HOT NEWS
- Thank you for all of those who came out to support the trail cleanup.
The Indiana Michigan River Valley Trail will be a 29-mile multi-use trail following the St. Joseph River connecting Niles to Lake Michigan at Benton Harbor/St. Joseph. To the south, the trail connects to over 20 miles of trail to South Bend, Mishawaka and beyond.
The current project is to construct 9 miles from Niles to Berrien Springs. There is also an effort to construct a pedestrian bridge over Lake Chapin at Berrien Springs (the cost of this bridge is not included in the project snapshot.)
8 Miles
0% Complete
$15 Million
$2.9 Million
Niles City, Niles Township, Berrien Township, Berrien Springs Village
The Indiana- Michigan River Valley Trail will ultimately connect Niles to Lake Michigan at Benton Harbor/St. Joseph. This trail also connects to over 20 miles of trail in Indiana with links to South Bend and Mishawaka.
You could soon walk, bike or roll safely between Niles and Berrien Springs, if the vision for an 8-mile extension of the Indiana-Michigan River Valley (IMRV) Trail becomes a reality. Stakeholders are working to extend the trail to Berrien Springs by utilizing as much of the old interurban rail line as possible. The trail extension project complements an effort to build a non-motorized bridge across Lake Chapin using the old interurban bridge piers, connecting the extended trail to downtown Berrien Springs. The ultimate vision is for this trail to reach Lake Michigan at Benton Harbor/St. Joseph.
The trail extension to Berrien Springs — with the newly upgraded Range Line Park as a trailhead — would mean bringing the IMRV Trail’s health and economic benefits to more citizens and businesses of Berrien County. It would provide residents with a safe place to exercise, spend time with family, commute to work, reach businesses, and enjoy the outdoors, in addition to attracting tourism.
The Indiana Michigan River Valley Trail (IMRV) Trail currently connects Michiana communities with 24 miles of multi-use trail, running from the Mishawaka Riverwalk to an endpoint around Plym Park and the YMCA in Niles.
The environmental clearance for a one-mile section of trail north of Plym Park to Pucker Street was granted in January 2026. Engineering is underway and construction is expected to begin late 2026/early 2027.
Route planning is currently taking place north of Pucker Street to Walton Road with design engineering to begin in later 2026/early 2027.
The proposed 1,300-foot pedestrian bridge over Lake Chapin is in development. Preliminary assessments have been completed on the piers and Berrien Township is working with Indiana Michigan Power – American Electric Power to obtain the old interurban piers.
Further there is significant progress connecting Niles to Buchanan with the extension of the McCoy Creek Trail along Walton Road to a trailhead at Winn Road.
The United Way through its collaborative Be Healthy Berrien has secured $912, 000 US Housing and Urban Development funding through a community project advanced by Representative Walberg’s office. This funding is to support the engineering and construction of a 1-mile stretch of trail from Plym Park to Pucker Street along an abandoned rail corridor owned by the City of Niles.
The City of Niles has secured $2 million in funding from HUD to advance the trail from Pucker Street to Walton Road along M-139 and to replace a shelter along the trail in downtown Niles.
The IMRV Trail stakeholders will continue to seek state and federal grants to bring these exciting projects to fruition. Donations are also welcome. Your support for this important work helps enrich people and communities throughout Berrien County.
There are two ways to give – through the Friends of Berrien County Trails or visit the Michigan Gateway Community Foundation website and designate a campaign of your choice in the drop down menu – either IN-MI Trail or Lake Chapin Interurban Bridge.
