The Riverside Trail winds along the west bank of the St. Joseph River for just over 3 miles in northern Indiana's South Bend. Several benches along the way allow you to take in the beautiful river views.
The southern end of the trail begins at Brownfield Park, near the intersection of Riverside Drive and Angela Boulevard. From there, you'll travel north through tree-lined residential areas, passing Keller Park, which offers restrooms, picnic tables, a playground and boat launch.
Midway, you'll see Pinhook Park across from Riverside Drive; the park has a small lake, playgrounds, fishing spots and places to picnic. North of the park, you'll pass under Interstate 80 and travel through Riverside Park.
At the northern end of the trail, a pedestrian bridge will take you across the river to another trail paralleling Darden Road.
Parking is available at the southern end of the Riverside Trail, just west of where Riverside Drive and Angela Boulevard connect. Parking is also available in Keller Park (1858 Riverside Drive) and Pinhook Park (2801 Riverside Drive).
I have run all along the St. Joseph River in the South Bend area when visiting . I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this section (riverside trail) was already plowed by 7 am on a Sunday morning (1/13/19) from the previous night’s snowfall. Thank you very much to whichever agency is responsible! You made me so happy!
Enjoyed the urban ride along the river. Will use this trail often!
ok ride but way too short. south bend lags way behind on good bike paths that do not involve street riding.
for a town with so many colleges it is a shame SB is so far behind.
too bad the Pumpkinvine is the only good path in the aera.
We discovered this trail while we were in town for the 2015 Bike the Bend event. Getting to the trail head at Darden Road was an easy ride from our hotel that was located on SR 933, the connection can be easily done with crosswalks with signals and sidewalks and avoiding the traffic of SR 933 and Darden Road.
The trail is well-marked for half-mile increments, and provides many scenic views of the St. Joseph River. The only negative (which was not a major concern) that was present to us was the lack of portable or permanent toilet facilities.
Upon completing the trail, we chose to connect to the Notre Dame campus by using Angela Blvd, which is a wide street with "Share the Road" signs. We highly recommend riding around the beautiful campus, and grabbing lunch at the Eddy Street Commons.
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