Greencastle / Putnam County

This local trail system has been developed by the not-for-profit People Pathways (now known as Putnam Parks & Pathways as a partnership with Visit Putnam County and Friends of the Park of Putnam County) and by the city of Greencastle.  A Putnam County Parks Board was created reporting to the Putnam County Board of Commissioners who are in the process of becoming owner of the trails, but still managed by Putnam Parks & Pathways.

Open Trail

People Pathways developed 8.1 miles of mostly packed stone Vandalia Trail along the NRHT corridor from the east side of Greencastle through the town of Fillmore to Hendricks County.  The first 3 miles was opened in 1998.  The trail follows the former Pennsy/Vandalia rail corridor and is part of the 13-mile Amo to Greencastle Vandalia Trail & Campus Link Trail.  The city of Greencastle has opened 1.2 miles of paved Campus Link Trail along Veteran's Memorial Highway, serving as the NRHT route across the east half of the city.  People Pathways has also opened the 0.8-mile Phase 1 of the Putnam Nature Trail going south from Greencastle and the 2.6-mile Phase 2 going southwest from Limedale.  In 2023, Putnam Parks & Pathways opened the 3-mile rustic Hamrick Station Trail going southwest from the trailhead on Manhattan Road, currently to a dead end before and with no access to Reelsville.

Future Plans

The city of Greencastle was awarded an Indiana Next Level Trails grant to extend the Campus Link Trail southwest across the western half of the city to connect to the Putnam Nature Trail and to DePauw University and expects to begin construction in 2024.  Putnam Parks & Pathways is also working with NRHT, Inc on strategies for further extension west towards Clay County in the area of the Historic National Road corridor. 

Downtown Greencastle
Putnam County Mural
DePauw University
The Depauw University Nature Park
Big Walnut Creek
Robe Ann Park
DNR Deer Creek Fish & Wildlife Area