10-22-2026 Two Fall Bike Rides Through Indianapolis with Friends

atravelerslog

Oct 22

3 min read

It was another beautiful fall day, so after getting some work done, we went on an afternoon 16.4-mile loop bike ride in Indianapolis with our friends Mark and Mike. When Mike had to leave we returned to Mark's house, had dinner, then went on a 9.4-mile loop bike ride with Mark and his wife, Annette. We closed out the evening playing board games.

Ride facts

Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026

Route: An afternoon Indianapolis loop via the Monon Trail, downtown, Fountain Square, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail and Fall Creek Trail; an evening loop via the Nickel Plate and Monon trails toward Broad Ripple.

Distance: 16.4 miles in the afternoon and 9.4 miles in the evening. The combined GPS track measures approximately 26.23 miles.

Time: Combined GPS recording, 1:43 pm–7:15 pm EDT, including the break between rides; this is not moving time.

Trail notes: A mix of separated trails, low-traffic streets and some bumpy old cobblestone streets, as described in our photo captions.

Company: Mark and Mike in the afternoon; Mark and Annette for the evening loop.

Food / after-ride: Dinner at Mark’s house between rides, followed by board games after the evening ride.

What was the old abandoned building beside the Monon?

The building beside the Monon Trail at 22nd Street is part of the former National Motor Vehicle Company factory complex. National began making early electric vehicles in 1900 and later built gasoline-powered cars. A National driven by Joe Dawson won the 1912 Indianapolis 500. After National closed in 1924, the Weymann American Body Company took over the factory in 1926, making lightweight bodies used by luxury-car manufacturers including Duesenberg, Cord, Packard and Stutz. Weymann closed in 1934, and the complex later served a variety of industrial uses.

Sources: https://historicindianapolis.com/national-motor-vehicle-company-building/ https://historicindianapolis.com/recycling-the-national-motor-vehicle-company-site/ https://indyencyclopedia.org/national/

Photo log

On the Monon Trail headed towards downtown.

An interesting, old, abandoned building along the trail - not sure what it used to be.

An interesting, old, abandoned building along the trail - we weren't sure what it used to be, but AI helped us determine it was part of the old National Motor Vehicle Company.

Several areas in downtown Indy still have the old cobblestone streets. They're very cool, but a little bumpier than we like for our bike rides.

Another cobblestone street with a very cool-looking historic restaurant. It's called Sanitary Diner, which is rather amusing. One would hope any diner is sanitary.

Some parts of our ride were on low-traffic streets.

The Fountain Square neighborhood of Indy. Indeed, there are fountains at this main intersection, but it's not exactly a square.

Here we are on the Cultural Trail going through Fountain Square.

Crossing over the interstates that once divided Fountain Square and parts west from downtown. Thankfully, the Cultural Trail made this area easily accessible again.

We took a break at one of our favorite parks. It sits on a tiny bit of otherwise useless property overlooking I-65 and I-70 as they pass through downtown Indy. The park is technically named "The Idle", but since a warning sign at the entrance details how the park could be dangerous because is not monitored or maintained by the city, we lovingly call it "Danger Park". Another thing we like about this park is that they used seats salvaged from the old Hoosier Dome stadium before it was torn down.

This is the wooded path leading to the stadium seating at "Danger Park".

Headed downtown on the Cultural Trail.

Riding around the fountain at Obelisk Square in downtown Indy.

Our last break spot on the Fall Creek Trail, headed back to our friend's house.

Fall Creek Trail

Starting our second bike ride with friends Mark and Annette. This is on the Nickel Plate Trail near the Indiana State Fairgrounds and Indiana School for the Deaf.