We’ve been having some truly beautiful and cooler weather so we’ve explored a couple rail trails. We like these kind of trails when it’s muddy or we just don’t feel like tromping in the woods. The nice part about the two we explored, the Pumpkinvine Trail and the Pufferbelly Trail, is they are fairly wooded on both sides. That makes you feel like you are still enjoying nature unlike typical walks on sidewalks in the neighborhood. The only downside of these trails is sharing them with bicyclists, although we find that most are friendly and courteous when they pass us.
Pumpkinvine Trail
The first trail we explored was the Pumpkinvine Trail. We have previously explored this trail and you can read all about it HERE, but on this day we accessed it from a different spot. We traveled to Middlebury, Indiana and found a parking area on CR 43. There was plenty of parking, a restroom, and a picnic table making this a nice spot to start a hike.
Once we started on the trail we immediately felt like we were in the woods. The trail is wooded on both sides with occasional peeks at farms. At one point we found an interesting face carving on a tree. We are always finding interesting things on our hikes.
As we continued we came across a bench and then the trail opened to a field on one side. In the spring and early summer I imagine it is filled with wildflowers. A little further we saw a Winnebago manufacturing facility. Although not especially scenic it was interesting to see all the Winnebagos. A little further we crossed a bridge over a small creek. The trail continued and became wooded again before heading out of the woods, passing Dairy Queen, and heading toward Middlebury. Sunny was disappointed we didn’t stop for ice cream, but it wasn’t even 10A. Instead we headed back to the car. We logged nearly 4M on our walk and enjoyed our rail trail adventure.
Pufferbelly Trail
A few days later we ventured to the Payton County Park to hike on the Pufferbelly Trail. We have previously explored this trail and you can read all about it HERE and HERE. On this day, however, we decided to access the trail from the Payton County Park.
The Payton County Park is a lovely park with ample parking, a port-o-potty, playground equipment, and a picnic pavilion. There are also some trails in the woods. Although we did not explore the trails in the woods, we did enjoy walking on the Payton Park loop to the Pufferbelly Trail.
Once we started walking on the loop and the trail we felt like we were in the woods. After a short distance we could see some homes in the distance, but then it became more densely wooded before leading between two housing developments. In this area there were fences at the back of many homes and several had dogs who peeked their noses under the fence and barked at us. I’m sure they just wanted to join us on the trail. Once we passed the homes and crossed a busy street, the trail became more wooded and even had a bridge over a creek. This continued for awhile until we came across an interesting bench which we learned was a memorial to a young man who lost his life in 2017. At this point we had walked for 2M and decided it was time to turn around and head back to the car. This was another fun rail trail adventure and we plan to return to check out the trails in the woods and walk in the other direction on the Pufferbelly Trail.
Sunny’s Perspective
Normally I like dirt trails better than sidewalks or asphalt trails, but the Pufferbelly and Pumpkinvine trails are really cool. It’s like walking in the woods on sidewalks. The smells on the sides of both trails were really good. The Pufferbelly trail even had chipmunks and squirrels. Too bad I couldn’t chase them into the woods. There were quite a few bikes on the Pufferbelly Trails which is not my favorite part since I also couldn’t chase them. All in all these were fun excursions, but I’m ready to get back on the dirt trails in the woods.
Our Rating
Sunny and I give both of these trails 3 out of 4 paws up. Although these are a nice change of pace from the woods and perfect for muddy days, we really do prefer being on dirt trails. We’ve been on the Pufferbelly Trail several times and the Payton County Park is our favorite place to access the trail. Both of these trails have great parking and are great for those with mobility issues.
How Do I Get There?
The address for the Pumpkinvine Trail parking lot is Middlebury CR 43 and the address for the Payton County Park is 13928 Dunton Rd, Fort Wayne.