Never have I seen so many porta-potties along a trail---I bet it averages a potty every 3 miles. The road portion was OK but GPS is pretty much a requirement. I highly recommend this trail. Do not drift off the trail! I would recommend riding the Muncie section of the Cardinal Greenway in the late fall after the leaves are down or in the early spring before leaf on. The trailhead is straight ahead at the end of this short street. Our grilled pound cake sundae is sweet, warm and smoky. Kudos to the photographer(s). It's a very nice park with a large pond, and many picnic areas to enjoy. and River Rd. We drive from Indianapolis to ride this trail, usually starting in Richmond and riding to the train station in Muncie, we have done it half way and started in Losantville going either north or south. Found this trail on the trail link app. I have ridden many bike trails, mostly in the east, and the Cardinal Greenway was one of the finest trails I have ever ridden.". Its a paved trail that goes through a gorge thats mostly wooded parkland along the river. Youll take this for about 2 miles, then turn left onto Test Road. Login Profile Log out. Butif you go off the edge of the pavement, you may go over a cliff. The access points have a consistent appearance, with wood encased and serviced porta-potties, attractive signage, historical markers, high-quality rest benches are set in concrete. 5.38 mi State: California Crushed . Towns Along the Trail Hoosier towns along the 62 miles of Cardinal Greenway are worth discovering! Round trip was a little over 12 miles. A short section of intact old C&O of Indiana begins your trail ride at classic concrete C&O Milepost 137 (137 miles northwest of Cincinnati). Check or FAQs for more common login questions. The is a three-day, two-night loop so Bertha, Mule and I can shake off the frost after a bit of Winter hibernation, and to give a test run for my heart, legs, and some equipment I've gotten . The Cardinal Greenway trail is an excellent trail. You will find a couple of gas stations with sandwich shops inside. I came from out-of-state and drove up US35 from I-70 where they insect in Richmond nice route!The trail is smooth and flat with a few cracks and sharp bumps in and near Muncie. First stop was Richmond IN, southern terminus of the Cardinal Greenway, another Rail-Trail Hall of Fame trail [My 4th]. As you wind south out of Muncie, you will pass by Mansfield Park, which could also serve as a starting/ending point with good picnic facilities. It is 10.5 more miles from the depot to Gaston; this section is quite open and there is little shade. Coming from the north, the school is on the right and the parking lot is on the left side of the street. This is an excellent trail! The Camping Cabins provide a more rustic camping experience, where you must bring your own linens. Here, you will also be faced with two bridges: to the right, a historical trestle bridge; to the left, the bicycle and pedestrian bridge that takes you across the White River. Yeah, right. Cross the railroad tracks to access the Cardinal Greenway on the opposite side of the street. In 0.6 mile, cross the East Fork Whitewater River, and Richmond Ave. becomes N. D St. Go 0.1 mile after crossing the river, and turn right onto N. Fifth St. Looking east, you'll see Milepost C-156 and its highway style metal mile marker. Norfolk Southern is using this stub to serve the huge GM plant to your north. Beautiful trail and surroundings. 2) Stay alert! 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. All of this ride, glitches included, was pleasant. Explore Grant County via the extraordinary Cardinal Greenway Trail! 330 N. 3rd St. Richmond, IN 47374 (765) 287-0399. 421 S Walnut St, Ste 100 Muncie, Indiana 47305 765-284-2700 Directions/Location The BAD: 1) OK, Trailink, where is it really? So don't assume that because it's in Indiana, you won't have some decent climbs! To access the southernmost trailhead near Veterans Memorial Park: From I-70, take Exit 149 or 149A, and head south on Williamsburg Pike. On Thursday we rode from Tingler Rd trailhead to Richmond and back-15M. 2. Drove a little over an hour from Ohio to get on at Losantville. Cardinal Greenway, Muncie: See 101 reviews, articles, and 22 photos of Cardinal Greenway, ranked No.1 on Tripadvisor among 23 attractions in Muncie. To reach the trailhead in Gaston, take I-69 to Exit 255 for IN 26 toward Hartford. I always park right next to the staircase and Ive never had trouble. There are a few out there in remote areas and I have seen it for myself when riders try to slide by the stop sign, just remotely slowing down, accidents happen. We tried to be techy and used google maps only to find we traveled in a big circle. Near the intersection with Richmond Avenue, find North D Street, a little side street a block and a half long (NOT the big North D Street that exentends from Richmond Ave. 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. My estimate would be that this trail is less than 50 percent shaded. Indiana's hospitality is also very much in evidence. There are picnic and camping areas, beaches, and cabins for rent. Need to take liquids and snacks because not many great feeding stations along the way. There is a chunk of the trail near the brady street crossing in muncie that heaving of the asphalt is occuring. The trail appears very well maintained, though a little less so towards Richmond. The trail is easy to follow. Although the decorative gates are interesting they are a hassle for cyclists to navigate. Would do it again in a second! 