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 users to connect to the Mounds State Park in Anderson. The trail rounds the edge of the airport, then runs along an active railroad for 0.67 miles, then curves west emerging onto Mounds Road. From there, a sidepath continues for 0.9 miles along Mounds Road leads to the entrance of the state park.
The Airport Trail will one day be incorporated into the Mounds Greenway, a proposed system of existing and future trails stretching from Anderson to Muncie along the White River. The Mounds Greenway is a proposal of the Hoosier Environmental Council.
Parking is available in a small lot near the Anderson Road end of the trail. Please see the map for detailed directions.
A short 1.47 miles, paved with slight inclines, clean and quiet. Parked in Chesterfield behind the airport at the American legion, it's free, good spot for a trailhead. Watches some planes take off. Raced a squirrel.
We parked at Mounds State Park - from there, the trail went down a path outside of the park and across to the Anderson Airport where it crept along the edge of the property. We could see the runway and planes landing and taking off. It ended in Chesterfield, where we turned around and headed back. We saw a few different varieties of birds, but the majority of the trail is not really full of wildlife and greenery - the airport is the highlight and makes for a unique experience.
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