Trails connecting communities are not easy to come by in Hendricks County but, with the help of a $665,238 grant awarded by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), our department as a great leg-up on developing one of the premier trail resources in Indiana. The grant was awarded to our department in November to further develop the National Road Heritage Trail (NRHT) in Hendricks County.

The NRHT, conceived just six years ago, is considered one of the most important trails in the state. It is planned to extend 150-miles from Terre Haute to Anderson, directly through our county where it's called the Vandalia Trail in honor of the old Vandalia Rail corridor much of the trail follows. In Plainfield, the trail has been developed into a paved, multi-use, non-motorized recreation trail. An additional three miles of natural surface trail exists between Amo and Coatesville with a parallel trail for equestrian riders. For the past two years, we have worked in partnership with the Indiana Trails Fund improving and maintaining that portion.

The funds received from INDOT will be used to help acquire eight miles of easement property spanning from Amo through Clayton to Cartersburg Road. Once acquired and developed, the trail will provide a wonderful recreational resource for trail users and equestrian riders from Cartersburg Road to Coatesville and, someday, on to Greencastle and beyond. The Town of Plainfield has plans to extend their trail to meet with ours at Cartersburg Road which will provide great connectivity for trail users (although equestrian accommodations are not planned further east into Plainfield).

What a great development for our community! We consider ourselves very fortunate to help provide one of Indiana's premier recreation trails to our residents right here in Hendricks County. This trail will be a great pathway for hikers, bikers, and horse riders to travel between our communities in a safe and enjoyable way. It's our hope that in the not too distant future, travel from Plainfield to the Ohio or Illinois border will become a reality on this tremendous resource. Come out and enjoy the Vandalia Trail today!