The City of Kendallville will be among communities receiving Next Level Trails grants when $29.6 million is distributed to complete 70 miles of new trails in Indiana. The announcement came in early March 2021 from Governor Eric Holcomb and Indiana Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Bortner. The grants mark the second found of funding from the state program.

Kendallville will receive $428,784 to construct what will be called the Grand Army of the Republic Trail, made up of two sections totaling just under one mile of paved walking and biking surface in the community.

The west section of the new trail will connect Friendly Village on the city’s north side from where the Fishing Line Trail ends, east to an existing trail near the Detering Nature Preserve. The east section will run from existing paths on Allen Chapel Road to Walmart along U.S. 6.

These local projects will help close the last gap in a regional trail system and provide added safety and enjoyment for pedestrians and bicyclists. The result will be an 11-mile trail connecting the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site on the south side of Sylvan Lake in Rome City all the way to and through Kendallville, providing access to Walmart, the Kendallville Outdoor Recreation Complex, and Bixler Lake Park.

Noble Trails Inc., stewards of the Fishing Line Trail, have also discussed extending trails from Kendallville to Avilla some day. Officials in Albion have also envisioned one day putting trails in to connect the town to Chain O’ Lakes State Park to the south and Augusta Hills Learning, Recreation and Community Center to the west.

Noble County currently has about 40 miles of trails to enjoy, including more than 23 inside Chain O’Lakes State Park south of Albion, Strawberry Valley Cultural Trail in Ligonier, park trails in Avilla, and wooded trails at Hidden Diamonds Park in Albion. Find more information at Visit Noble County.

(Excerpts of this blog are from an article by Steve Garbacz, shared with permission from KPC Media Group.)