Find the top rated birding trails in Wabash, 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.
This trail is a great gem for the community. I stopped by while visiting family and was thoroughly impressed by this trail. Yes there are some cracks, but not nearly as many as many other rail trails and most have pink spray paint to point them out for bikers and, I am assuming, to fix them. The trail is also a decent distance and is close by to an ice cream shop (perfect after a 90 degree ride!).
In 2021 the trail was extended east, to Lagro and is now approximately 7 miles if you start at the Smith Street Trailhead, in Wabash. The trail I s relatively flat with one significant hill. There is a small stretch of the trail (near Lagro) that is on Old highway 24 and then moves back to the paved trail. There are a few parking areas along the trail but I don’t think all are marked yet - a couple bigger lots in Wabash and one at the trailhead in Lagro. The trail follows the Wabash river and is pretty peaceful, some areas of trees and some open areas beside fields. If you go in the early spring, before the trees have sprouted leaves, you can usually spot some eagles along the way.
There must be a new section because the trail extends to Lagro. Half a mile of it is on a farm road, but then it continues just before you arrive in Lagro.
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.
Got 6 miles in starting by Muncie.
This portion of the trail is just as the other couple parts I've experienced.
The paved trail is mostly flat, level and equally shaded/open.
The one thing to be aware of is a couple bad spots/cracks in the pavement that could result in an ankle injury or biking issue, but this should not deter one from using the trail.
So as always, if in the area and want to get a couple miles in, this should do.
great place to walk w/shaded walkways. just wish there were more parking areas to pick the trail up from different locations of 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.
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