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. Through 12 states and the District of Columbia, the trail will directly serve nearly 50 million people within 50 miles of the route. On another trip I'll pick a different trailhead which would offer a more scenic ride according the rider I met at the trailhead before I started riding. Losantville parking area is just off US35, 3.7 miles N of intersection of US35 and IN1; well marked and easy to find. Quiet ride through the countryside of Indiana. Check the local NWS radio station to find out where the wind will come from when you plan to ride and then design a trip that heads into it so you'll have a push on your return. Hwy. ", "Thirty miles of paved trail are now developed in three segments: 7.5 miles in Marion, 20 miles centered on Muncie, and 2.5 miles in Richmond. My wife and I rode 40 miles on the Cardinal Greenway starting at the Depot and turning around just southeast of Losantville. We love this trail! You might want to start in Richmond, as it will be joy ride coming back. Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area Trails. Its great for a nice short walk with a good flavor of local history. The lady attendant was helpful and very pleasant. The smell is atrocious and as a vegan its even more disgusting. Safe and shady most of the way. If you are interested in a specific campground or site, or availability is limited, we suggest you checkout promptly. The design elements along the path are consistent throughout, with arched steel embellishments on bridge crossings and stone mile markers every 0.5 mile. I was impressed with its wide and smooth surface. The trip will leave 8:00 Saturday morning from Indianapolis area. The trail is currently open from CR 500 South to CR 534 East. Another 0.3 mile south is the beautifully restored Wysor Street Depot, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which serves as the main office of Cardinal Greenways, Inc. In this video, our RV expert discusses the different types of RV batteries We are all about living in the moment and enjoying the current season of camping that youre in. But the trail is so great I would do it again but take more precautions. I was looking to add mileage and got as much as I wanted. find trail maps, reviews, photos & driving directions on traillink.com . In 0.3 mile turn left onto Broad St. to find the trailhead. If you combine all of the sections from Richmond to the end of the Sweester Switch Trail, you end up with a ride close to 70 miles long. The rest areas are frequent and the porta-potties clean. I don't like those things very much, but the ones I used were easily the nicest - and cleanest - I've ever seen. Great Job. This is a nice railtrail mostly through farm lands in the country land of Indiana! Would this neighboring Indiana trail measure up? Point deducted for safety concerns. To the south, there are fewer crossings.This is an excellent trail. The trees and ditches could use some cleaning. The Muncie depot offers a nice break from the trail, with restrooms and snacks, but has limited hours that they are open. The best way to access this trailhead is from Abington Pike. Cardinal Greenways is a private, not-for-profit organization that encompasses the Cardinal Greenway, White River Greenway, Historic Wysor Street Depot and Cardinal Equestrian Trail.The Cardinal Greenway is the longest rail-trail in Indiana and spans 62 miles from Marion through Muncie to Richmond in East Central Indiana, with a road section from Gaston to Jonesboro that is . "A 2.5 mile section of the Cardinal Greenway Trail opened in Richmond during October 2000. On a sunny summer day, you WILL get cooked on this trail, so bring lots of water and plenty of sunscreen.Scenery? I have ridden to north of muncie about 5 miles and south of muncie about 7 miles. So I started running north to try and find the end, and I ran roughly 1.5 miles before I turned around. Learn more at www.greatamericanrailtrail.org. Immediately turn right onto N. D St. As we live in Muncie, you could say that the Cardinal Greenway is our "home trail". Then look to the Historic Richmond Depot District! This is also the only trailhead in Richmond where I remember seeing porta-potties. This is the only trailhead in Richmond that has water. The trail takes its name from the Cardinal, the passenger train that once regularly ran the route. We camp at lots of campgrounds this by far is the worse we have seen and the manager was rude and not helpful Thanks. Fully enjoyed it. We also found the portable restrooms to be clean. Spend Memorial Day weekend under the stars.3-night minimumSunday - performance by Wildheart BandCornhole TournamentSkylantern ceremony ($)Staff lead:Arts & CraftsCandy Bar Richmond and Wayne County's self-guided journey down the chocolate trail takes you to one-of-a-kindlocal candy shops/factories, bakeries, ice cream parlor,intriguing gift shops and more.Chocolate is featured at each stop and is presented in many different forms. You could also pitch a tent on one of our pond-front Tent Sites. Get a FREE Rail Trails Guidebook when you become a Member with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. This has a couple hills and some unpaved side