ALLEN COUNTY, Ind. (WOWO) – An extension of the Pufferbelly Trail opened Monday near the Allen-DeKalb county line.

The Journal-Gazette reports that the asphalt trail, which is more than four miles long, was built by Allen County with help from a $3.2 million Next Level Trails grant. The county received the award in May 2019 as part of a first-round Next Level Trails grant.

The new trail extends the existing Pufferbelly Trail north from the Life Bridge Church Trailhead at Union Chapel Road to Fitch Road near the line that separates Allen and DeKalb counties.

The trail is another step toward the long-awaited completion of the Poka-Bache Trail, which is intended to be more than 80 miles long and connect Pokagon State Park in Angola and Oubache State Park in Bluffton.