The Monon Trail (known as the Monon Greenway in Carmel) is a

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetc ...

located entirely within the state of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

. The

Monon Railroad The Monon Railroad , also known as the Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville Railway from 1897 to 1971, was an American railroad that operated almost entirely within the state of Indiana. The Monon was merged into the Louisville and Nashville Ra ...

was a popular railroad line connecting the cities of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

and

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, with stops at major settlements along its route. After the decline of railroad travel and the sale of the company in 1987, the portion of the line between Indianapolis and Delphi, Indiana, was abandoned. In Northwest Indiana, the trail is long, running through Lake County from

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following t ...

to Hammond. In the Indianapolis area, the trail consists of running through

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...

and Marion counties, connecting Indianapolis, Carmel and Westfield. The trail has been extended to Sheridan, making the total length . The first portions of the trail were created in the late 1990s, but it has been consistently extended in both of its segments since then. The trail is a

shared use path A shared-use path, mixed-use path or multi-use pathway is a path which is 'designed to accommodate the movement of pedestrians and cyclists'. Examples of shared-use paths include sidewalks designated as shared-use, bridleways and rail trails. ...

complete with trailheads, park amenities and local attractions near it.

Northwest Indiana segment

Northwest Indiana's portion of the Monon covers , starting at the

Pennsy Greenway The Pennsy Greenway is a rail trail in the Chicago metropolitan area running from Lansing, Illinois to Schererville, Indiana. The trail runs on the former Penn Central Railway, and is currently incomplete, but is paved at segments in Lansing, Muns ...

near the

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

–Indiana border in Munster, and running north to the Erie Lackawanna Trailhead in downtown Hammond. In 2014, the trail was significantly extended, with a segment opening between Munster and Hammond. The segment connected a previously existing portion of the Monon Trail located entirely within

. The extension required the reconstruction of the old 1909 railroad bridge across the

Little Calumet River The Calumet River is a system of heavily industrialized rivers and canals in the region between the south side of Chicago, Illinois, and the city of Gary, Indiana. Historically, the Little Calumet River and the Grand Calumet River were one, the ...

, at a cost of approximately $1.5 million. The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which operates the South Shore

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

service, is reconstructing a portion of the rail route along the old Monon right-of-way. The West Lake Corridor project was planned to provide service from southern Lake County communities to and from downtown Chicago; it is estimated to be completed in 2025.

Indianapolis segment

The Monon Trail in the Indianapolis area runs from just north of downtown

, passing through Martindale's Hillside neighborhood, the King Park, Mapleton-Fall Creek, Meridian-Kessler, Broad Ripple, and

Nora Nora, NORA, or Norah may refer to: * Nora (name), a feminine given name People with the surname * Arlind Nora (born 1980), Albanian footballer * Pierre Nora (born 1931), French historian Places Australia * Norah Head, New South Wales, headlan ...

neighborhoods, and then proceeding into Carmel and

Westfield, Indiana Westfield is a city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 30,068, and in 2020 the population was 46,410. Westfield is in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. History Westfield was founded on Ma ...

, a length of . Plans to create a shared use trail on the former Monon right-of-way date back to the late 1980s. In 1999, a segment in Indianapolis was completed, while a segment in Carmel was opened between 2001 and 2002. The first phase of the trail cost approximately $5.5 million to create. The trail was extended into Westfield starting in the fall of 2008, and since then has been extended north over the abandoned Monon right of way toward

Sheridan, Indiana Sheridan is a town in Adams Township, Hamilton County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,665 at the 2010 census. The center of population of Indiana is located just northwest of Sheridan. Geography Sheridan is located at (40.1338 ...

, for a total of in Westfield. In Indianapolis the Monon connects with the Central Canal Towpath along the Indiana Central Canal, and the Fall Creek Greenway. In Westfield, the trail provides access to the Midland Trace, Anna Kendall, and the Little Eagle Creek trails. In the Indianapolis area, the Monon Trail is used by more than 1.3 million people annually. The trail has been cited as having a positive economic impact to neighborhoods adjacent to the trail, including Broad Ripple in Indianapolis and the mixed-use developments of downtown Carmel, which have experienced a large growth in population over the past decade. The longest continuous stretch begins in Indianapolis at 10th street, and runs North, terminating in Grand Park of Westfield at 191st street. This continuous stretch is . After reaching Grand Park, bikers can take country roads to reconnect with the trail at 216th street, where the trail picks back up and goes another and ending in Sheridan. The final connection from 191st Street to 216th Street was completed in 2020. Visitor attractions along the trail: * Monon Depot Museum * Carmel City Center * Monon Community Center * Indianapolis Art Center

References

External links

;Maps * * ;Official websites * * ;Video overview * {{Bicycling in Chicago Rail trails in Indiana Bike paths in the Chicago metropolitan area Tourist attractions in Indianapolis Protected areas of Hamilton County, Indiana Protected areas of Marion County, Indiana Protected areas of Lake County, Indiana Transportation in Hamilton County, Indiana Transportation in Indianapolis Transportation in Lake County, Indiana 1996 establishments in Indiana National Recreation Trails in Indiana