Fisherman’s Cove

Situated at the confluence of Big Sandy Creek and the Allegheny River, Fisherman’s Cove contains over 50 acres of level river frontage, a steep wooded hillside, and a plateau overlooking the valley. The Allegheny is a nationally designated Wild and Scenic River and has been named Pennsylvania’s 2024 River of the Year. Fisherman’s Cove has a history of human habitation dating back 9,000 years and served as a link in Native American trade routes up and down the Allegheny and Ohio River Valleys. PA Fish and Boat Commission manages a public boat launch on the Allegheny River adjacent to Fisherman’s Cove. The property is also the western trailhead for the Sandy Creek Trail, a 12-mile rail trail between Fisherman’s Cove and Van, PA, with connections to the Allegheny River Trail and Samuel Justus Trail systems.

In 2023, the property was donated to the Foundation for Sustainable Forests (FSF) by the Fisherman’s Cove Preservation Foundation, which purchased the property 15 years prior to ensure its protection. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and The Archaeological Conservancy hold a joint conservation easement on Fisherman’s Cove to protect the property’s natural and cultural resources. Under FSF’s ownership, Fisherman’s Cove will be managed as a sustainable working forest with public access for passive recreation and hunting. Archaeological exploration is by permission of The Archaeological Conservancy only.