Coal Line Trail bridge may open this year. For now, here are lots of fall hikes, jaunts.

The same question pops up for anyone who’s walked or biked the sloped extension of South Bend's Coal Line Trail between the St. Joseph River and the LaSalle Trail/Indiana 933:

When will the pedestrian bridge over the river be done?

After all, the concrete paving of the trail, plus its metal railings, wrapped up weeks ago — and in good time. Meanwhile, the mostly finished bridge and the plaza/shelter at Riverside Drive and Angela Boulevard have remained fenced off.

All that’s left to install is the bridge railing and lights, along with lighting in the plaza and crossing beacons and signs, city public works spokeswoman Cara Grabowski says.

Outdoor Adventures: Trails galore across St. Joe County, plus one in Benton Harbor: They grow to connect.

She says officials don’t have a firm timeline for when the bridge railing will be fabricated, delivered and installed. But they hope to have a “soft opening” by the end of this year.

The contract deadline for completing the project isn’t until May 2024. So, you might be able to use the trail and bridge in late fall or winter, while contractors finish their final punch list of details next year.

The Coal Line Trail is currently 1.5 miles, as half of it also extends from the river to Lincoln Way West. The city plans for it to be two miles eventually, with a future extension along College Street from Lincoln Way to the yet-to-be-finished Martin Luther King, Jr. Dream Center on Linden Avenue.

Splashes of fall color

We’re also watching for fall colors. I hear that yellows and reds are popping along the shores of Worster Lake at Potato Creek State Park in North Liberty. The shores of lakes and rivers often are among the first places to see color.

The purple asters, a wildflower, apparently are still blooming, too. I’d spied them during a late-September paddle along the lake’s north shore, just below the park road. They’re found elsewhere, too, including in the prairie. But many of the yellow sunflowers and goldenrod have turned to shades of brown with the recent cool temperatures.

The park will bustle with Halloween-related activities this weekend. Read details below. On Oct. 19, we expect groundbreaking ceremonies for the future inn at Potato Creek. Watch for my reporting on that.

Autumn walks

∎ Spicer Lake Lantern Walk: Explore a lantern-lined boardwalk at Spicer Lake Nature Preserve, 50840 County Line Road, New Carlisle, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 20. The $5 cost per person includes fall-themed food and drinks. Register by Oct. 18 at 574-654-3155 or bendixwoods@sjcparks.org.

∎ River cleanup: Join the Citizen's Climate Lobby to pick up litter near the St. Joseph River from 9 to 11 a.m. Oct. 21. Meet at the Pinhook Park community center building, 2801 Riverside Drive, South Bend. All supplies will be provided. Wear sturdy shoes and long pants.

∎ Bertrand leaves: County parks naturalist Lamanda Hilty will lead the Harbor Country Hikers on a 2.5-mile leaf-peeping hike for about two hours at 1 p.m. Oct. 21 through Madeline Bertrand Park, 3038 Adams Road in Niles.

∎ Lavender Adventurers: Sarett Nature Center, at 2300 N. Benton Center Road in Benton Harbor, will lead this first social hike Oct. 21 as a safe space for LGBTQ folks and their allies. Organized in partnership with Southwest Michigan OutCenter, it will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Cost is $5 for nonmembers. Register at 269-927-4832.

∎ Enchanted Forest: Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College hosts this annual chance for kids and families to join one-hour, guided hikes by lantern light to meet “live” animals on the trail from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 20-21. Costumed staff and volunteers will talk about life as a native Indiana animal and discuss their favorite foods, fears and habitats and answer questions. Registration isn’t required. Cost is $5 per person (cash only) and includes live music, a campfire, snacks and hot chocolate; ages 2 and younger are free. It will be at Merry Lea’s Farmstead site (goshen.edu/merrylea), 2152 S. County Road 425 W., Albion, Ind., which is 30 miles southeast of Goshen. For questions, call 260-799-5869.

∎ Invading the woods: Learn about invasive species found in Rum Village Park on a walk with local experts at 6 p.m. Oct. 24. Meet at the nature center, 2626 S. Gertrude St., South Bend, and join the St. Joseph/Marshall Invasive Plant Partnership - SMIPP, the St. Joseph County Soil & Water Conservation District and the park.

