Find the top rated bike trails in Marion, whether you're looking for an easy short bike trail or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a bike trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The Decatur Greenway is an extensive collection of trails linking parks and other amenities on the eastern side of Decatur, Indiana. Begin your journey at the loop around Adams Memorial Hospital,...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous – it is just over 50% complete. Please refer to the Trail Map for more information on the existing sections of trail, as well as the online...
Indiana’s Panhandle Pathway follows a former Pennsylvania Railroad corridor out of Winamac south to Kenneth. Along the way, the trail links the communities of Star City, Thornhope, and Royal Center...
Kokomo's nickname is the "City of Firsts" and the Industrial Heritage Trail celebrates its progressive and inventive past with public art and signage highlighting the historic significance of some of...
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 Little Turtle Waterway Trail covers 1 mile along the Wabash River and is part of a 5-acre park in downtown Logansport. The rail-trail part of the equation comes from what is called the Gateway,...
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The Heritage Trail is nearly a 2-mile path located in Kasciusko county. It is part of a larger multi-use trail called the Lake City Greenway. The trail is just off of Winona Lake and also incorporates...
Although short at less than 1 mile long, the Paradise Spring Riverwalk Trail is well worth a trip. Located in eastern Wabash, the scenic loop trail winds through Paradise Spring Historical Park and...
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Muncie's White River Greenway follows the course of its namesake river through the city between W. White River Boulevard at W. River Road and N. Gavin Street at Bunch Boulevard. The trail corridor...
The Carey Road Trail offers a straight north-south route through southeastern Westfield. It parallels the eastern side of the roadway through rural areas and residential communities, including the...
The Nickel Plate Trail traverses rural Indiana from Rochester south to the outskirts of Kokomo, with a short gap in the middle in Peru. The rail-trail runs along the former corridor of the Peru &...
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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...
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The Centennial Trail lies in a pleasant neighborhood of the same name in southwestern Westfield, about 15 miles north of Indianapolis. The trail crisscrosses a broad stretch of open space along...
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 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...
The Natalie Wheeler Trail provides a straight north-south route along Union Street/Westfield Boulevard in the Indianapolis metro area. Although it parallels the roadway, the trail's western side is...
The Cardinal Greenway, the longest rail-trail in Indiana, connects Marion, Muncie, Losantville, Richmond and a host of other small towns in rural northeastern Indiana. The trail takes its name from...
The Bridgewater Club Trail surrounds an upscale neighborhood of the same name, providing residents with easy access to the community's many amenities, including a golf course, fitness center and spa....
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...
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...
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...
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...
The Centennial Trail lies in a pleasant neighborhood of the same name in southwestern Westfield, about 15 miles north of Indianapolis. The trail crisscrosses a broad stretch of open space along...
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 Lenape Trace Trail is a short connector path that links a newer residential development in Carmel, Indiana, with both the Sunrise Golf Course and the popular Monon Trail. Residents of the...
Columbia City’s Blue River Trail weaves throughout the small city along the banks of the Eel River, linking residents with schools, businesses, activity hubs and parks. The main trailhead, which...
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...
The River Bluff Trail follows the Eel River for 1.3 miles along an elevated, paved surface, traversing some wooded areas. There are no street crossings along the way; the trail stretches between SR...
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...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous – it is just over 50% complete. Please refer to the Trail Map for more information on the existing sections of trail, as well as the online...
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...
When envisioning a canal towpath trail, most people probably picture a path surfaced with crushed stone where mules once led barges up an adjacent canal. Indeed, this is what once occupied the site of...
The name Pufferbelly comes from the historical nickname for a steam locomotive. As of 2018, the rail-trail stretches 4.9 miles. The north end of the trail begins in the Pentolina Grove neighborhood...
The Natalie Wheeler Trail provides a straight north-south route along Union Street/Westfield Boulevard in the Indianapolis metro area. Although it parallels the roadway, the trail's western side is...
The Decatur Greenway is an extensive collection of trails linking parks and other amenities on the eastern side of Decatur, Indiana. Begin your journey at the loop around Adams Memorial Hospital,...
The Bridgewater Club Trail surrounds an upscale neighborhood of the same name, providing residents with easy access to the community's many amenities, including a golf course, fitness center and spa....
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...
The Sweetser Switch Trail is a “sweet” paved rail-trail and an important regional connector in spite of its short 4-mile length. The trail joins the 2-mile Converse Junction Trail in the west and a...
Completed in late 2015, the Converse Junction Trail provides 2 miles of smooth asphalt along a former Penn Central railroad line, linking the small Indiana communities of Converse and Mier. The trail...
The Rivergreenway is an impressive 30-mile linear park that is part of a growing network of trails in the cities of Fort Wayne and New Haven. The Rivergreenway connects neighborhoods, historical...
Completed in late 2015, the Converse Junction Trail provides 2 miles of smooth asphalt along a former Penn Central railroad line, linking the small Indiana communities of Converse and Mier. The trail...
The Nickel Plate Trail traverses rural Indiana from Rochester south to the outskirts of Kokomo, with a short gap in the middle in Peru. The rail-trail runs along the former corridor of the Peru &...
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...
The Heritage Trail is nearly a 2-mile path located in Kasciusko county. It is part of a larger multi-use trail called the Lake City Greenway. The trail is just off of Winona Lake and also incorporates...
Indiana’s Panhandle Pathway follows a former Pennsylvania Railroad corridor out of Winamac south to Kenneth. Along the way, the trail links the communities of Star City, Thornhope, and Royal Center...
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...
The Centennial Trail lies in a pleasant neighborhood of the same name in southwestern Westfield, about 15 miles north of Indianapolis. The trail crisscrosses a broad stretch of open space along...
Although short at less than 1 mile long, the Paradise Spring Riverwalk Trail is well worth a trip. Located in eastern Wabash, the scenic loop trail winds through Paradise Spring Historical Park and...
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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...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous – it is just over 50% complete. Please refer to the Trail Map for more information on the existing sections of trail, as well as the online...
The River Bluff Trail follows the Eel River for 1.3 miles along an elevated, paved surface, traversing some wooded areas. There are no street crossings along the way; the trail stretches between SR...
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...
The Bridgewater Club Trail surrounds an upscale neighborhood of the same name, providing residents with easy access to the community's many amenities, including a golf course, fitness center and spa....
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...
The Little Turtle Waterway Trail covers 1 mile along the Wabash River and is part of a 5-acre park in downtown Logansport. The rail-trail part of the equation comes from what is called the Gateway,...
Kokomo's nickname is the "City of Firsts" and the Industrial Heritage Trail celebrates its progressive and inventive past with public art and signage highlighting the historic significance of some of...
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 Sweetser Switch Trail is a “sweet” paved rail-trail and an important regional connector in spite of its short 4-mile length. The trail joins the 2-mile Converse Junction Trail in the west and a...
Muncie's White River Greenway follows the course of its namesake river through the city between W. White River Boulevard at W. River Road and N. Gavin Street at Bunch Boulevard. The trail corridor...
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.
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....
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.
Rode from Peru south to Kokomo and hopped on the Industrial Heritage Trail. Watch the crossways out in the country! Weeds are pretty high and the roads, and traffic is fast.
We rode this trail south to north. We enjoyed it greatly. Only a slight steady rise (279 ft) in the 22 miles. It was very peaceful and quiet. No very many travelers. All in all a good ride.05302021.
We went south to north today. Great ride. Gained 279 ft in elevation. We will do it again.
Great ride. We rode south to north. Gained 279 ft in elevation. Very few people.
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