Pollinator Playpath, a trail for kids, now open at Corson Riverwoods Park in Middlebury

MIDDLEBURY, Ind. -- After several years of planning and construction, the Corson Riverwoods County Park is now home to the newest trail in Elkhart County, one especially built for kids, that also teaches about nature and pollinators.   

Thomas Corson, founder of Coachmen, donated the 82 acres of land in late 2018 and assisted in some initial park planning before his passing in 2019. Corson wanted a space that would help foster a connection to the river, woods, and open natural spaces. A generous man in his lifetime, the donation of land was one of his last gifts to the Elkhart County community.  

Since breaking ground in 2019, and with the help of multiple grants and donations, the former agricultural field was transformed to include an accessible trail winding through new prairies and woodland habitats. The park opened to the public in 2023.

Today, the Parks department was proud to show off the newest addition to the park, the Pollinator Playpath.

With technological access increasing over the past several decades, Director of Elkhart County Parks, Ronda DeCaire, is afraid that children are losing connections to natural play places.  

“A lot of the trails that we have developed across the region are for adults for recreation, for health, and what I wanted was a trail for children. A trail (where) children could explore the outdoors safely,” DeCaire said. 

To help get children excited and moving outdoors, DeCaire decided to create the Pollinator Playpath.  It’s designed for today’s generation of children to play outdoors, and to learn about the natural location and the pollinators that bring it to life. It's also a great place for families to make new connections within the community. 

“I believe it’s a place for families to connect, so as they are out here, they are meeting each other, interacting with each other, walking the trails,” DeCaire said.

Download the Pollinator Plant Hunt Challenge for a fun, family activity.

The ‘Pathway for Play’ has four different play areas for children to learn about the pollinators that live at the park. The Playpath features a crawl through a beehive, accessible swings, and giant monarch butterfly and caterpillar statues.

In addition to all of the features, Logan Labno, an Eagle Scout with Troop 007, constructed a storybook trail to and from the beehive playpod, to complement the activity pods. It features 16 storybook stations that visitors can read, to learn more about the pollinators who live in the park. 

The Elkhart County Parks plan to have multiple public education programs and classes hosted at the pathway this coming year so community members can learn more about their natural surroundings and get excited about the opportunities offered.

For more information about the Elkhart County Parks visit the website or call the County Parks Administrative office at 574-535-6458.