∎ Science Sunday: University of Notre Dame researchers team up with St. Patrick’s County Park to host this annual free, hands-on, kid-friendly event for all ages from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 29 at St. Pat’s ND-LEEF property, 50651 Laurel Road, South Bend. See experiments and critters up close and join tours of the park’s controlled ecosystems where researchers do their work.

∎ State forest open houses: The Indiana Department of Natural Resources will host open houses at state forests Oct. 24-26 where you can learn about recreation there, plus how foresters manage the sites. There will be a 5 p.m. hike at each open house. It’s a chance for staff to hear your feedback, too. Can’t be there? You can still offer feedback at https://in.accessgov.com/dnr/Forms/Page/forestry/forestry-comment/1. Most are in southern Indiana. In northern Indiana, Salamonie River and Frances Slocum State Forests will host their event from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 24 at the Salamonie River State Forest office off of Indiana 524, about 6 miles east of Wabash. Call 260-782-0430 for more information. For the full schedule, find a hyperlink here in this column online.

Paved trail time

∎ Night bike ride: If you've never tried night biking with a group, the folks at South Bend Bikes will make it safe and easy Oct. 28 as the group stays together on paved trails for about 15 miles. Gather at 6:45 p.m. at Howard Park in South Bend and depart at 7:15 p.m. It’s free and will include a food stop at Pinhook Park. Come with a bike that has lights. Helmets required.

∎ Explore the Erie Lackawanna: If you’ve never tried the Erie Lackawanna Trail in Crown Point, Ind., the Hoosier Hikers offers a chance Oct. 28. Join them for either a Volksmarch (walk) of six or 11 kilometers or a Volksbike for a 12- or 21-kilometer bike ride. Register and start for the walk anytime between 8 and 11 a.m. CDT and for the bike ride between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. CDT. Once registered, you can walk or bike at your own pace. The start/finish point will be in the parking area of the Summit Street trailhead at 229 W. Summit St. (behind the Walgreens) in Crown Point. From U.S. 30 just west of I-65, you can drive south on Indiana 55, turn right on Summit and immediately look for the parking lot. It’s free, but there’s a $3 charge if you want credit through Volksporting. Bring your own water. For questions, contact Bob Buzolich at sonofbuzz@prodigy.net.

Potato Creek holiday

Halloween activities ramp up this weekend at Potato Creek State Park in North Liberty, thanks largely to the park’s friends group. All of these meet at the Nature Center unless otherwise noted. All are free unless otherwise noted. For questions, call the park office at 574-656-8186.

∎ Spooky stories: Join The Acting Ensemble for family-friendly stories around a campfire at 7 p.m. Oct. 20.

∎ Halloween Happenings: Activities will go on all day long Oct. 21. Learn spooky animal defenses from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Carve and paint pumpkins from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Peppermint Hill Shelter; cost is $3. Meet snakes from 1 to 2 p.m. Join a costume contest for people and pets at the Peppermint Hill Shelter at 2:30 p.m. See or join the campground decorating contest from 3 to 5 p.m. Go trick-or-treating from 4 to 6 p.m. at the family campground. And join a haunted hike at the park’s historic Porter Rea Cemetery from 7 to 8 p.m.

∎ Spiders and owls: Learn about spiders at 11 a.m. Oct. 22 or make a Halloween bracelet or craft from 1 to 3 p.m. Then, at 7:30 p.m., follow a naturalist for an easy, one-mile “owl prowl” at the Quaking Aspen Shelter (no flashlights used except for red lights).

∎ Colors and leaf pounding: Meet a naturalist at 11 a.m. Oct. 23 at the Quaking Aspen Shelter for a one-mile stroll to look for spicebush berries, mushrooms, walnuts and other fall sights. Come back to the shelter at 2 p.m. to hammer leaf colors into a bandana you can take home for $3 (pay at the nature center by 1:30 p.m.).

Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Coal Line Trail bridge may open and see fall colors on autumn hikes