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I rode this trail through Muncie today, as an addition to my Cardinal Greenway ride. Much of this trail runs along the White River, giving some great river views that largely aren't part of the Cardinal Greenway. It also takes you by Minnetrista and some well-architected historic houses, and lets you see more of Muncie than just sticking to the Cardinal Greenway would - not to mention allowing a lot more people in Muncie to access the Cardinal Greenway without driving.
The trail has also been expanded since the TrailLink map was updated. It now goes under the railroad by North Gavin St, and continues along the river and some switchbacks before crossing a bridge known as Bridge #85 south of East Jackson Street, connecting back up with the Cardinal Greenway west of the river. This forms a loop option you can take with the Cardinal Greenway and the White River Greenway in Muncie. Technically the trail is closed under the railroad (perhaps they need to add protection for falling cargo from trains?), but with a very short segment on Bunch Boulevard, you can bypass the closure and get right back on the trail on the opposite side of the tracks.
I rode the section of the trail from Richmond to Gaston over two days - essentially, all except the part above the gap to the north. It's a really good trail, but there are just enough shortcomings that I hesitate to put it at 5 stars, particularly compared to trails I've been on in West Virginia and Pennsylvania earlier in the year.
First, I'll note that I didn't notice any pig farms, despite expecting to on the southern section, nor any Rottweilers. There were some cow farms and a horse farm, but the only hazard were the many walnuts on the trail. I did see two cats, a lot of chipmunks, and quite a few blue jays, though ironically not a single cardinal.
The scenery is mostly fairly narrow wooded areas, with farms on the other side, though there are a few areas of denser wooded areas, notably by the nature preserve south of Muncie. This can be pretty, but it's also only partially shaded, and the afternoon sun slices through the trees pretty effectively. If you're doing a longer section, I recommend going northwest in the morning, and southeast in the afternoon if possible. I was going northwest and west in the afternoon of the first day, and the sun was doing an admirable job of trying to blind my left eye.
Amenities are good, but just short of great. There are restrooms every 4-5 miles, most of them with hand sanitizer, which is quite good. There are a decent number of water fountains as well, but of the three I tried on the northern section, two smelled bad, and one (by the Hitching Post, technically off of the White River Greenway but close to the Cardinal Greenway) didn't work. The southern section was reliable in this area. Outside of Muncie, there aren't a lot of places to pick up water in the northern section either, so err on the side of packing more water than you'll need.
The trail condition is generally very good, though it can be a bit bumpy in spots in Muncie. McGalliard Road is a more highly trafficked road crossing than most trails have, but it has an island in the center so you only need half of it to be clear at a time. I recommend jogging the bike across halfway at a time if it's a busier time of day.
The elevation gain is not negligible. Including segments on the White River Greenway in Muncie, and the Whitewater Gorge Trail in Richmond, I logged over 2000 feet of elevation gain, and it was noticeable, especially on the southern section where there were moderate, but extended, hill climbs. By comparison, I logged less than 1200 feet of elevation gain on the Greenbrier Trail in West Virginia, which is also longer. So don't assume that because it's in Indiana, you won't have some decent climbs!
I also should note that it's worth going into town in Muncie, whether that's the White River Greenway, which intersects with the Cardinal Greenway in two places, or grabbing some food at some of the excellent restaurants or breweries downtown, which is easily accessible from the trail. I always try to find a cool town or city to serve as a base when exploring a new trail, and Muncie did a great job in that regard.
The trail is much longer than shown on this map. It continues through Noblesville to the intersection of SR 32 and Hague Road where there are further options. However, those who oversee the Westfield segment of the trail decided it was a good idea to allow golf carts on the trail. The trail, especially over bridges, is not much wider than a golf cart which makes this decision dangerous for walkers, runners, bikers, and children. The Noblesville section does not allow ANY motorized vehicles and is, therefore, much safer and more enjoyable.
great place to walk w/shaded walkways. just wish there were more parking areas to pick the trail up from different locations of trail.
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.
It's a nice, quiet, and hidden in between housing associations and business parks. Very relaxing beautiful trail. Lots of resting areas but no restrooms or portable restrooms except for one at Ludwig and SmithFieldairport.
From Rochester down to Peru is relatively level . Lots of whining on here about dangerous road crossings but it isn't like they surprise you. Just slow down or stop especially if the vegetation is tall. No problem. The section from Peru to Kokomo is definitely much more shaded and isolated. Not much water supply on this trail so make sure to fill up in Peru. I had no issues with bugs in August.
So as a birthday gift to myself, I drove up to the north end starting point of the trail.
One noticeable difference from the part of the trail down by Kokomo is that the there are mile markers at the northern part.
Now as noted in another review, the afternoon that I ran the trail, the flies were terrible..
The portion in Kokomo is much more shaded.
As noted in my previous review, the northern part is paved, flat and level.
It would be a bit of a drive from Kokomo, I was staying in Wabash, but if in the area, and want to get in a couple miles, either spot will do.
Enjoy.
Today was my first jog on the south end of the trail which I enjoyed. The small amount of trail that I ran by was well-kept and even blacked out some graffiti. That showed me that the trail is maintained which I appreciate. I drive a semi for a living which sometimes brings me to Kokomo. The hours in a semi are often quite long, so I try to get in a run when I’m stuck at a stop. This trail fit me well.
Eaten alive by deer flies. Road crossings are EXTREMELY dangerous
This is another example of a 4.5 rating.
This is a very nice paved, flat, level path.
I parked near the bridge that crosses over route 35 and headed north.
The path runs through a rather rural/country area with a good bit of trees/shade.
So as always, if in the area and want to get a couple miles in, give this a run.
It looks like a good trail for an enjoyable and possible long bike ride as well.
Maybe if I'm ever back in the area....
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