Vandalia Trail II

Last weekend, we managed to dodge the thunderstorms and take a lengthy bike ride on the Vandalia trail.  We’ve posted about the Vandalia trail here, where we traced our usual route through Plainfield.  This time we took to the trail head in Amo and rode along the paved bike path through Coatesville into Putnam county until we got to Filmore.  The path transitions from paved to crushed gravel once you leave Hendrix country, but it is still an easy ride.

This section of the Vandalia trail includes a separate section for horseback riders.  This runs parallel to the biking/hiking portion of the trail and is clearly marked.  The Amo trail head has a few nice amenities: Bike tool station (including a pump), as well as a public restroom and water fountains.  Once you arrive in Coatesville, you will encounter another trail head with parking and restrooms.

During the mid-1800s, a railroad between Indianapolis and Terre Haute ran through Coatesville and by the early 1900s, the Vandalia Railroad Company was formed by the merger of several lines in Indiana and Illinois.  By the 70s, this became part of Conrail who abandoned the line in the early 80s.  Fast forward to 2016, the section of the Vandalia trail between Amo and Coatesville became a County Park owned by Hendricks County Parks and Recreation.

The trail itself runs to Greencastle and while we didn’t make it all the way there this time, we’ll be back.