Drivers will smile and wave to you when you cross. Now I am not an avid road cyclist, but compared to other trails I've seen this one is superb. Several rest areas are provided, but the only water stop I found was at Losantville. Along the way are many elevation changes, a beautiful wooded area with a bridge over a creek and a picnic area, many trestles, and only three busy roads to cross(watch out for the crossing at 38th St. cars fly down that road) its about a five and a half mile ride one way. Sites may be limited. Just pick a dry day or two to ride it. As of this date, everything has been maintained very well. We rode this trail in the fall from Muncie towards Richmond. The trailhead will be on your right and is located just under the Richmond Ave. Bridge. The country roads are not marked at all. toilets, benches, but no drinking water. This trail should be on your list whether you want a short trail ride and decide to do a single section or a two day trip on your bike. I rode the trail on a fairly heavily laden touring bike to The Seldom Scene Meadow B&B. If you are interested in a specific campground or site, or availability is limited, we suggest you checkout promptly. Finding the trail in downtown Richmond was not intuitive or obvious, even with my GPS. 2. It reminded Me of the Tanglefoot Trail a bit, due to the rural region, only instead of cotton & soybeans, the crop is . I had even showered immediately after my ride but I had a severe allergic reaction. This is the oldest and southern-most part of the Cardinal Greenway. I did exactly that, assembled my bike and trailer, and then realized that the bike signage referred to the White River Gorge pathway, and I would have to go down a long length of steep steps. The 5 yr old does get bored after about 10-15 miles in, as there is a lot of farm land and there is only so much farm land a 5 yr old can look at before they stop pedaling the trail a bike! My wife and I recently rode the Cardinal Greenway. Its fine if youre on foot. Minnetrista. NUMBER 2 TIP: Make sure you double check the names of streets. My friend Mark and I did this trail late May of 2014. Prairie Creek Reservoir & Cardinal Equestrian Trail Blountsville Medford Jonesboro Gaston Losantville Trailhead Amenities: Historic Wysor Street Depot Trail Headquarters & Gift Shop, restrooms (in season), water fountain (in season), bicycle repair stand, and shelter/tables Parking Shelter Restrooms (in season) Picnic tables John M. Craddock . FREE bike rental is available during peak season. WHAT:Stay Friday night, May 12th at a participating campground, and get Saturday night, May 13th for just $20*. TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails conservancy, We're a non-profit all about helping you enjoy the outdoors, Co. Rd. On a sunny summer day, you WILL get cooked on this trail, so bring lots of water and plenty of sunscreen.Scenery? For much of this trail, there is no flat, level berm on either side of the trail. Using the Muncie section of the Greenway is what really made the trip to Muncie very impressed. At the Medford trailhead (County Road 500 South), equestrians can access the 3.5-mile Cardinal Greenway Horse Trail that parallels the paved Cardinal Greenway and extends to South County Road 534 East. Learn more at koacarecamps.org. Trail of the Month: July 2012. "A 2.5 mile section of the Cardinal Greenway Trail opened in Richmond during October 2000. Drove down from Michigan for the second year in a row to ride this trail to launch my cycle season. Whether youre exploring the local area or hanging out at the campground, KOA Holidays are an ideal place to relax and play. Wow! Heading southwest out of Marion, you will pass trailheads at Miller Avenue and Hogin Park, both featuring information kiosks and ample parking. The Muncie depot offers a nice break from the trail, with restrooms and snacks, but has limited hours that they are open. Find the river on the map and you can find the Greenway right alongside. Rode a quick 26 miler out n back from Richmond. They will jump you and your bike unexpectedly. STAR-GENNETT BUILDING The design elements along the path are consistent throughout, with arched steel embellishments on bridge crossings and stone mile markers every 0.5 mile. It was her first century and it couldn't have been a better experience. 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. Got on the trail at Rotary Park and headed north. It was in the summer, had lots of wildflowers and butterflies, and I saw many deer in the mornings. This trail runs through rural Indiana, where local residents are on private wells. Bridges are restored with a decorative flare, nicely laid-out access parks with parking along the way. This is the best maintained trail we have ever been on. A couple of them have a water fountain. The trail is smooth and paved all the way through with lots of trailheads, benches, maps, porta-potties, drinking fountains, bike air, and fixing stations. We are planning to ride again only when the weather is drier. Several miles outside of Muncie, you can take a short side jaunt on E CR 650 S to the Prairie Creek Reservoir. 