Erie Lackawanna Trail

Erie Lackawanna Trail
The Erie Lackawanna Trailhead near downtown Crown Point was completed in 2014.
Established	1990s-present (in segments)
Length	17.7 miles (28.5 km)
Location	Lake County, Indiana
Designation	U.S. Bicycle Route 36
Trailheads	Hammond–Crown Point
Use	Shared use path
Hiking details
Season	Year round
Waymark
Surface	Asphalt
Right of way	Erie Lackawanna Railway Pennsylvania Railroad (partially)
Website	http://www.indianatrails.org

Erie Lackawanna Trail is a rail trail in located in Lake County, Indiana which runs along the former Erie Lackawanna Railway. The trail begins in the city of Hammond then passes through the towns of Highland, Griffith, Schererville, and Merillville before coming to an end in the county seat Crown Point. It covers a total of 17.7 miles (28.5 km).

The original Erie-Lackawanna right-of-way was an important freight route through Lake County; although, with the decline of railroad traffic in the United States, the line was abandoned in 1986 by Conrail. After it was abandoned, plans were made by Hammond's Parks and Recreation Department to develop the former right-of-way into a trail system. The first portions of the Erie Lakawanna Trail were created in the mid-1990s, having been continually extended since then.

While the trail currently only connects to the Monon Trail in downtown Hammond, the Erie Lackawanna is in the vicinity of the Oak Savannah Trail in Griffith, and the Pennsy Greenway in Schererville. Today, the trail is a shared use path, complete with trailheads, park amenities, and local attractions near it. It is currently the longest contiguous trail in Northwest Indiana.

Visitor attractions along the trail: