Allegheny Islands State Park

Islands

The park land on the islands has a total area of 43 acre, with two islands downstream of the Allegheny River Lock and Dam Three (officially named the C. W. Bill Young Lock and Dam), and the other island upstream. Twelve Mile Island is the farthest downstream (west) and has a number of houses and buildings on the western four-fifths of the island (the park land is the eastern end). The remaining two islands are both uninhabited and have no structures on them. They were originally one island named Fourteen Mile Island, but were split into two parts by the construction of the dam. Today the name Fourteen Mile Island is given to the middle island, just downstream (west) of the dam, and it is the site of the highway and railroad bridges. According to the USGS GNIS, the last island (which was once part of Fourteen Mile Island) is unnamed (although it is still labeled "Fourteen Mile Island" on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers navigation maps of the Allegheny River.) This unnamed island is the easternmost and the only one upstream of the dam. There are also five to seven shoals near the islands, which are occasionally exposed.

Twelve Mile Island and Fourteen Mile Island are named for their distances, 12 mi and 14 mi, up the Allegheny River from the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers to form the Ohio River in downtown Pittsburgh. They are two of six alluvial islands in the Allegheny River near Pittsburgh (for comparison, near Pittsburgh the Ohio River has only three islands and the Monongahela River has none). "The large number of islands in the Allegheny is a reflection of the large amount of glacially-derived sediment that was moved by the river."

Facilities

Allegheny Islands State Park was established on December 31, 1980. , it is undeveloped so that there are no facilities, and also no plans for future development. The park can only be accessed by boat. Camping is allowed on the islands and they are open for visits by groups such as the Boy Scouts and Venturing. Allegheny Islands State Park is administered from the Region 2 Office in Prospect, Pennsylvania.

References

References

1. "2007 General Highway Map Allegheny County Pennsylvania".
2. (October 2010). "The Mainline Canal Greenway: Pittsburgh Trail Map". Greenways Incorporated }} {{Dead link.
3. (January 2004). "Allegheny River Chart No. 5 (Pennsylvania, Allegheny County): Twelve Mile Island, Fourteen Mile Island, C.W. Bill Young Lock & Dam Pool". United States Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District.
4. "USGS New Kensington West (PA) Topo Map". TopoQuest.
5. Pennsylvania Environmental Council. "Three Rivers Conservation Plan, Chapter One: Project Area Characteristics". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
6. {{cite gnis. 2351343. Fourteen Mile Island
7. (January 2004). "Allegheny River Chart No. 6 (Pennsylvania, Allegheny County): Springdale, New Kensington". United States Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District.
8. "Site: PGHBW 4-3, A View of the Point from Grandview Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA". [[University of Pittsburgh]], Department of Geology.