Explore the best rated trails in Franklin, IN. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Bicentennial Trail and 106th Street Path. With more than 51 trails covering 240 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Railroads helped Indianapolis grow into a transportation hub and manufacturing center beginning in the 1850s. One of those early railways that shaped the city’s future is remembered today along the...
The Amos Road Trail contributes a mile to Shelbyville's growing trail network. The trail is located in the southern reaches of the city. It is a flat shared-use path on the side of Amos Road, taking...
The straight, paved Pennsy Trail—not to be confused with the Pennsy Greenway located farther north in the Chicago suburbs—occupies a portion of the old right-of-way of the Pennsylvania Railroad...
Although less than 2 miles long, the Hagan-Burke Trail provides valuable connections to three other trails in the city of Carmel: the Monon Trail (an 18-mile RTC Hall-of-Famer that stretches to...
Wilbur Wright Trail will one day extend from New Castle (in Henry County) to Losantville (in Randolph County), where it will connect to the Cardinal Greenway, the longest rail-trail in Indiana. The...
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The Big 4 Trail is a developing rail-trail route across Boone County that will one day span 50 miles. Currently, two disconnected segments of the rail-trail are open. The name is a reference to the...
The Tracy Trail is a short suburban greenway in the town of Greenwood. The trail runs northsouth between Summerfield Park and just north of Woodman Park near Southwest Elementary School. The open...
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One of a handful of trails following the White River in Indiana, Carmel’s White River Greenway parallels the scenic waterway for much of its journey through the eastern part of the city. Along the...
The Progress Parkway Trail is a flat, hardtop shared-use path running along the east edge of Shelbyville, Indiana. Despite its name, the trail actually starts along Lee Boulevard, on the east edge of...
The 146th Street Trail is a linear pathway that follows its namesake roadway across Westfield, which lies on the northern outskirts of Indianapolis. At Rohrer Road, the pathway connects to the Monon...
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Bloomington's Clear Creek Trail runs between Tapp Road in the north and the Blooming Rail Trail in the south, linking with the latter just north of Church Lane. Although the Clear Creek Trail is...
Much of the Midland Trace Trail is still in the planning and development stage; however, three short, disconnected segments totaling nearly 2.5 miles have been constructed as of 2013. When...
The Greyhound Trail is sandwiched between a residential community and the Carmel High School Stadium. A portion of the trail follows the former North Indianapolis Electric Interurban Railroad, and a...
This trail travels 3.2 miles atop an asphalt path beside the Ronald Reagan Parkway in Avon, Indiana. Starting at County Road 300 N, the trail heads south connecting to the B&O Trail via an underpass....
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The White River Greenway brings residents of Martinsville to the river, for rest, for relaxation and for education. The asphalt trail begins at Old Town Waverly Park, and follows the river's course...
Planes, trains and automobiles: the Anderson Airport Trail in Madison County has it all. The asphalt trail begins at the perimeter of the Anderson Municipal Airport runway in Chesterfield and allows...
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A restored covered bridge that dates back to 1837 is the centerpiece of Noblesville’s White River Greenway, which opened in 1999. The level to gently rolling asphalt trail, which hugs the banks of the...
The Central Canal Towpath, also known as the IWC Canal Greenway, features two 19th-century iron bridges that cross the waterway, designated an American Water Landmark. As you follow the tree-lined,...
The Landersdale Trail is a 10-foot-wide, paved asphalt path that runs adjacent to and parallel to Landersdale Road in northern Morgan County. The western end of the path connects the fringe of the...
The Limestone Greenway follows the former Illinois Central Railroad for 1.7 miles south of Bloomington. It's a smooth, asphalt trail that's easy enough for people of all ages to enjoy. The pathway...
Railroads helped Indianapolis grow into a transportation hub and manufacturing center beginning in the 1850s. One of those early railways that shaped the city’s future is remembered today along the...
The Amos Road Trail contributes a mile to Shelbyville's growing trail network. The trail is located in the southern reaches of the city. It is a flat shared-use path on the side of Amos Road, taking...
