New trail will connect Indiana to cross-country route

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) - The first mile of a trail that will connect Indiana to the cross-country Great American Rail-Trail has been dedicated in Northwest Indiana.

When completed, the Veterans Memorial Trail in Lake County will link the town of Hebron to the city of Crown Point. It was funded in part with a state-based Next Level Trails grant.

The trail will connect a series of memorials honoring the sacrifices of veterans.

The Washington-based Rails-to-Trails Conservancy says the Veterans Memorial Trail segment and the recently completed Pennsy Greenway Extension in nearby Schererville are the first new trail miles to be added to the Great American Rail-Trail in Indiana since the project was announced in May 2019. These two trail segments bring the total miles of existing trail along the Great American Rail-Trail in Indiana to 221.