[Review] Salomon Farm Park

The trails at Salomon Farm Park, which travel around both the farm grounds and the Parkview YMCA, are a good option for an easy run and are perfect for jogging strollers and a family outing.  The full trail is only 1.68 miles and (to my knowledge) does not yet fully connect into the larger network of city and county trails, so it won't do for runs longer than 3-4 miles without getting repetitive.   The trail is full of rolling hills that can make for a challenging short workout or tempo run.  The trails can get crowded in the summer evenings and bikers tend to whip around some of the blind corners.  I couldn't recommend the farm trails for a serious long run until the Pufferbelly Trail is more complete.

Cost (5/5)

It's free whether you enter at the farm or through the YMCA.

Facilities (4/5)

There are two restroom facilities at Salomon Farms, and I believe you can get access to the YMCA restrooms in the front lobby without membership.  I'll update that if it's not accurate.

Distance (3.3/10)

• Short Runs (around 3-4 miles) - 6/10
• Medium Runs (around 4-10 miles) 3/10
• Long Runs (10+ miles) 1/10

I've started to score each route on how enjoyable I might find runs of different distances.  Unfortunately, Salomon Farm Park is just not a long trail at only 1.68 miles.  Just a short run of 3-4 miles means you'll have to do 2-3 laps, meaning that you might get bored running here even with all the great farm scenery.

Surface (4.5/10)

It's 100% paved.  The grass is short enough (most of the time) that you could run alongside the path.  As paved paths go, it's very nice.  Wide and smooth all the way around.

Terrain (6/10)

You get some decent variance in terrain here.  It's mostly rolling hills, but there are also a couple of flat sections, and a couple of sustained (albeit low-grade) inclines that last maybe 200 meters.  None of the individual hills are big enough for a workout of hill repeats, but you'll be in for a challenge if you decide on a tempo run or fartlek workout.  It's very similar to the meadow stretches at Metea Park.

Scenery (3.5/5)

I'm a little torn on this.  On one hand, Salomon gives you some really great views of the Salomon farm barns and farmhouse along with rolling farmland complete with a natural meadow and pond that seems so far away from suburbia.  On the other hand, you pass by plenty of bland beige corporate offices and townhouses, along with the Parkview YMCA complex.  Additionally, a good chunk of the trail is only a few yards away from a really busy section of Dupont Road.  

The good:  This lovely old barn.

The good: This lovely old farmhouse

More of the good: Farm stuff

The good and bad: A lovely lake view spoiled by a giant corporate building

The bad:  beige office buildings

More good:  A lovely meadow.

Cover (2/5)

There isn't much cover from the sun here at all.  There are portions that are completely open to the wind, and there are portions that are well-stocked with trees to block the wind during summertime.

Traffic (5.5/10)

This place gets really crowded at peak hours.  I think it's great that so many people and families are putting the Fort Wayne trails to use.  The problem isn't that the trail is crowded with pretty harmless runners, walkers, and kids on slow-moving bikes.  The problem is that the trail often gets crowded with grown adults zipping around in both directions on bikes.  Why they've chosen to ride lap after lap (after lap) on such a short trail is beyond me, but they also come tearing around corners with reckless abandon.  What's worse is that there is more than one place (maybe 3-4) with blind corners due to tree coverage.

Also, the trail takes you across the (always busy) entrance to the Parkview YMCA and also the entrance to Salomon Farms off of Dupont.

A blind corner.  Surprise! Here comes a biker.

This road crossing at the YMCA entrance is always busy

Markers (3/3)

The trails are marked well in both directions, with a sign post every 14 mile.  There are also signs reminding bikers to behave.

Family (5/5)

There is plenty of family programming at Salomon Farms.  We like to go Wednesday nights as a family to the Farmers' Market and then hit the trail and the playground after visiting the chicken coop and the sheep, goats and donkeys.  There's also plenty for the family to do at the YMCA.  The paved trails are great for jogging strollers.

Connections (1/3)

The trail connects to some sidewalks leading out of the Parkview YMCA, and I can see that there's a trail leading South, but I haven't tried them myself.  I'll give it a go and update this review if I find a reason to upgrade the score.  I believe that this trail will eventually connect to the Pufferbelly Trail that will connect to the larger Fort Wayne Trails network and the greenway.

Safety (5/5)

There's nothing to worry about with safety here except for the bike traffic, especially on blind corners.  But from a personal safety standpoint, there are usually plenty of people around and there are not completely secluded areas where something bad might happen.

Extras (5/5) 

As mentioned, there are all kinds of extra programming at Salomon Farms, at the YMCA, and the playground.  The playground isn't the best in the area (for that, I'd try the nearby Parkview North Campus family playground).

Salomon Farm Park Run Review Score:

66% Okay for a short recovery run, jogging strollers, or a tempo/fartlek.  Not for anything longer than 3-4 miles.

Notable Strava Segments: