TOWPATH TRAIL
The Towpath Trail is a five-and-a-half-mile long trail in Fort Wayne connecting the Aboite Trails in the southwest portion of the city with the city center, specifically Rockhill Park, where it connects with the Rivergreenway. The Wabash and Erie Canal was built through Indiana to allow freight produced in Indiana to be taken via canal packet boat up to the Great Lakes or down to the Ohio River and provide a route for goods to move from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. The Towpath Trail follows this canal, and for a distance is located on top of the side towpath where the pack animals moved the boats along the canal. The Towpath Trail connects with the Aboite Trails near Lutheran Hospital to a trail network spanning more than 80 miles in Fort Wayne and New Haven.
LOCATION
County: Allen
City: Fort Wayne
Mileage: 5.5
Southwest Endpoint - General: Lutheran Hospital
Northeast Endpoint - Specific: Rockhill Park
Notable Trailhead: Rockhill Park, Lutheran Hospital, Towpath Trailhead Parking on Glendale Road, west of Smith Rd.
Near to US highways: Interstate 69, US Highway 24, US Highway 27
TRAIL FEATURES
Type of Trail: Shared Use Path/Trail
Surface: paved
Uses allowed: cycling, walking, hiking, jogging
Which uses NOT allowed: motorized vehicles, equestrians
Attractive Features: Rockhill Park, scenic path along Junk Ditch, Canterbury High School Athletic Fields, Eagle Marsh Nature Preserve, Lutheran Health Trails,
Lutheran Hospital, Connections to Aboite Trails and Rivergreenway Trails
AGENCY INFORMATION
Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation Department
705 E. State Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805
(260) 427-6000
More Information
The Towpath Trail is short for the Erie & Wabash Canal Towpath Trail. This trail is an important link in the trail network of Fort Wayne as it connects the large communal trail network of the Aboite Trails with the trails in the city center, and those of the Pufferbelly and Poka-Bache Connector Trail that will one day connect the Pokagon and Oubache State Parks.
Fort Wayne Trails who provided the map above, is the not-for-profit pro-trails advocacy group in Allen County that promotes trail development for the county. Fort Wayne Parks & Recreation owns and maintains the trails within city limits. New Haven / Adams Township Parks & Recreation owns and maintains trails in their area. Otherwise, the Allen County Highway Department owns and maintains trails outside of Fort Wayne and New Haven.
To report a problem on the trail text (260) 267-6716.