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 and, from there, the trail heads south towards Fort Wayne. A highlight of the route is the trail's passage through Salomon Farm Park, where the Pufferbelly connects to a loop trail.
In the future, the trail will span 13 miles along a former New York Central railroad corridor. When finished, the rail-trail will stretch from downtown Fort Wayne to the northern Allen County border. A direct connection to the Rivergreenway will allow for extensive recreational and commuting access throughout Fort Wayne on foot or bike.
Parking for the Pufferbelly Trail can be found at Salomon Farm Park on W. Dupont Road.
Trail is great for shaded run on warm days and wind protected run on cold days. Trail is 5 miles long with an additional 1.5 mile Solomon Farm Loop attached. Parking spaces located near the YMCA put you in the middle of the 5 mile trail and where the 1.5 mile Loop connects, providing a great spot to re-hydrate at your vehicle as you run North, then South, then the Loop to train for Half-marathon.
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.
Beautiful September afternoon to ride this trail. Gets lots of use but people nice. Can enjoy Salamon Farm and the sunflower fields in September.
This is an excellent trail that is very well travelled by bikers, walkers, runners and skaters. The majority is tree covered and very comfortable. The trail is well maintained and has plenty of directional and safety signage. Ample parking at each end. A favorite ride in the city!
as long as you don’t mind utilizing the sidewalks you can go all the way down to Fort Wayne Outfitters, whereupon the new park just opened up in front of their building! also a means of riding down to Turnstone, where I was a client back in ‘07
I use to spend hours on the old railway as a teen. I would walk from Washington Center Road past Smith Field all the way out to Gump Road and back. When the rails and ties were pulled the land owners blocked access to the trail. It will be great to see part of it reopened. My son spent hours with me on a bench at the airfield watching the planes land and take off.
As of November 2017, this trail is not yet finished and the completed sections are not yet connected. Still, the parts that are finished are a joy to travel.
Special parking by the YMCA. Paved. I only gave it a 4 because it doesn't go anywhere.
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