101. I transferred over to this west end of the Cardinal Greenway from the east end of the Sweetser Switch Trail. You should visit cardinalgreenways.org for more information. HEADS UP 1. Our ride was stopped short due to a large tree blocking the pathway but we werent planning to go too much further. What a NEAT ride! Never have I seen so many porta-potties along a trail---I bet it averages a potty every 3 miles. Cardinal Greenway, Bridge in Economy | Photo by Angie Pool, courtesy Cardinal Greenways Inc. Its also great if you want to pedal fast and not have to worry about moving around skaters, etc. Our AmenitiesIf you prefer to relax at the campground, there are numerous amenities to take advantage of, including: Local Things to DoMake this KOA your base camp for exploring the local area. | Attractions, Sports and Recreation, Trails and Parks, What to Do. This is the easiest access point if you have a bike trailer. The trail is in very good shape with very nice rest areas that are spaced at very friendly intervals. Bring your water bottles. Trail very well maintained. There are several dining options in downtown Muncie, which are an easy trip off of the trail. This trail is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Curvy and elevated, over bridge after bridge above the city. Sweetser has a picturesque depot stopping point and the trail has been maintained very nicely, but only one restaurant is available but there are no shops to invite you to stop and browse (unlike the Monon in Carmel and Broad Ripple). Cardinal Greenway parking lot .25 miles on north side of road. if youre trying to navigate through town just make sure youre where you need to be. I don't know who wrote the glowing town review on this page, but there is not anywhere to eat or any interesting activities in either Gas City or Marion to entice you to use this trail. The trip will leave 8:00 Saturday morning from Indianapolis area. Round trip was a little over 12 miles. It was a glorious ride! This is a super trail that allows you to experience rural Indiana at its finest. The only one is at the Losantville trailhead, so if you're starting there and going to Richmond and back, you'd better start out with all the water you'll think you'll need for the whole trip. We found that there was very little scenery along much of the trail because of the dense vegetation lining both sides of the trail. Although the towns' businesses have abandoned along with the railroad, we met and talked to some very friendly and interesting people. Learn more at www.greatamericanrailtrail.org. This is an old trailhead and is closed off to traffic with barriers. I enjoy the safety of the trail, as opposed to open roads with traffic, too many times cars passing me within two feet at 50-60 mph, none of this on the trail, so well worth my travel time to get to it. thanks again, 5 stars. I would recommend the Greenway very highly. Cardinal Greenways. 2) Stay alert! Found this trail on the trail link app. Lots of road crossings, but beautiful countryside. By using this site, you consent to the use of all the cookies. It's a nice trail for a long, leisurely bike ride. WHY: The Big Weekend helps raise funds to send kids with cancer to medically-supervised camps all across North America. The smell is atrocious and as a vegan its even more disgusting. I rode the entire 75 mile corridor round trip this spring and found it to give a wonderful variety of experiences. The road portion was OK but GPS is pretty much a requirement. If you go off the edge, you will hit the gravel, you will go down. Our plan was to park our car, with all of our luggage, in Muncie, which is central to this trail. Nice ride. Towns Along the Trail Hoosier towns along the 62 miles of Cardinal Greenway are worth discovering! Drove from Tennessee to ride most of The Cardinal Greenway in early July 2013 and I was quite happy with it. Trail was in good shape with a few little bumps from cracks in the asphalt swelling and in one place a small tree across the trail from a recent storm. Many, many farms with corn and soy bean fields. The rest areas are frequent and the porta-potties clean. This trail is a gateway to the Great American Rail-Trail, a nearly 4,000 mile developing trail that will connect the country from Washington, D.C., to Washington state. I only had time to ride 5 miles at the head of the trail, but it is gorgeous. If you ride an LWB recumbent - you folks know who you are - you're going to hate these gates. I'm visiting in Noblesville and find the Monon does not meet that expectation so I drove an hour to the closest trailhead in Losantville. (A detour was possible, but unsigned; too bad.) I will be going again. My wife and I are very fond of the section that goes from the parking area in Jonesboro (going more or less North after you cross the highway) to Nebraska St in Marion. The trail section indicated as incomplete (owned by private party) in the description above, appears to be open. Cardinal Greenway roadway itself is kept up very well, but the scenery is not much to see a lot of the way. It is a great place to get exercise on a bike or . Unique stone mile markers are situated along the trail. (Richmond). So don't assume that because it's in Indiana, you won't have some decent climbs! Don't forget your bikes, the 62-mile-long Cardinal Greenway starts only a few miles away! It is a great trail but we picked a bad time to ride as it rained from Gaston till we got to Harris Chapel Church where we spent the night. Overall I really enjoyed this trail; very light grades made for an easy peddle. Here's some background, the good, the bad, and the heads up report. The northern half to Gaston was beautiful with the fall colors on the trees. The Sweetser Switch and this trail combine to make 13.7 miles of varied and fascinating scenery, a real treat for ghost railroaders like myself! ", "My wife and I took two great rides on the Cardinal Trail. Limited, we 're a non-profit all about helping you enjoy the outdoors, Co. Rd have ever on. 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