Map of bike paths / walking paths in the Hammond & Gary area

Recreational trails for walking, running and cycling around Hammond & Gary, Indiana

Hammond is located in the northwest corner of the State of Indiana and to the east of Chicago, Illinois. Nearby communities include: Gary, Whiting, Munster, Crown Point, Highland, East Chicago, Ross, Hobart and Griffith. This section of Indiana has several regional recreational trails for bike riding, walking and running.

Erie Trail & Erie Lackawanna Trail

The Erie Trail and the  Erie Lackawanna Trail create a 16-mile long paved pathway that extends from Sibley Street near Hohman Avenue in Hammond to W. Summit Street on the north side of Crown Point. The trail follows the diagonal route of an abandoned railroad right-of-way and crosses through the older residential areas of Hammond along a wide greenbelt. 

The north end of the Erie Trail is located at Sibley Street, just east of Hohman Avenue. A few blocks to the south, at Douglas Street, the Erie Trail intersects the Monon Trail - Hammond/Munster. South of Interstate 94, the trail takes a couple of loops and meets up with the Little Calumet River Trail and the Wicker Memorial Park Trail. The Wicker Memorial Park Trail has a branch that leads to Grand Boulevard for a connection to the Erie Lackawanna Trail.

The noth end of the Erie Lackawanna Trail is located at a point 0.6 miles north of Laporte Street and to the west of Kennedy Street, near Optimist Park and Homestead Park. South of Laporte Street, the trail takes a diagonal route to the southeast going through Griffith.

South of Griffith, the Erie Lackawanna Trail travels cross country away from the roadways, going past suburban residential neighborhoods and farmland. It passes the community of New Elliot and ends on the north side of Crown Point.

Read more about the Erie Trail & Erie Lackawanna Trail

Monon Trail - Hammond/Munster

The Monon Trail Hammond/Munster is a 3.6-mile long paved pathway that extends from Douglas Street, just east of Hoffman Avenue, in Hammond to Fisher Street on the south side of Munster. The trail was constructed along an abandoned railroad right-of-way and runs in a north-south direction at 1/3 of a mile east of the state line. 

The north end of the Monon Trail Hammond/Munster connects with the Erie Lackawanna Trail. The Monon Trail goes past Harrison Park, Henry W. Eggers School, under Interstate 94 and near to James B. Eads Elementary School.

The south end of the Monon Trail - Hammond/Munster is located at Fisher Street, just east of Manor Avenue in Munster. At this point the trail intersects the Pennsy Greenway Trail that heads northwest into Illinois and the Pennsy Greenway Connector Trail that heads to the east. This location is a few blocks west of Munster High School.

Little Calumet River Levee Trail

The Little Calumet River Levee Trail consists of 7-miles of mostly paved pathways along the Little Calumet River Levee in Hammond. There are several separate sections of the trail and the trail takes a number of bends along its route. The trail system extends is located just south of Interstate 94 from Calumet Avenue to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. There are a number of gaps in the trail where trail users will need to travel along streets to get to the next section.

The trail goes past a number of local parks, including: Riverside Park, Wicker Memorial Park, Optimist Park, Carlson Oxbow Park, Homestead Park and South Gleason Park. Other trails that intersect the Little Calumet River Levee Trail include: Erie Lackawanna Trail, Wicker Memorial Park Trail and the trail around South Gleason Park Golf Course.

Oak Savannah Trail

The Oak Savannah Trail is a 8.8-mile long paved pathway that extends from Oak Ridge Prairie County Park in Griffith to E. 5th Street and S. Indiana Street in Hobart. The trail was constructed along an abandoned railroad right-of-way and travels in an east-west direction.

The Oak Savannah Trail goes past the following parks and other points of interest: Oak Ridge Prairie County Park, Robinson Park and Lake George. 

The west end of the Oak Savannah Trail is located at the parking area for Oak Ridge Prairie County Park on S. Colfax Street in Griffith. In Hobart, there is a large parking area for the trail off of Lake Street, south of E. 7th Street. The east end of the trail is located at Indiana Street and E. 5th Street in Hobart. Trail users can use the local streets in Hobart to connect to the Prairie Duneland Trail that extends over 10-miles from Hobart to Broadway in Chesterton.

Pennsy Greenway Trail

The Pennsy Greenway Trail is a 4-mile long paved pathway that extends from Calumet Avenue and 45th Street in to Main Street in Munster. The trail was constructed along an abandoned railroad right-of-way and takes a diagonal route.

The northwest end of the Pennsy Trail is at Calumet Avenue on the north end of Centennial Park. The trail heads down the east edge of the park and past the Centennial Park Golf Course and Briar Creek Park. and connects to trails within the parks.

The southeast end of the Pennsy Greenway Trail is located on Main Street in Munster, to the east of Fox Run.

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Resources

Following are links to official off-site resources to find out more details about the recreational trails located in Hammond in Northwest Indiana