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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    12

    good MTB trails in Indiana (or surrounding area)?

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    Hi everyone,
    I got married last week , and our wedding gift to ourselves was new (our first) mountain bikes. I got a Specialized Myka, he got a Giant Talon 29er w/Disc breaks. We're having lots of fun, and we are now on the prowl for more trails within a 2-3 hr drive of Lafayette, IN. I've been a roadie for years, but am totally new to off-road. Any suggestions?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Dayton, OH
    Posts
    68
    Congratulations! I'm not a mountain biker, but here is the info I found for Dayton, Ohio. Might be a bit further than your range, but keep it for future reference.

    http://www.metroparks.org/Parks/Huffman/MoMBA.aspx

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Central Indiana
    Posts
    6,034
    Brown County State Park has an extensive trail network that is considered to be one of the best in the Midwest. That's where I'd start. Check out the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association's website for more options.

    Congrats by the way!!!
    Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.

    --Mary Anne Radmacher

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    10,889
    Quote Originally Posted by trbl_mkr View Post
    Hi everyone,
    I got married last week , and our wedding gift to ourselves was new (our first) mountain bikes. I got a Specialized Myka, he got a Giant Talon 29er w/Disc breaks. We're having lots of fun, and we are now on the prowl for more trails within a 2-3 hr drive of Lafayette, IN. I've been a roadie for years, but am totally new to off-road. Any suggestions?
    Brown County State Park!!!!

    It might be a little longer drive, but it has some of the sweetest single-track in the country. There are close to 30 miles of single-track and there are several beginner trails, intermediate, advanced and very advanced.

    I live in Indianapolis and while there are trails in town, I choose to drive to Brown County State Park most of the time - it only takes me about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get there.

    Indianapolis has a brand new beginners trail at Fort Harrison State Park - the beginners loop is very easy, easier than the beginners trails at BCSP. I really think it is better for someone who has never been on a mountain bike trail before - shifting really isn't required, totally flat, just some twisty-bendy stuff through trees and a couple of very, very low bridges.

    Whatever you decide to do, have fun!

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    10,889
    I didn't see Indy's reply before mine, I suspect we were typing at the same time and then I got distracted before posting it.

    http://www.hmba.org/ is the website for the Hoosiers Mountain Bike Association, it is state-wide and they do an awesome amount of work. You can find information on the various trails through the forum.

    BTW, if we didn't mention it, head to Brown County State Park

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Posts
    12
    Thanks for all the suggestions! I think we will hit Brown County in a few weeks!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    East-Central Indiana
    Posts
    322
    Westwood Park near New Castle, Indiana -- http://www.bbrcd.org/index.html.
    "If we know where we want to go, then even a stony road is bearable." ~~ Horst Koehler

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Central Indiana
    Posts
    6,034
    Quote Originally Posted by trbl_mkr View Post
    Thanks for all the suggestions! I think we will hit Brown County in a few weeks!
    You'll love it down there!

    Before heading out to any of the MTB trails in Indiana, be sure to check trail conditions on the HMBA website first. You might save yourself a trip. On the HMBA homepage, you'll see trails marked as red (trails are unrideable), yellow (rideable with some caveats) or green (go ride). There are also ongoing discussions in the HMBA forums as to more specific trail conditions for the more popular trails. These are offered by local riders based on their own personal observations. They also report things like downed trees so that HMBA volunteers can tend to the trails as needed. If you ever spot a problem, that's where to report it.

    Even if a trail is noted as green or yellow, you should always exercise some independent discretion. For instance, at Brown County, some trails get wetter than others after a rain. The beginner trail called Pine Loop is more soupy than most other trails, so after a rain, it's the trail you really need to be most patient with. Of course, the trails are so dry right now that rain hasn't been a problem...but it likely will be as we move into fall.

    Since it sounds like you're both new riders, you might benefit from a local clinic offered in Brown County every June. It's primarily a women's clinic, but they do have a men's session on Saturday. Several of us here have taken the clinic, and it's a good place to start for a new rider.
    Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is.

    --Mary Anne Radmacher

 

 

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