The Karst Farm Greenway in Monroe County, Indiana received the 2015 Outstanding Indiana Trail Project award from the Indiana Greenways Foundation at its annual meeting in Indianapolis. The three-mile long paved bicycle and pedestrian trail, in the rapidly developing west side of Monroe County, was dedicated in July 2015. The trail begins at Karst Farm Park and continues north to Vernal Pike where it connects to the YMCA. It's character ranges from a rural experience, meandering through and around rolling fields and woods, to a more urban network within the Gifford and Endwright Road right-of-ways but still separated from traffic. It provides walking or cycling as mode of choice for connectivity to multiple destinations, linking Karst Farm Park, the YMCA, Ivy Tech, the Indiana Center for Life Sciences, and both Highland Park and Grandview Schools. It is being embraced by not only the community but also by savvy developers and employers that recognize the vlaue it adds to their enterprises. Its reception and use has validated the quality of life-based economic development objectives of SKA's Monroe County Alternative Transportation and Greenways System Plan that proposed this facility and its future network extensions. The Karst Farm Trail's design and engineering was a collaborative effort by Storrow Kinsella Associates and Butler Fairman Seufert Civil Engineers.
"I am very impressed....no, blown away, with the attention to detail and innovative approaches taken in designing this trail. This could be an on-the- ground example of best design practices for trails for others to learn from. The route, connectors to schools, the Y, and other features, the way the RR crossing was handled the signage, and more, really impressed me... and although I am not a designer, I have seen a few trails in my day. So, I just wanted to say, job well done, and thanks!!!: Rory Robinson
Rory Robinson, Outdoor Recreation Planner
National Park Service
2179 Everett Road, Peninsula, OH 44264
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