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Print Friendly MapMuncie'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 runs through a narrow greenway between the river and urban neighborhoods, passing through several parks. A highlight of the route is the beautiful John Craddock Wetland Nature Preserve on the east end of the trail. Spanning 27 acres, the preserve allows travelers to experience woodland, wetland, and prairie habitats.
In Muncie, the White River Greenway also crosses the Cardinal Greenway, the longest rail-trail in the state and an inductee into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. The trails connect via a pedestrian bridge by the Cardinal Greenway's McCulloch Boulevard trailhead and via the new pedestrian Kitselman Bridge, both of which cross the White River. The Kitselman Trailhead Park is located on the river's east shore, off East Jackson Street/State Road 32 and Bunch Boulevard on Muncie’s east side. Just south of the John Craddock Wetland Nature Preserve, the park has a short trail loop and a parking lot with two accessible spaces.
Parking and trail access is available at a number of locations along the trail. You can access the trail from any of the parks it passes through: Westside Park (parking here), White River Park (2.6 miles of parkland along White River Blvd; parking near Dill St), Tuehy Park (North St; cross White River Blvd to access trail), McCulloch Boulevard east of Elm Street (also access the Cardinal Greenway here), McCulloch Park (cross McCulloch Blvd to access trail), and the Kitselman Bridge and Trailhead Park (parking and access the Cardinal Greenway here).
Visit the TrailLink map for all options and detailed directions.
We parked at the western point of this trail near White River Blvd. There is a small parking area with benches and a cool stone "map" of the trail, with sculptures carved in depicting the animals you might see on your journey. The wildlife did not disappoint! We saw turtles of all shapes and sizes basking on the various rocks along the river. We also saw rabbits, cranes, and...geese.
The locals joke about the invasive geese along the White River. We did not have any problems with them - but I can see where they could potentially block the path if a large gaggle of them starts moving. The major issue was the POOP. We joked that it felt like playing Minesweeper. Time to invest on some mudflaps for your bike if you intend to ride on a rainy day through here.
We also encountered a lot of fireworks trash and an area under the bridge that appeared to be a party hangout or former homeless camp.
There are several gentle rolling hills that are in close proximity to each other that make this trail a little more difficult than the relatively flat expanses of the Cardinal Greenway or the Monon.
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.
This trail is very scenic of the white river through the heart of downtown Muncie and the Minnetrista.
Just rode this trail last week. I parked at the Cardinal Greenway lot at the former C&O station at the east end of E. Wysor St. I started on the Cardinal Greenway east to E Jackson St, went across the bridge and then left onto the White River Greenway. The trail was in excellent condition. It is basically flat with a few small grades up to street level. Scenic with some wildlife, mostly birds. A nice stop is Minnetristra, the former Ball family estate. Beautiful buildings and gardens. On the return trip I went back on the Cardinal trail from McCulloch Park to the train station.
This trail is a great extension/connection to the Cardinal Greenway. The trail runs entirely next to the White River, and provides numerous chances to see wildlife along the river. Nearly every time we use the trail we see ducks, geese, turtles, and an occasional crane in the river. There are several streets that all connect to downtown Muncie which you can use to get to several of the outstanding downtown restaurants.
Warning: as you navigate the scenic trail, you will need to keep a constant look for the ever-present geese who are a constant presence along the trail and the "calling cards" that they litter the trail with!
...or maybe one of the only good things. I lived in Muncie for a year during an internship. It's not much. However, the White River Greenway and the Cardinal Greenway are jewels that made it bearable. I lived just a couple of blocks from the restored train station and used the trail to commute to work. The WRG ended at the time at a sweet little 50s diner that had a jukebox and Elvis specialities on the menu. The Cardinal Greenway goes through the Ball Estate (think jars) with its historic homes and lovely gardens and then runs along the river. Altogether pleasant and fairly well maintained. They did not have visible police presence when I was riding it so it got a little iffy at dusk. Other than that, I rode it by myself and loved it. Well maintained!
According to the description the Trail Head is at Cumberland Road and Allisonville Road. Cumberland turns into Greenfield and we drove extensively around the Greenfield and Cumberland intersection and did not see the trail anywhere. We are new to the area so maybe there is another Cumberland Road?
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