About the Trailhead

The Aboite Trailhead is an independent trail journal covering the shared-use path network of southwest Fort Wayne, Indiana: the Aboite corridors, the old towpath, the 2025 segments and the junctions that tie them to the city's river greenway. We publish route cards, network news and corridor history for readers planning their own time on the paths.

What a route card carries

Every card is built around three things: where a route can start, what surface and crossings appear along it, and which public maps, plans and agency documents the card was written from. Each card lists its source documents with dates, so a reader can compare what the card describes with what the owning agency currently publishes. When a segment changes, the sources change too, and the card is updated to match.

How to read the cards

Trail conditions, closures, surface repairs and seasonal issues are set by the parks department, the city and other corridor owners, and those agencies publish the current status. Before a ride or walk, compare the card against the latest agency notice and the weather. Questions worth asking the managing agency include: is this segment open today; has the surface changed since the last published map; are there detours at the creek crossings; and where does the maintained section end. A card that no longer matches the published maps is one we want to correct, and readers can send the specific segment, the date and a link to the source through the contact route.

The corridors under the paths

The Aboite Trailhead editorial history section traces the modern Towpath along the historic Wabash and Erie Canal route. Canal construction spanned 1832 to 1853, with portions operating at Fort Wayne by 1835. Comparing historic documents with current maps gives readers useful context.