Trail Mix: A Survey of the Monon's Best and Worst

Downtown Indy

The Good (10th St.): “You can see the skyline.”

The Bad (10th St. to 25th St.): “It’s a little boring.”

The Good (16th St.): “I get to be around civilization.”

The Bad (23rd St.): “That Thomas Skinner factory blasts its stench at the trail.”

The Good (Near 27th St.): “Wide-open fields. It’s tough for someone to catch you unaware.”

The Bad (Mid-20s to Fall Creek): “Tons of feral dogs. Super scary.”

38th Street

The Good (54th St.): “That market [Locally Grown Gardens] has great pie.”

The Bad (38th St. to 46th St.): “Barren and depressing.”

The Good (Broad Ripple’s White River): “The incredible breeze is almost as good as the view.”

The Bad (54th Street): “Everyone crosses the street without looking.”

Broad Ripple

The Good (Broad Ripple to 75th Street): “Populated and therefore safe.”

The Bad (Broad Ripple): “Lots of congestion, people who might not know how to use directionals.”

The Good (96th St.): “Restrooms, places to sit.”

The Bad (Nora): “It tends to get very crowded. Fun when I’m running, but makes it hard on a bike.”

The Good (96th St. to the Monon Center): “It’s wider, not as crowded, and has more nature.”

Carmel

The Good (Carmel): “You don’t have to stop every five feet.”

The Bad (Carmel Main St.): “Because everyone’s there.”

The Good (North of 146th St.): “Shade.”

The Bad (156th St. to 161st St.): “You feel like you’re out in the country.”

The Good (156th St. to Northern Trailhead): “It’s a little remote, on foot.”

The Bad (161st St.): “When you get past here, it’s just gravel.”

Westfield … and then we came to the end.

This article appeared in the June 2013 issue.