Improved State Parks/Reservoirs trails ready for fall

With cooler temperatures, fewer mosquitoes and the crunch of colorful autumn leaves underfoot, autumn is a great time to enjoy the 600 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails at the states' 33 state parks and reservoirs.

This fall could be the best yet with several improved hiking features available, including:

⢠The Adena Trace Trail at Brookville Lake, one of only a few long-distance hiking trails at a state property. The 30-mile trail combines several shorter trails to circle the lake and offers scenic views of hillsides, forests and the lake.

⢠At Brown County State Park, a 2.75-mile extension of Trail 9 connects Taylor Ridge Campground to Trail 7 at Ogle Lake. This new section, built primarily by The Hoosier Hikers Council, allows hikers to combine trails for long distance hikes. A half-mile section of Trail 6 was re-routed to eliminate steep, eroding slopes and provide access to scenic areas.

⢠Prophetstown State Park added a 1.8-mile, moderate trail through prairie and wetland. The trail follows one of the earthen terraces in the park and features an overlook deck, which allows views of the Wabash River floodplain.

⢠Indiana Dunes State Park is constructing an 800-foot boardwalk with a picnic deck and several overlook points through the award-winning Dunes Creek daylight project area. This boardwalk, funded with DNR ADA funds, will improve accessibility from the campground to the state park beach. The boardwalk is usable now and should be completed in early November.

⢠McCormick's Creek State Park's old wooden overlook for the McCormicks' Creek Falls has been replaced with a composite wooden structure. The project includes steps and water bars from the falls parking lot to reduce erosion, and an accessible trail to the falls from the Canyon Inn parking lot.

⢠O'Bannon Woods State Park staff members have cleared underbrush and overgrowth along approximately half of the 20-mile long Adventure Hiking Trail, and have added new directional posts that make this long-distance backpacking trail easier to follow. A new trail has also been added that connects the modern campground with the Nature Center and historic haypress.

Indiana State Parks and Reservoirs have more than 40 miles of mountain bike trails, including the following, which were added this year.

⢠Brown County State Park volunteers from the Hoosier Mountain Biking Association built a 2.3-mile beginner mountain bike trail from the family campground to near the fire tower. Two miles of intermediate trail were added to the existing trail system, bringing the total mountain bike miles in the park to 15.

⢠Potato Creek State Park, in partnership with the Northern Indiana Mountain Bike Association (NIMBA), opened a new trail this summer. This 6.6-mile multi-use trail offers both mountain bikers and hikers great riding and walking in this popular northern Indiana park. It contains single-track sections, switchbacks, and technical obstacles that even experienced mountain bikers may find challenging.

⢠The Bloodroot Trail at Salamonie Lake provides 13 miles of hiking or mountain biking. Users can purchase a patch for $2.99 after completing the trail, which begins at the Interpretive Center in Lost Bridge West State Recreation Area. The staff is developing a backpacking campground for this trail that will officially open in 2008.

For more information, please see www.dnr.IN.gov/parklake and www.dnr.IN.gov/healthy.