Thanks in part to a generous NextLevel Trails Grant, and the work of more than a few determined individuals, Pumpkinvine Nature Trail will finally connect to downtown Shipshewana by the end of 2021. On Thursday, March 4th, the grantees of the 2nd round of NextLevel Trails Grants were announced–nearly a near after the original announcement predictions, due to the COVID-19 …
650 feet of greenway to the west of County Road 35 in Middlebury is nearly complete, and the long-anticipated closure of the Trail’s final gap is on the horizon. However, Brittany Short, Friends of the Pumpkinvine Board President, says that getting to this point took longer than anticipated. Gas main discovery halts 2020 construction In October of 2020, Trail construction …
By John Yoder Elkhart resident Robert Carrico, a member of the Friends of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail board of directors, received the 2021 Outstanding Trail Advocate award from the Indiana Greenways Foundation at the organization’s virtual Annual Luncheon, April 29, 2021. The foundation gives this award each year to the trail advocate who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting trails …
by John Yoder, Brittany Short & Norm Kauffmann One of the final gaps in the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail has received funding for development. On Thursday, March 4th, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources’ NextLevel Trails program announced second round grant picks. This announcement comes nearly a near after the original decisions were due to be made; postponed due to the …
Photos of the newly installed signs on 2/19/2021; cement base covered in plastic to allow time to cure. If you’re driving along County Road 20 southwest of Middlebury, or are adventurous enough to be pedaling by, you may notice a new sign has appeared along the Trail. This Donor Recognition sign has been in the works for several years, …
Every time I ride the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail over the trestle bridge spanning the Little Elkhart River in Middlebury, I’m reminded of how bad the area south of the bridge looked before it was turned into the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail. I remember it as something like a dump, and I’m amazed to see how much better it looks today with …
In the autumn of 2019 Friends of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail purchased two parcels of land needed for the trail extension. They closed on this parcel early in 2020 and transferred ownership to the Town of Shipshewana. In late summer of 2020 Shipshewana received the final donation of land need to extend the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail from County Road 850 …
Many sections of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail are over 10 years old. Erosion threatens to undermine the asphalt at some locations where the trail was built on a raised railroad bed. On May 1st Elkhart County Parks used a front loader tractor to move 100 tons of #53 gravel to an eroded area near County Road 26 just east of …
Q: Is this section finished? A: No, it is rideable, but not finished. Additions will include privacy fencing near the overpass and at CR 33, a donor- recognition area, a second entrance-exit to County Road 20 and signage. Q: Why is there a curb along part of the trail just north of the overpass? A: The curb is designed to …
A note from Friends of the Pumpkinvine board member Vivian Schmucker, our most faithful walker and advocate, about her first walk on the new section of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail between CR 33 and CR 20 reminded me that this new section will be a welcome addition to the trail for walkers as much as it is for bikers. Even before …
The first is a three-foot passing law that says when a motorist is overtaking a bicycle proceeding in the same direction, the motorist must “allow at least three (3) feet of clearance between their vehicle and the bicycle and not return the vehicle to the vehicle’s original lane of travel until the vehicle is safely clear of the bicycle.”A vehicle …
In two day, June 15, 2019, a thousand riders will participate in the 20th Pumpkinvine Bike Ride. They will enjoy seeing the new colts in the fields, the beauty of the Indiana countryside and at some point in their ride, experience the shade and off-road safety of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail. As they ride the Pumpkinvine, what they may overlook, …
