Find the top rated birding trails in Carmel, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
It is a nice trail if you like walking near neighborhoods. It can get pretty busy at times and the off-leash dogs around the River Road Park area gets really ridiculous. The park has become what many call an underground dog park, so be careful. Don't inline skate or bike through there as you risk dogs chasing after you while the owners do nothing.
This is a really nice trail that has bridges and is a fun ride through Shelbyville
Great trail to ride , the hog farm near Williamsburg smells terrible and at least 3 times big Rottweiler dogs have chased us and nearly wrecked us at the hog farm entrance. Very scary and dangerous. We ride 5 days a week and don’t see them everyday but potentially a terrible situation. Other than that a great ride and well maintained.
This trail has been upgraded and is a wonderful trail. ( See my note below why I did not give it 5 stars). The trail begins at Meridian Street and Fall Creek and goes all the way to Benjamin Harrison state park in NW Indy, a distance of about 9 1/2 miles. The trail now crosses 38th street at the stoplight and a new section takes it along Fall Creek for a short way before crossing over a bridge to take it to the old trail section. New trail sections have been laid out with fresh asphalt just east of Keystone and are a major improvement along Fall Creek to 56th street. There it picks up the old section which is still in excellent condition and continues along the Fall Creek. A new section goes under Shadeland to continue on to Fort Ben. From 38th Street to Fort Ben there are no stops as all crossings go under the roadways. At Ft. Ben there is a 4 mile loop that can add to the mileage with a 100-150 foot hill. You are supposed to pay a $2 fee to enter Ft. Ben by bike, but there is no place to pay on this end. The trail is in a beautiful setting, great surface and very well done. Mileage markers are every 1/4 mile. While there are several trailheads, I only saw one port a potty just north of 38th street and that would be my only criticism. I reserve 5 star ratings for destinations trails like the Katy trail, GAP, Mickelsen, etc. . While the connecting Monon trail has some cool Indy history, and goes to Carmel, etc; for a joyous riding experience in a beautiful setting, this trail absolutely should not be overlooked. Congrats to the Indy Park department because this one is a gem.
We visited this trail on a cloudless Sunday in September. It was mainly flat and entirely paved if you head north from the parking area off of Starkey Av. The description provided by TrailLink is spot on. South from the parking lot on Starkey it is crush stone for about a 1/2 mile before it ends.
This would be a great trail during the fall and we may return. It was lightly used that day and the pavement was in very good condition with just one or two spots where cracks/bumps are starting to form. It terminates at a small park to the north (or you can park there and head south). My 9-year old rode the whole way with no issues. Really a fun, easy, relaxing trail to walk, run, or bike.
I love this trail. It isn't over populated. Tree lined. Asphalt is in great condition. The paved Amo to Coatesville section is 4 miles. Mostly flat, easy ride.
Perfect trail for walking, running or biking-2 miles out, 2 miles back. Beautiful scenery along the river with picnic tables along the way. Paved and flat.
Great riding trail. The paved portion is actually about 6.2 miles end-to-end.
We pedaled from Indy to Shelbyville to get some ice cream at the local Cow Palace. As the Palace is essentially at the center of this cute little trail we decided to check it out. The 'eastern reach' is very nice and much more what we expect for a paved bike trail with smooth pavement and some wooded areas. Great idea to connect city parks and the trail even goes through a portion of the county fair grounds. There are an impressive number of restrooms, air pumps and bicycle maintenance stations - a nice touch! A very attractive new "trail head" parking area with clean restrooms, etc. but it was not connected to the trail? Not a destination trail but if you find yourself in the area...
My husband and I did this trail in Labor Day. The path is paved with some sun and some shade. No hills. Fabulous for those looking for an easy stroll or bike ride. The River was clean. We saw a huge snapper turtle over a short cliff. There were a few gravel/sand bars where people were fishing or skipping rocks.
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