Erie Lackawanna Trail

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Erie Lackawanna Trail
Erie Lackawanna Trailhead, Crown Point.jpg
The Erie Lackawanna Trailhead near downtown Crown Point was completed in 2014.
Length17.7 miles (28.5 km) [1]
Location Lake County, Indiana
Established1990s-present (in segments)
Designation U.S. Bicycle Route 36 [2]
USBR 36 (2009).svg
Trailheads Hammond–Crown Point [3]
Use Shared use path
SeasonYear round
Surface Asphalt
Right of way Erie Lackawanna Railway
Pennsylvania Railroad (partially)
Website http://www.indianatrails.org
Trail map
Erie Lackawanna Trail

Erie Lackawanna Trail is a rail trail located in Lake County, Indiana, which runs along the former Erie Lackawanna Railway. [4] The trail begins in the city of Hammond then passes through the towns of Highland, Griffith, Schererville, and Merrillville before coming to an end in the county seat Crown Point. It covers a total of 17.7 miles (28.5 km). [1]

Contents

History

The original Erie-Lackawanna right-of-way was an important freight route through Lake County; although, with the decline of railroad traffic in the United States, the line was abandoned in 1986 by Conrail. [5] After it was abandoned, plans were made by Hammond's Parks and Recreation Department to develop the former right-of-way into a trail system. [6] The first portions of the Erie Lackawanna Trail were created in the mid-1990s, having been continually extended since then. [1]

The trail currently connects to the Monon Trail in downtown Hammond, and the Oak Savannah Trail in Griffith. [7] The Erie Lackawanna is in the vicinity of Pennsy Greenway in Schererville. [8] Today, the trail is a shared use path, complete with trailheads, park amenities, and local attractions near it. [3] It is currently the longest contiguous trail in Northwest Indiana. [9]

Visitor attractions along the trail

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake County, Indiana</span> County in Indiana, United States

Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2020, its population was 498,700, making it Indiana's second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point. The county is part of Northwest Indiana and the Chicago metropolitan area, and contains a mix of urban, suburban and rural areas. It is bordered on the north by Lake Michigan and contains a portion of the Indiana Dunes. It includes Marktown, Clayton Mark's planned worker community in East Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Griffith, Indiana</span> Town in Indiana, United States

Griffith is a town in North and St. John townships in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 16,420 in 2020. The town's population is currently declining at a rate of 0.69% annually. Griffith is the town with the 11th largest population and 17th largest town by area in the State of Indiana.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schererville, Indiana</span> Town in Indiana, United States

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Erie Lackawanna Trail". TrailLink. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  2. ↑ Benman, Keith (November 11, 2015). "NWI bike trails win national route designation". The Times of Northwest Indiana . Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Erie Lackawanna Trail". IndianaTrails.org. The Greenways Foundation. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  4. ↑ Erler, Susan. "Crown Point officials get update on bike trail improvements, roundabout". The Times of Northwest Indiana . Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  5. ↑ Schwieterman, Joseph P. (2001). When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment . Kirksville, Mo.: Truman State University Press. pp.  77. ISBN   9780943549989.
  6. ↑ Brown, Cliston (July 21, 1996). "Merrillville hikes toward trail project". The Times of Northwest Indiana .
  7. ↑ Dolan, Bill (July 14, 2006). "Proposed trail offers something for many". The Times of Northwest Indiana . Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ Steele, Andrew (April 11, 2015). "Schererville: Engineering work to begin on Pennsy-Erie Lackawanna connection". The Times of Northwest Indiana . Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Spring/Summer 2015" (PDF). Merrillville Parks & Recreation. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 23, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Historical Park". Griffith Historical Society. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  11. ↑ Fashek, Allison (June 22, 2006). "Lake County to get unusual new park". The Times of Northwest Indiana . Retrieved November 23, 2015.
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