trails that can be fun to explore if youre into off-road biking, hiking, or fishing. Cardinal Greenways Horse Trail. I found it very easy to ride. Well taken care of with easy access at many places along the trail. You can also print the map by clicking the Printable Map button below. No RV? Now I want to ride another section of this trail. The scene now totally changes. Rest stops along the way with water, porta potties and historical info every 5 miles! Beautiful farm country USA. Sadly, once you cross Nebraska St. it becomes way too much starting and stopping crossing all the roads that must be crossed before you reach Ninth St. Once past Ninth St. however it becomes a fairly pleasant ride all the way to Miller Ave. the current trails end(or head). There are restrooms every 4-5 miles, most of them with hand sanitizer, which is quite good. McGalliard Road is a more highly trafficked road crossing than most trails have, but it has an island in the center so you only need half of it to be clear at a time. No matter where you stay, I would suggest dring your car to the trail head to avoid the heavy traffic in the area. The one thing to be aware of is a couple bad spots/cracks in the pavement that could result in an ankle injury or biking issue, but this should not deter one from using the trail. He saw my rig and said No" and then directed me 2 1/2 blocks to the north to find the D street trail head. There are several dining options in downtown Muncie, which are an easy trip off of the trail. I am not from this region and had never heard of these critters that can flourish in July and August especially in years when locusts also flourish. They are well-maintained, assisted by the newness of the trail. It was her first century and it couldn't have been a better experience. The scenery changes enough, so don't worry about getting bored with your surroundings. This trail runs through rural Indiana, where local residents are on private wells. The elevation gain is not negligible. We left about 9:00 am and it started raining again until we got to Losantville. Trail Scenery - Hope you enjoy corn fields, and trees. I did see two cats, a lot of chipmunks, and quite a few blue jays, though ironically not a single cardinal. We had a nice afternoon ride on this trail. Outside of Muncie, there aren't a lot of places to pick up water in the northern section either, so err on the side of packing more water than you'll need. They may have water, I just dont know for sure. 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). We went south (from the Depot) for @ 9 miles to the Red Bud Area and returned, making it our longest trek thus far. Excellent parking facilities with restrooms are conveniently located at most trailheads.We started in downtown Muncie, where a large overhead arch identifies the trail, and rode north to the end of the trail, and then headed for the south end. Mel and I rode our tandem on 14-15 April. These facilities are in excellent condition and clean. This trail crosses the beautiful Whitewater Gorge on a 700+ foot trestle and again over the Whitewater River. You will be able to share your stay information with friends or family and save it for a later time if you have a KOA Account. Im not sure if the Cardinal Greenway oversees it, but I consider it part of the Greenway. Wildflowers flank the Gaston section of the greenway during the spring and summer. The only downside is that water is only available at approximately a quarter of the rest areas. Next week On our way back to Raleigh NC, we plan to ride another 2 days. Cardinal Greenways. Lots of fun memories! Many of these beauties remain in place from MP132 down to the very east end of the trail, at Jonesboro. Excellent trail, we rode from Gaston to Richmond. Nope, that's old information. As the greenway approaches the outskirts of Richmond, you will pass under I-70 and through local parks and woodlands. Friends of the trail helping to promote events on the trail in Grant County. There are places to reprovision water and snacks near the trail all the way. Cardinal Greenway. These access points run south to north. Road, enter the park and drive past the entire lake and to the large parking lot near the closed-in pavilion. Cardinal Greenway parking lot .25 miles on north side of road. Finding the trail in downtown Richmond was not intuitive or obvious, even with my GPS. Hotels near Cardinal Greenway: (1.14 km) Courtyard by Marriott Muncie at Horizon Convention Center (5.42 km) Hampton Inn & Suites Muncie (4.90 km) Super 8 by Wyndham Muncie/Ball St. College Area (1.52 km) Budget Inn - Muncie (4.08 km) Best Western Muncie; View all hotels near Cardinal Greenway on Tripadvisor Sites may be limited. 2.5 mi Speciality Museums. Bring your RV to camp at a Pull-Thru or Back-In RV Site with 50-, 30- and 20-amp connections. As of this date, everything has been maintained very well. -Rich Ballash, Latrobe, PA 9-14-14. You can see nice markers commemorating musicians who recorded there, including Louis Armstrong. Day 2: We head south toward Richmond on our second day. Hayes Arboretum. Written May 28, 2022. The latrines - porta potties - were nearly new and surprisingly spic and span. Heading southwest out of Marion, you will pass trailheads at Miller Avenue and Hogin Park, both featuring information kiosks and ample parking. . 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