Planes, trains and automobiles: the Anderson Airport Trail in Madison County has it all. The asphalt trail begins at the perimeter of the Anderson Municipal Airport runway in Chesterfield and allows...
The Vandalia Trail is the longest open component of the National Road Heritage Trail (NRHT), a proposed border-to-border trail stretching between Terre Haute and Richmond, a span of more than 150...
The Milwaukee Road Transportation Trailway will one day stretch 20 miles through southwestern Indiana from Bedford to Indian Springs. The region’s rural beauty will be showcased along the way with...
The B-Line Trail in Bloomington runs for 3 miles between Adams Street (near the railroad tracks) and West Country Club Drive. The trail passes through downtown Bloomington and by a railroad...
Much of the Midland Trace Trail is still in the planning and development stage; however, three short, disconnected segments totaling nearly 2.5 miles have been constructed as of 2013. When...
This 7-mile Indianapolis trail is worth keeping an eye on: the vision for the Eagle Creek Trail is a 16-mile corridor reaching from the hills of Eagle Park to White River. The greenway will provide...
Although less than 2 miles long, the Hagan-Burke Trail provides valuable connections to three other trails in the city of Carmel: the Monon Trail (an 18-mile RTC Hall-of-Famer that stretches to...
Located in the heart of vibrant downtown Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail is an ideal way to experience all the city has to offer. The trail links five cultural districts flush with...
The Bloomington Rail Trail is a 2-mile segment of crushed stone that runs through a suburban wooded corridor. The trail extends between W. Country Club Drive in the north and Church Lane in the...
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Crossing from one end of Shelbyville to the other, the Blue River Trail provides a safe way for residents to walk or bike to a number of parks whilst enjoying the proximity to the city's beloved...
The Big 4 Trail is a developing rail-trail route across Boone County that will one day span 50 miles. Currently, two disconnected segments of the rail-trail are open. The name is a reference to the...
The Pleasant Run Trail travels along both the creek and road of the same name as it courses through eastern Indianapolis, although the trail is located on sidewalks in certain areas. In the north, the...
The White River Wapahani Trail is nearly 7 miles long, stretching from 38th Street at Riverside Regional Park south to W. Raymond Street. Near downtown Indianapolis, the trail provides access to White...
The White River Greenway in Anderson, IN is approximately 4.89 miles paved (with a small section of boardwalk) along the White River and continues approximately 1.7 miles unpaved. It links multiple...
Pogues Run gets its name from one of the earliest pioneers to the area, a blacksmith named George Pogue who settled on the banks of the creek now bearing his name in 1819. The corridor itself predates...
White Lick Creek Trail is the north-south spine of the Plainfield trail system, connecting several parks and the Plainfield Recreation and Aquatics Center. On its northern end, the trail meets the...
The Tracy Trail is a short suburban greenway in the town of Greenwood. The trail runs northsouth between Summerfield Park and just north of Woodman Park near Southwest Elementary School. The open...
The Franklin Greenway Trail (also known as the Franklin Historic Trail) is 3.4 miles of paths threading through Franklin’s parks while connecting community amenities such as schools, community centers...
The Big 4 Trail is a developing rail-trail route across Boone County that will one day span 50 miles. Currently, two disconnected segments of the rail-trail are open. The name is a reference to the...
The straight, paved Pennsy Trail—not to be confused with the Pennsy Greenway located farther north in the Chicago suburbs—occupies a portion of the old right-of-way of the Pennsylvania Railroad...
The Bloomington Rail Trail is a 2-mile segment of crushed stone that runs through a suburban wooded corridor. The trail extends between W. Country Club Drive in the north and Church Lane in the...
This trail travels 3.2 miles atop an asphalt path beside the Ronald Reagan Parkway in Avon, Indiana. Starting at County Road 300 N, the trail heads south connecting to the B&O Trail via an underpass....
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The Henry County segment of the National Road Heritage Trail runs for nearly 5 miles over two segments. One runs from N. West Street in Raysville east to CR 425 W in Ogden (2 miles); the other between...
