Cardinal Greenways is a segment of two national trail systems: The Great American Rail-Trail® and The American Discovery Trail®.
The Great American Rail-Trail® will connect 12 states from Washington, D.C. to Washington state and is the nation’s first cross-country multi-use trail. It is currently 53% complete and will consist of 150 existing trails across the nation once 88 gaps are connected and multiple trailheads are completed.
One of the 88 gaps along The Great American Rail-Trail® is located on Cardinal Greenways, and one of the needed completed trailheads is in Muncie. This summer, construction will begin on the final phase of the Kitselman Gateway Trailhead, which connects the White River Greenway and Cardinal Greenway.
Situated on E Jackson, the Kitselman Gateway Trailhead, once completed, will beautify one of Muncie’s main corridors. The two-year project will incorporate public art installations to welcome inbound Eastern travelers into Muncie via State Road 32, a critical gateway with the city’s 2nd highest traffic volume.
The Kitselman Gateway Trailhead project has been 25 years in the making. Obstacles such as pollution, ownership, and funding issues have been successfully overcome. The final phase of the project has an estimated budget of $4.5 million.
The late Marjorie Ziegler of the Sherman and Marjorie Ziegler Foundation (SMZ Foundation) spearheaded the fundraising efforts for the Kitselman Bridge, a key component to connect the White River Greenway and Cardinal Greenways. The 175-foot historic bridge, manufactured in 1905 by Indiana Bridge Company in Muncie, was the perfect length and was transported from near Albany, Ind., to become a central feature of the trailhead. In 2023, the Greenways Foundation of Indiana awarded Cardinal Greenway with the “Outstanding Trail Project” for Kitselman Bridge. Cardinal Greenways manages the White River Greenway for the City of Muncie.
Phil Tevis, CEO of FlatLand Resources, stated that the Kitselman Trailhead is a legacy outcome. FlatLand Resources is the consulting and landscape architecture firm managing the master planning and construction of the Kitselman Gateway Trailhead and “Close the Gap” projects for Cardinal Greenways. The firm “creates spatial wonder” through community development and ecological restoration.
Due to construction of the trailhead, including upgrades to an Army Corps Flood Control levee near the former Phillips Pool location, Cardinal Greenway will be rerouted. Vehicle traffic will not be impacted.
Cardinal Greenways, Indiana’s oldest and longest span of recreational trails, is privately-owned, which allows the organization to operate from one governing voice across 62.3 miles, three cities, five counties, three municipalities, and several towns. Cardinal Greenways connects to three rivers, five universities, and two interstate highways in Indiana.
Cardinal Greenways, a national and international destination trail, is an Indiana key stakeholder for The Great American Rail-Trail®. In 2018, Cardinal Greenways was inducted into the Rails to Trails Conservancy Hall of Fame.
“Cardinal Greenways is the most unified voice in the Indiana rail trail system, connecting communities and counties,” says Angie Pool, CEO of Cardinal Greenways. “We’re going to add trails. We’re going to add miles.”
Cardinal Greenways will comprise more than 70 of the 215 miles of The Great American Rail-Trail® in Indiana. 22.5 miles of the national trail system are in Delaware County. Since the establishment of Cardinal Greenway, Inc. in 1993, the organization has aimed to close the 11.3-mile gap between Gaston and Gas City.
Cardinal Greenways has partnered with Taylor University’s Main Street Mile Initiative, with support from the Lilly Endowment College and Community Collaboration grant, to begin groundbreaking to “Close the Gap.” Two miles of the path will travel through Taylor University’s Taylor Wilderness and connect to campus, downtown Upland, and kayak and canoe launch sites along the Mississinewa River.
The Great American Rail-Trail® predicts that the trail system will boost Indiana’s economy by $13.1 million in visitor spending, generate $1.1 million in new tax revenue, $6.2 million in labor income, and increase trail use by 1.5 million trips.
The Great American Rail-Trail® in Indiana is 55% complete. Once completed, the trail will create a path from Richmond, IN to the Chicago metropolitan area.
Pool encourages trail users to support Cardinal Greenways by attending their annual signature events. $22 million is needed to be raised by 2040 to replace the pavement for the entire trail system.
Upcoming events to support Cardinal Greenways include:
June 7: Celebrate National Trails Day by volunteering with Cardinal Greenways.
July 26: Cardinal Century Ride: The event features distances up to 100 miles and begins and ends at the Muncie Depot.
Fall: Biketourberfest 2025: Autumn cycling event through Wayne County.
Oct (TBA): Cardinal “Screamway” Halloween Walk: A spooky, family-friendly walking event in Jonesboro.
Nov 27: Turkey Trot: Cardinal Greenways’ classic Thanksgiving walk/run event. The event begins at the Historic Wysor Street Depot in Muncie and includes routes along the White River Greenway.
