Monon South Trail Expands with New Segment in Salem

Monon South Ribbon Cutting Today – Courtesy Photo DNR

From left: Sam Kaluzny, MAC Construction; Nathan Frey, Clark Dietz; Jack Kaufman, Southern Indiana Trailways; Drew Wright, Southern Indiana Trailways; Jeff Quyle, Radius; Congresswoman Erin Houchin; Salem Mayor Justin Greene; DNR’s Dale Brier.

Staff report

SALEM, Ind. (May 30, 2025) — The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Radius Indiana today marked the opening of a new segment of the Monon South Trail in Salem, adding 3.3 miles to the growing regional trail system.

The newly completed section begins just south of downtown Salem and includes 2.8 miles of paved trail and 0.5 miles of crushed stone surface. It also features a restored L&N Railroad boxcar, preserved with help from more than 90 donors and the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s CreatINg Places grant program.

“The Monon South Trail is opening new sections at a rapid pace, with this new section in Salem opening just weeks after Borden’s trail section opened,” said Dale Brier, deputy director of community grants and trails for Indiana State Parks. “At DNR, we’re proud to financially support this trail’s construction, which will eventually be Indiana’s longest.”

With prior trail openings in Mitchell, Orleans, and Borden, the public now has access to over 12 miles of completed trail along the historic Monon Railroad corridor.

“We’re very pleased to be opening more sections of the trail in time for people to enjoy the warmer weather,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana. “We’ve been fortunate to have such a productive construction team that has really expedited timely construction.”

Backed by a $5.5 million purchase by the DNR, the 62.3-mile Monon South corridor was acquired on behalf of the city of New Albany and Radius Indiana. An additional $22.3 million in state grant funding is supporting the trail’s Phase 1 development, which is expected to exceed 20 miles of completed hard-surface trail by August.

The Monon South project is part of a broader push by the state to enhance outdoor recreation and trail connectivity. Since launching its historic $180 million trails initiative, the DNR has completed 43 of 89 funded projects and constructed more than 125 miles of trail. An additional 22 projects are currently under construction.

Once complete, the Monon South Trail will stretch from Mitchell to New Albany, becoming the longest continuous trail in Indiana.

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