The Putnam Nature Trail begins in Greencastle, the home of DePauw University. The trail is part of the National Road Heritage Trail (NRHT), a proposed 150-mile trail across Indiana along the former...
Wilbur Wright Trail will one day extend from New Castle (in Henry County) to Losantville (in Randolph County), where it will connect to the Cardinal Greenway, the longest rail-trail in Indiana. The...
White Lick Creek Trail is the north-south spine of the Plainfield trail system, connecting several parks and the Plainfield Recreation and Aquatics Center. On its northern end, the trail meets the...
The Milwaukee Road Transportation Trailway will one day stretch 20 miles through southwestern Indiana from Bedford to Indian Springs. The region’s rural beauty will be showcased along the way with...
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White Lick Creek Greenway is a paved hike-and-bike trail in the Town of Avon, Hendricks County. The trail makes an asset of the creek and its riparian woodlands, offering users a tranquil journey...
The P&E Trail begins at the corner of Main Street, 16th Street and Crawfordsville Road in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave of Indianapolis. This eastern endpoint of the trail is just a stone’s throw away...
The B&O Trail, which is being developed along a former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad corridor in Indiana, is planned to one day stretch more than 60 miles from Indianapolis to Montezuma. The paved...
The Limestone Greenway follows the former Illinois Central Railroad for 1.7 miles south of Bloomington. It's a smooth, asphalt trail that's easy enough for people of all ages to enjoy. The pathway...
Railroads helped Indianapolis grow into a transportation hub and manufacturing center beginning in the 1850s. One of those early railways that shaped the city’s future is remembered today along the...
Crossing from one end of Shelbyville to the other, the Blue River Trail provides a safe way for residents to walk or bike to a number of parks whilst enjoying the proximity to the city's beloved...
The 106th Street path is a smooth asphalt connector linking the communities of Zionsville and Carmel. The trail begins on Pennsylvania St. in Carmel, crosses US 31 and then continues alongside the...
Although less than 2 miles long, the Hagan-Burke Trail provides valuable connections to three other trails in the city of Carmel: the Monon Trail (an 18-mile RTC Hall-of-Famer that stretches to...
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The Big 4 Trail will one day stretch 50-plus miles across Boone County, from the northern suburbs of Indianapolis to Lafayette. The Big 4 in the trail name refers to the old Cleveland, Cincinnati,...
The Woolly Bear Parkway Trail is on the former Pennsylvania rail corridor that starts in Kennard and extends west for 1.4 miles. The rustic trail is mostly grass with a gravel base, and lined with...
Bloomington's Clear Creek Trail runs between Tapp Road in the north and the Blooming Rail Trail in the south, linking with the latter just north of Church Lane. Although the Clear Creek Trail is...
A new favorite! We rode from the Carmel trailhead north to Sheridan and back. The trail was beautifully, freshly blacktopped in the Carmel area - but also very heavily trafficked (granted, it was a beautiful day and Labor Day weekend). Once we got a bit further north, the trail was still smoothly paved, but we had it largely to ourselves. The trail is well-shaded for much but not all of the stretch north to Sheridan.
So to be clear, we loved the trail. From here on, I'll focus on providing info you might find useful.
Be advised, the Monon in this stretch is not always very well marked. It's especially sketchily marked in the Westfield area, where we ended up making an accidental detour west on 186th Street. The problem is compounded by the fact that there are sidewalks and paved trails all around you in that area that to all appearances could be the Monon.
FWIW, going north from 186th you should be starting at the intersection of 186th and Wheeler Rd, which changes names to Tomlinson Rd north of the intersection. From 186th north, it's basically a straight shot and there's really no question about whether you're on the Monon.
The trail becomes gradually less suburban and more rural the farther north you go from 186th, and you end by riding past barns and cornfields in the Sheridan area.
At Sheridan the trail ends at an American Legion hall at 236th St. There are two or three gas stations a short ways east on 236th where you can get drinks/food and use the restroom, but you'll have to ride on-road to get to them unless you backtrack a bit on the trail and cut through the adjacent Biddle Memorial Park.
