On June 6, the Evansville Trails Coalition released its Regional Trails Master Plan, which outlines a goal for more connected trail systems throughout Evansville and the Southwestern Indiana region. One part involves the Northfolk Southern Line behind Wesselman Park, which would turn into a trail to connect the Boonville, Indiana, Greenway to Evansville and become part of the coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail.
The idea is to safely link neighborhoods, parks, schools, businesses, and nearby communities, such as Boonville, Mount Vernon, and Newburgh, Indiana, via walking, biking, and wheeling (wheelchair) routes. Indianapolis-based engineering firm Butler, Fairman & Seufert, which has an office in Evansville, helped craft the master plan alongside ETC and the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. Development also relied on public input as well as collaboration with regional leaders, community stakeholders, and trail advocates.
“This plan is very serious for us,” says Lorie Van Hook, executive director of ETC since 2017. She also emphasizes that “not one penny of the taxpayer dollars went toward this.”
“This plan will not be a plan that collects dust,” Schaefer adds. “From the beginning, we wanted this to be an action plan that was not just something to sit on the shelf.”
Next steps involve focusing on what it will take to implement the connections between trails, finding funding sources to complete projects, and launching a capital campaign in the next few months, Schaefer says. First, in order to qualify for grants, ETC will seek approval from other regional governments.
“We are extremely grateful to have a partnership with Lorie and the Evansville Trails Coalition to make sure that all over the city that we are connecting neighborhoods, providing spaces for outdoor recreation, leisure, and physical activity,” Mayor Stephanie Terry said during a press conference announcing the master plan, where she delivered a proclamation declaring June 6, 2025, as Evansville Trail Day.
“The development of various types of trails throughout our city will enhance the quality of life for our residents,” Department of Parks and Recreation Executive Director Danielle Crook adds.
ETC has long had a vision for a Trails Master Plan, but it got off the ground a year and a half ago. The plan focuses on five different places where trail connectivity can be improved. Those include the Northfolk Southern Line and Boonville Greenway connection, plus connections between Angel Mounds State Historic Site and Newburgh trails and a link between the University of Southern Indiana’s trails to the Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage. Improvements also are planned for the Lincoln Avenue Corridor to increase access to parks and schools, as well as the Downtown John Street Crossing to improve access and safety at the Lloyd Expressway.
“Evansville Trails Coalition wants to work with each of those regional partners in those areas to raise money and be a resource for planning and trail building,” says Schaefer, who served as deputy mayor to former mayor Lloyd Winnecke. “Funding a trail or quality of life project can sometimes be a challenge for a city or local government to solely fund by itself. Having an outside organization as a partner and a resource is a game changer.”
Van Hook notes that past plans have not always been followed through with action, but this plan will be different. “Our next goal is implementing funding so we can begin,” she says. “It’s simple, but it’s layered and complicated.”
