Indianapolis / Marion County

Indianapolis will serve as the geographic and historic hub of the NRHT as well as its visitor headquarters embracing the Indianapolis Cultural Trail and the White River State Park as core elements to connect trail users with the Historic National Road and all of the other attractions of the vibrant downtown area.

As shown below, Indy Greenways trails and the Indianapolis Cultural Trail are proposed to form the route through Marion County.

Proposed NRHT route across Indianapolis

On the west side, the NRHT is proposed to connect to the east end of a developing 40-mile trail from Putnam and Hendricks Counties.  The proposed route near the airport and the active rail lines would then follow the Eagle Creek Trail south and east to Raymond Street, then to the White River, following the White River Trail north to White River State Park.  Trail users would then access the vibrant "business route" downtown and in Fountain Square on the Indianapolis Cultural Trail.  Options to then connect to the nearby Pleasant Run Trail will be studied.  Following the Pleasant Run Trail northeast, trail users would then pick up the evolving Pennsy Rail-Trail in the historic Irvington district and continue through the well-established Pennsy Trail in Cumberland.  This will be the gateway east to the well-established Pennsy Trail in Greenfield and the existing NRHT in Henry County.

Dozens of interesting sites await visitors along the future trail.  A dramatic entrance into downtown Indianapolis is presented by the old Washington Street bridge between the Indy Zoo and White River State Park, now a popular bike/pedestrian bridge.  Other landmarks such as the Capitol, Monument Circle, and the Irvington Historic District grace the route.

Open Trail

The portions of the intended route which exist today as open trails are the Eagle Creek Trail along Raymond Street, the old Washington Street bridge (White River Trail) to downtown, most of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail along Washington Street and Virginia Avenue to Fountain Square, the Pleasant Run Trail from Garfield Park to Irvington, a 1.2-mile section of the Pennsy Trail in Irvington, and the 3-mile Pennsy Trail across Cumberland, 1 mile of which is in Marion County.

White River Trail Bridge to Downtown

Future Plans

Indy Parks has a TE grant to complete the White River Trail from the Eagle Creek Trail at Raymond Street to the zoo and old Washington Street bridge downtown.  The well-funded Indianapolis Cultural Trail is nearing completion across downtown and to Fountain Square.  Indy Parks' masterplan includes an extension of its Pennsy Trail west from Irvington to connect to Cumberland and to extend the Eagle Creek Trail north from Raymond Street along the Big Eagle Creek levees.

Indianapolis Airport
Indianapolis Zoo
White River State Park
IUPUI
Amtrak station
State Capitol
Monument Circle
Garfield Park
National Road Marker
Washington Street Historic District
Bona Thompson Center
Irvington Street Historic District

See the Indy/Cumberland Pennsy Trail's page on indianatrails.org

The old Washington Street bridge (White River Trail)