The Greenways Foundation promotes greenways, blueways and multi-use trails in Indiana.

Save the dates!

The Greenways Foundation is excited to announce the first statewide workshops on Trail Towns. Enticing people off the trail and into adjacent communities, where they can spend money and stimulate local economies, is the impetus behind the concept of trail towns.

Six workshops throughout Indiana will introduce strategies.

October 31: Portage
November 1: South Bend
November 4: Fort Wayne
November 5: Evansville
November 7: Terre Haute
November 8: Carmel

Each workshop will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time and the $25 individual registration fee includes lunch. Watch the Greenways Foundation web site for registration details to come.

Trail of the Month

A corridor that once carried interurban passengers now accommodates people-powered travelers. The Wabash & Erie Canal Towpath Trail serves southwest Fort Wayne as it links the popular and extensive Rivergreenway to Aboite Trails. Trailheads provide parking and restrooms for humans at Rockhill Park, Glendale Road and Engle Road at Eagle Marsh, a scenic wetland that provides habitat for waterfowl, amphibians and other wildlife. The trail's smooth asphalt surface transitions to a boardwalk across a sensitive marsh as it connects residential neighborhoods, woodland, fields and wetlands with downtown Fort Wayne.

Fort Wayne Parks Department

Wabash & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, TrailLink, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Our Trail of the Month feature is sponsored by Citizens Energy Group.

Getting around

Fort Wayne Trails is hosting its annual Monster Dash 5k Fun Run/Walk October 19 to benefit the trails. Wear your funniest, spookiest or most epic costume and hit the pavement! Start and finish in historic Freimann Square in downtown Fort Wayne. Costumes not required, just encouraged. Register today!

Meanwhile, James Holm has joined Fort Wayne Trails as its new Community Engagement Manager.

And for added coolness as you find your way around, download the new Fort Wayne Trails App. Available for iOS, coming soon for Android.

The Huntington Area Recreational Trails Association is hosting its annual HARTA-ween Zombie Dash fundraiser on the Erie Trail. Human participants in the October 12 event can choose to wear a life belt dangling three cloth life strips. Their goal is to complete the 10K, 5K, or 1-mile course as “zombies” try to snatch their lives away. Costumes encouraged.

Thanks to a Next Level Trails grant, Schererville sees a Greenway Trail end in sight for its section of the Pennsy Greenway Northwest Trail. Greenways Foundation President Mitch Barloga dons his Northwest Indiana planner hat to explain how Crown Point could expand on that development.

Greenways Foundation Annual Report

You may download our 2018 Annual Report (PDF, 721 KB) or read the synopsis below.

The Greenways Foundation presented our 2019 Legislative Platform with the help of Indiana trail stakeholders. We continue to work with state legislators on funding the existing Trails Maintenance Fund and sustainable funding for new trails when the Next Level Trails program is complete. The demand for trails in Indiana is strong!

We proudly sponsored the 2018 Greenways+Blueways Map in Northwest Indiana. We have served as a sponsor for this excellent resource since the first map was published in 2008. We understand the importance of marketing, and can help you with getting the word out about your trail, too!

Our state license plate accounts for our main source of revenue. At the end of 2018, there were 1,446 plates sold for a total income of $36,150. Those who buy plates become new members of the Foundation. Thanks to our state plates, we were able to award $21,000 in grants to five trail projects in 2018! These include:

$5,000 to Noble Trails to aid with the extension of the Fishing Line Trail between Rome City and Kendallville.
$1,000 to the Friends of the Quaker Trace Trail for start-up costs to secure federal non-profit status.
$5,000 to aid the Indianapolis Parks Foundation in repairing a bridge on the Pogues Run Trail.
$5,000 to Prairie Trails Club to aid with the expansion of the Erie Trail.
$5,000 to South Adams Trails to aid with the installation of two historic bridges for trail use between Berne and Geneva.

Financial Report 2018

Inflow $54,000
License plates 67%
Annual luncheon 27%
Donations 6%

Outflow $42,500
Grants program 44%
Business expenses 36%
— Community engagement, accounting services, board insurance, reimbursements
Fundraising 20%
— Luncheon venue, printing, marketing, conferences