St. Xavier Nature Preserve – westmoreland-landtrust.org

UNIQUE FEATURES

Discover the Preserve

From sweeping vistas and expansive meadows to dense woodlands and streams, St. Xavier offers a wide landscape diversity and rich history.

Historic Grove

The historic Grove marks the former St. Xavier Academy campus (1845-1972) and is home to both a rich history and 28 different tree species, many approaching 200 years old. Historic tours are provided.

Pollinator Meadows

St. Xavier’s native meadows provide essential habitat for pollinators, grassland birds, and other wildlife while showcasing seasonal wildflowers. Ongoing habitat restoration continue throughout the preserve.

Monastery Run

Monastery Run winds through the preserve, supporting wildlife and creating a scenic corridor. Streamside forests reduce erosion, improve watershed health, and provide habitat for birds and amphibians.

ABOUT THE PRESERVE

Landscape & Legacy

St. Xavier Nature Preserve is a 350-acre conserved property and the headquarters of Westmoreland Land Trust in Latrobe, PA. Open to the public, it features a diversity of varied habitats including forests, meadows, wetlands, and streams.

Originally established on 248 acres that were once part of Saint Xavier Academy and donated to Westmoreland Land Trust by the Sisters of Mercy in 2022, the preserve expanded in 2025 through the acquisition of an additional 102-acre contiguous tract.

Today, St. Xavier serves as a center for conservation, nature education, habitat restoration, and community engagement, welcoming thousands of students, volunteers, and visitors each year.

Serving as the western gateway to the Laurel Highlands, its combination of ecological significance and historic legacy makes St. Xavier one of Westmoreland County’s most distinctive conservation properties.

Click to view high resolution images.

HISTORY

St. Xavier Academy

St. Xavier Nature Preserve protects an ecologically significant landscape shaped by nearly 180 years of history. The story began in 1845 when the Sisters of Mercy established Mount St. Vincent Academy for Young Ladies on nearby Saint Vincent property. Two years later, the school moved to its current location and was renamed St. Xavier Academy in honor of Sister Frances Xavier Warde, one of the founding Sisters of Mercy in the United States. Over the following decades, the academy and convent grew into a well-respected educational institution that served generations of students from across the region.

The academy experienced two devastating fires during its history. The second and final fire occurred on March 16, 1972, destroying the academy and convent buildings that had stood on the property for more than a century. Following the fire, the buildings were demolished, leaving Bellbrook—the Civil War-era guesthouse—as the only surviving historic structure on the site.

Westmoreland Land Trust acquired the original 248-acre property on August 26, 2022, with support from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Sisters of Mercy, and other philanthropic partners. In June 2025, the preserve expanded through the acquisition of an additional 102 acres, bringing the protected landscape to approximately 350 acres.

GETTING AROUND

Trail Guide

The preserve’s trails range from easy floodplain walks to more challenging hillside routes.
All are free, open to the public, and navigable without technical equipment.

St. Xavier Nature Preserve Trail Map

Includes points of interest, trailhead parking, trail lengths, and property boundaries. Westmoreland Land Trust · Updated July 2026.

DOWNLOAD PDF MAP

NATURE

Flora & Fauna

Visitors can discover a wide variety of native plants throughout the preserve, including Flowering Dogwood, Eastern Skunk Cabbage, Sensitive Fern, Common Milkweed, Foxglove Beardtongue, Black-eyed Susan, Black Raspberry, and Northern Spicebush. Ongoing habitat restoration efforts are expanding native meadow and grassland areas to support even greater biodiversity to support threatened and endangered birds.

St. Xavier provides excellent habitat for resident and migratory birds. Some species observed on the preserve include Palm Warbler, American Woodcock, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Bluebird, Baltimore Oriole, Scarlet Tanager, numerous woodland songbirds, raptors, and grassland species.

Through a partnership with PixCams, three bluebird boxes are equipped with live-streaming cameras that allow viewers from around the world to observe nesting behavior, egg laying, hatching, and fledging in real time. The preserve also features BirdPiNet audio monitoring technology, which automatically records and identifies bird vocalizations, helping track species diversity and migration patterns while contributing valuable community science data.

Photos taken at St. Xavier Nature Preserve.

GETTING HERE

Plan Your Visit

St. Xavier Nature Preserve offers 350 acres of protected forests, meadows, streams, historic landscapes, and scenic views to explore in the heart of Unity Township. Visitors are welcome year-round, dawn-to-dusk to enjoy walking, recreation, birdwatching, photography, and nature study.

A growing network of mowed grass paths and future trail connections allows visitors to explore different areas of the preserve, including native meadows, woodlands, Monastery Run, and the historic Grove. The preserve’s master plan includes future trail improvements, interpretive signage, overlooks, seating areas, habitat restoration projects, and expanded public access opportunities designed to connect visitors with the property’s natural and cultural history.

Coming Soon: As implementation of the St. Xavier Master Plan continues, visitors can look forward to expanded trail networks, wayfinding signage, interpretive exhibits, scenic overlooks, additional parking areas, habitat restoration projects, and new opportunities to connect with the preserve’s remarkable natural and cultural heritage.

Know Before You Go

The preserve is open daily from dawn to dusk. No admission fee. Please help us keep this natural treasure pristine for everyone. WLT embraces the principles of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics.

PROTECT

Conservation & Stewardship

As the headquarters of the Westmoreland Land Trust, St. Xavier serves as a living example of conservation in action.

Past and present stewardship efforts include riparian buffer tree plantings, of which 2,300 trees were planted on the property in 2023; native meadow development; invasive species management; trail maintenance; wildlife and stream monitoring; educational programming; and volunteer engagement.

GET INVOLVED

Volunteer at St. Xavier

Volunteers play an essential role in caring for St. Xavier Preserve. Whether you’re looking to give back to the community, spend time outdoors, or help protect local natural resources, we welcome volunteers of all experience levels. Join us in preserving this special place for future generations.