Find the top rated hiking trails in Elkhart, whether you're looking for an easy short hiking trail or a long hiking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hiking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
This trail is very poorly marked through the downtown area. No directional signs or designated bike lanes. I was completely confused about where I should be biking- street or sidewalk? Connecting to the pumpkinvine trail took a lot of guess work and stopping to check my google map.
In April a limestone parking area was added to the east side of Starke County Road 700 East adjacent to the current southeast trailhead. On May 25 a 5K Run and 3K Walk was held beginning a few feet northwest of this location. The starting point for the event is painted on the pavement with the turnarounds for the 5K Run and 3 Walk also painted--for persons training for other competitions and a possible repeat event here in 2025.
I look forward to doing a marathon training long run on trail starting between Shipshewana and Middlebury towards Goshen every year! Such a great and scenic trail.
We enjoyed this trail very much. We started out in Goshen and headed west to Middlebury. I wish we could have ridden all the way to Shipshewana, but will have to save that for another time! Farmland for as far as you can see to the left and the right on the path. The path is true to its name as it winds through farmland. We saw groups of Amish playing baseball. We enjoyed a special treat when we arrived in Middlebury as we toured the Krider nursery replica of the World's Fair exhibit. BEAUTIFUL in May, so I'm sure when the roses bloom it will be incredible for the senses!
In my quest to ride my bike in all fifty states,I drove over 2,000 miles from southern California to ride thirty-four miles on this trail in early October. I was not disappointed! This is truly a five star trail, the quintessential Rails-to-Trails experience! There aren't enough superlatives to describe this trail!
In simplest terms, this curvy trail through the Indiana countryside made this sixty-eight year old guy happy. I realized I was actually smiling as I pedaled through the woods upon a carpet of golden brown leaves. The corn fields are amazing, as are the farms and their pastures of grazing horses, cows, and sheep.
I especially enjoyed my interactions with the friendly Amish community. Whether on their bikes, walking, in their yards, or passing by and waving from their horse drawn carriages, they comprised at least 75% of the people I encountered. I think the trail should be nicknamed "The Amish Trail" in their honor. There sure as heck aren't any pumpkins!
Elkhart County, you are to be commended, and your trail deserves Hall of Fame status!
This is a great bike path to connect the community and keep children out of street.
I biked the trail from Middlebury to Shipshewana. It was a beautiful ride through Amish country. However, the trail itself was nice and flat, but was peppered with horse manure, and very buggy! In addition, it was very heavily used which made the ride much less relaxing than others. Keep in mind, the access to amenities is limited in on Sundays, so riding the Pumpkinvine take a little planning. Otherwise, enjoy the meandering trail some of the best of what Indiana has to offer!
Very nice, well maintained. Great great trail for getting the miles in. Shipshewana to Goshen is as good as it gets. Coming back...whew, mostly entirely uphill to varying degrees. I'll be back in the fall for the colors.
Started in Rochester and went 10 miles out and back for a 20 miler. A beautiful ride! The crossings can be hard to see because of the angle of the road crossings. Other than that, there is a beautiful creek just after Birmingham heading south. I live in Michigan but would love to do this trail in its entirety in the future! I appreciate the friendly people of Rochester, IN, for giving me insight on the trail, etc!
Rode segment between Bunker Hill and Denver. Riding thru Peru is very easy with more trail recently added along the Wabash River ( then Canal Street NE, left on Water Street, left on Harrison Avenue, left on Lovers Lane to the trail). Trail has a nice tree canopy. Several ice cream shops to choose from in Peru (East side Double Dip and South Side Scoops both very good). Good pizza at DeAngelos in Denver.
Other than having issues finding the trailhead parking (more of a Waze issue than anything to do with the tail) it was a lovely little hike. Well maintained pavement made for a nice leisurely stroll. The only down side is that the views are mostly chain-link fencing and the backside of commercial/industrial sites. That being said, it was still a wonderful way to get the daysday’s steps in.
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