and also is popular as a running trail.

Though no dogs are allowed, the trail can be used for cross-country skiing. Groups may arrange for a guided nature hike by contacting the Upper St. Clair Department of Recreation and Leisure Service."

Some cache details:

* This is a two stage multicache that will take you around the entire 1.25 miles of this very nice trail.  The first stage is a micro, and the final is a 50 cal. ammo can.  PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL WITH CONTAINER FOR STAGE 1 ! There is no reason to remove the container, just open it and take a slip. Let us know when the slips are getting low.  Stage 1 has one laminated sheet with the coordinates.  Please enter them, write them down or take a picture, but please make sure to leave them there for the next person. 

* At certain times (spring and summer evenings and weekends) this trail can be extremely busy.  Please be careful that muggles don't see you.

*  There is no need to backtrack, simply follow the trail.

* In the three trips that it took to plan and place this cache, we saw turkeys and deer!  This is a very nice trail, yet so close to so many things.

* There is no need to enter private property to retrieve either of the stages.  Also, both stages are a safe distance from the road.  There is no need to be exceptionally close to Route 19.

* Please be careful crossing Orr Road from the parking lot to the trail.

HAPPY CACHING!