We'd like to go back and run the stretch from Carmel to downtown Indy, but we'll probably wait for a weekday when we hopefully can avoid some of the traffic on the trail.
Well marked trail that is lined with trees, limestone, and wildflowers. Perfect for running, walking, and biking. It passes a sewage treatment plant, so you might smell poop for a short time. One of my favorite places for a walk.
Park at Mayor's Garden. When you get to 38th Street turn right to stay on the trail. Mile markers are confusing because the Eagle Creek Trail and Eagle Creek Greenway are combined.
I started by the baseball field and it looked like a nice path but the trail ends and you just run thru the residential area.
Very nice wooded trail. There is a gap between the first .8 miles and the second leg which is 2.6 miles long. It appears that some have bridged the gap by walking along the railroad tracks.
Beautiful scenery! Peaceful & Quiet. The newer paved sections are awesome! It definately needs some attention to areas that are older. Even the gravely portions aren’t as bumpy as the older paved sections. Great afternoon ride. The parking area in Lebanon is well marked and even has tools if necessary.
I live in Indy and I traverse 6.2 miles of the Monon as my daily commute (on days I ride to work). So this trail is an old acquaintance of mine. This review is intended to give a bigger-picture idea of what the Monon has to offer. The trail is about 27 miles, from the Northern exurb of Sheridan all the way down to 10th street on the near East side of Indianapolis. It is, for the most part, your typical rail trail: straight as an arrow, point A to point B . The trail exists in two counties; Marion county is the urban center of Indianapolis, and Hamilton county, which is the most affluent county in the metro area. The conditions of the trail reflect this reality. The Marion county section was scheduled to begin resurfacing and widening in 2020, but then 2020 happened. The only improvement to be accomplished in the Marion county section over the course of 2020 was the completion of a bicycle/pedestrian bridge over busy 38th street, which was VERY needed. Near the southern terminus, there is currently (July 2021) massive highway construction that has impacted the Monon. One hopes the resurfacing will be done following all of that.
What I want to point out here, though, is that the Monon trail is actually just the most travelled of a network of fine bicycle trails that fan out over the city. The Monon bisects the Fall Creek trail, which travels from the near west side all the way east out to Fort Harrison state part, along fall creek. This is a great trail with long uninterrupted portions of riding. The southern terminus of the Monon is just a short jog over from one of the ends of the downtown Cultural Trail. You can ride the Cultural trail southwest across the downtown to link up with the Wapahani trail, which goes southward out of town along the White River. Another terminus of the cultural trail in Fountain Square is a short ride from the Pleasant Run trail, another creek-following trail that runs east out to the cool old neighborhood of Irvington. The Fall Creek trail now intersects, at its current western terminus, with the Canal Towpath trail, which is my personal favorite trail, though it is maybe the shortest of these. Up in Hamilton county, there are more trails spurring off of the Monon than you can shake a stick at, as they lead into the many suburban neighborhoods up there.
So, if you are looking at the Monon as a possible destination trail, please take time to consider it in its full context. We have a fun little city here. You can ride your bike along a combination of these trails to get to just about any of the fun parts of town. Our little group of bike riding friends regularly put in 30-50 mile rides all over the place, with very little street riding.
We started at the Williams Dam and rode to the end at Bedford, then back. Very shaded and nicely packed trail. Nice scenery and many bridges make it an interesting ride. The trail was in good shape the whole way. It was a great ride.
We parked at Community Park and went north along Hurricane Creek. It was shaded and very lovely. We went on several connected bike paths not shown such as E. King Street, Eastview Drive and Hurricane road. Wish we had time to go along Young's Creek!
Unpaved however lots of wildlife can be seen. Had to come to Lewisville to get on because couldn’t find access pint in raysville. Insects are out so if you go bring bud spray. Over all nice morning bike ride
Walked part of the trail today and was impressed! Clean, paved & well marked. I was surprised to see mile markers. Both families and individuals were walking, running and bike riding enjoying the day.
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