[4] The trail begins in the city of Hammond then passes through the towns of Highland, Griffith, Schererville, and Merrillville before coming to an end in the county seat Crown Point.

[1] The original Erie-Lackawanna right-of-way was an important freight route through Lake County; although, with the decline of railroad traffic in the United States, the line was abandoned in 1986 by Conrail.

[5] After it was abandoned, plans were made by Hammond's Parks and Recreation Department to develop the former right-of-way into a trail system.

[6] The first portions of the Erie Lackawanna Trail were created in the mid-1990s, having been continually extended since then.

[8] Today, the trail is a shared use path, complete with trailheads, park amenities, and local attractions near it.