My wife and I spent some time exploring the Cardinal Greenway that goes through Marion IN. last summer(about 71/2 miles one way). The South trail head parking is not at the end of the trail in Jonesboro IN.,(it’s just off of hyw 22 & 35) and one owes it to yourself to go a little further south to see the trails end (it really doesn’t end there it just goes onto public streets and meets up eventually with the section in Gaston IN)… There’s a really nice walking bridge over the river near the parking area in Jonesboro that will take you to a public park in Gas City IN. It's a very nice park with a large pond, and many picnic areas to enjoy.

My wife and I are very fond of the section that goes from the parking area in Jonesboro (going more or less North after you cross the highway) to Nebraska St in Marion. Along the way are many elevation changes, a beautiful wooded area with a bridge over a creek and a picnic area, many trestles, and only three busy roads to cross…(watch out for the crossing at 38th St. cars fly down that road) it’s about a five and a half mile ride one way. Sadly, once you cross Nebraska St. it becomes way too much starting and stopping crossing all the roads that must be crossed before you reach Ninth St. Once past Ninth St. however it becomes a fairly pleasant ride all the way to Miller Ave. the current trails end(or head). There are plans however to connect the Marion section of greenway to the West and the Sweetser Switch trail, which they then plan to extend West to Converse IN., it should be quite a fun ride once it is done...

"Rode the 27-mile paved section from Losantville (southern terminus of pavement) to Gaston (northern terminus of pavement) via Muncie on Labor Day, 2007. 54-mile round trip; cloudless sky; 65- 80 degrees; mostly calm to light W breeze.

Losantville parking area is just off US35, 3.7 miles N of intersection of US35 and IN1; well marked and easy to find. I came from out-of-state and drove up US35 from I-70 where they insect in Richmond... nice route!

The trail is smooth and flat with a few cracks and sharp bumps in and near Muncie. Overall it is in excellent condition and seems well-maintained.

The trail covers 16.5 miles from Losantville to the Wysore Street Depot in Muncie. This section has some shaded areas, but it is largely very open. It is 10.5 more miles from the depot to Gaston; this section is quite open and there is little shade. On a sunny summer day, you WILL get cooked on this trail, so bring lots of water and plenty of sunscreen.

Scenery? Many, many farms with corn and soy bean fields. The bean fields were turning gold and were gorgeous and the corn was about half green and half dryed out. There were a couple of housing tracts, but except for Muncie the trail is really quite rural.

Because of its openess, this trail would be a killer in a headwind. Check the local NWS radio station to find out where the wind will come from when you plan to ride and then design a trip that heads into it so you'll have a push on your return. The trail should be a real screamer with a good tailwind!

There are quite a few trailheads with excellent parking and latrines along the trail. The latrines - porta potties - were nearly new and surprisingly spic and span. I don't like those things very much, but the ones I used were easily the nicest - and cleanest - I've ever seen. And they even had waterless hand cleaner!

There is a lot of nice interpretive signage and the trailmarkers are the classiest I have ever seen - bar none! Bridge crossings are very nice, with modern, attractive side rails and turn outs in some cases. Split rail fences line some sections of the trail and provide a nice touch as well as safety (some of the drop offs by the sides of the trail are significant). The folks who put this trail together have done a first class job.

The Wysore Street Depot in Muncie is awesome. It has been fully restored and is quite a nice sight to behold. It houses the Cardinal Greenway heqdquarters and a nice gift shop that was open when I visited. The lady attendant was helpful and very pleasant. I bought a Cardinal Greenways Trail User Guide for a mere $2 and found it to be chock full of good info and detailed maps.

I hate to sound at all negative, but there is some critical info I need to share: there are countless road crossings and some of the roads are quite busy. Many of the roads intersect the trail at angles, so it's a bit difficult to determine if traffic is present. BE CAREFUL! Also, to prevent use by motorized vehicles, many of the road crossing sport full-width gates with narrow openings at each side through which you must walk or carefully ride your bike. These gates are rather nicely done - they look quite nice - but they require your attention in order to safely negotiate them. If you ride an LWB recumbent - you folks know who you are - you're going to hate these gates. And there are a LOT of them in 27 miles.

Bottom line: nice ride that I'll do again, although I think I would prefer a cooler or a bit less sunny day!
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"As of Nov 2006, the trail is continuously paved from Gashton through Muncie to Losantville. "