Contact the desk

A route card is only as good as the sources behind it. If a segment you know no longer matches what a card says, the desk wants the details: which segment, what changed, and when you saw it. Point to a public source where one exists, such as a trail agency closure notice, a parks department page or a posted sign you can photograph.

Send corrections, closure notes and corridor memories through the route pages themselves, using the correction note that each route card links to. That keeps the note tied to the segment it concerns.

What we want to hear about

• A card that no longer matches the ground: a surface re-laid, a lot closed, a crossing re-signed. Give the segment, the date you saw it, and a public source if one is posted.
• Closures and maintenance you notice between passes. Public closure notices and agency pages are the useful anchors; a phone photo of a sign helps confirm wording.
• Corridor memories: towpath photographs, rail bridge stories, anything about what ran through southwest Fort Wayne before the paths did. Old maps and newspaper archives are good citation partners for these notes.

How a note becomes a card change

Route cards carry a field date and a source list. A correction is compared against the dated public record first, and where the record supports the change, the card is revised and the source list updated. Reader notes that change a card are credited when the reader agrees.

Questions to ask before acting on any trail claim

• What is the date on this route card, and does the closure notice or agency page carry a newer date?
• Which agency or landowner manages the segment, and does that body publish its own trail status page?
• Is the parking or access point on public land, and does the managing body list it by name?
• If a surface or crossing changed, is there a construction notice or public meeting record that documents it?
• What source does the claim cite, and is that source current?

Corrections checklist

• Name the segment and the direction you traveled.
• Give the date of your visit.
• Link the public source: closure notice, agency page, posted sign or archive item.
• Note what the card currently says and what the ground shows.
• Say whether you want your note credited, and how.

For background on how the guides are put together and sourced, see the about page. For route preparation and provider comparison pages, start from the routes index.