The Monon Trail (known as the Monon Greenway in
Carmel) is a
rail trail
A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, 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 rail corr ...
located entirely within the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
. It runs along the main line of 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 R ...
, a popular railroad line connecting the cities of
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and
Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
with stops at major locations. After the decline of railroad travel and the sale of the company in 1987, the portion of the line between Indianapolis and
Delphi, Indiana
Delphi () is a city in and the county seat of Carroll County, Indiana, Carroll County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. Located twenty minutes northeast of Lafayette, Indiana, Lafayette, it is part of the Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette, Indiana metro ...
, was abandoned.
In Northwest Indiana, the trail is long, running through
Lake County from
Munster
Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
to
Hammond. In the Indianapolis area, the trail consists of running through
Hamilton
Hamilton may refer to:
* Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
* ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda
** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
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. A ...
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 near the
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
–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 ]Munster
Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
. The extension required the reconstruction of the old 1909 railroad bridge across the Little Calumet River
The Calumet River is a system of industrialized rivers and canals in the region between the South Side, Chicago, south side of Chicago, Illinois, and the city of Gary, Indiana. Historically, the Little Calumet River and the Grand Calumet River ...
, 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 train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
service, is reconstructing a portion of the rail route along the old Monon right-of-way. The West Lake Corridor project is 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 northward starting from just north of downtown Indianapolis
Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
, passing through Martindale's Hillside neighborhood, the King Park, Mapleton-Fall Creek, Meridian-Kessler, Broad Ripple, and Nora neighborhoods, and then proceeding into Carmel and Westfield, Indiana
Westfield is a city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States. It is a northern suburb of Indianapolis. As of 2023, the population was 58,410. Westfield is in the Indianapolis metropolitan area.
History
Westfield was founded on May 6, 1834, b ...
, 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, 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
Bike the Monon
*
*
;Video overview
*
{{Bicycling in Chicago
1996 establishments in Indiana
Bike paths in the Chicago metropolitan area
National Recreation Trails in Indiana
Protected areas of Hamilton County, Indiana
Protected areas of Lake County, Indiana
Protected areas of Marion County, Indiana
Rail trails in Indiana
Tourist attractions in Indianapolis
Transportation in Hamilton County, Indiana
Transportation in Indianapolis
Transportation in Lake County, Indiana