Attention mountain bikers, a new 1.6-mile long mountain bike trail opened at Brown County State Park last week.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association held a celebratory ribbon cutting on Oct. 8 to mark the opening of Limekiln East, the newly completed beginner-level mountain bike trail in the park.
Funding for the project included a Next Level Trails grant to HMBA, which provided the required match, according to a press release from DNR.
Limekiln East is the second of three mountain bike trails to be completed in the state park as part of a $200,000 NLT grant to HMBA to develop 7.5 miles of new mountain bike trail.
The first trail was the Weed Patch Trail, a 2.4-mile intermediate-level trail, which opened in November 2019. The three new NLT-funded trails will connect with existing trails as well as other park amenities, including the campground, park office, Nature Center and Hesitation Point.
The three new trails will bring the total mileage of mountain bike trails within the state park to 43.5.
The Limekiln East trail is also part of the state park’s Limekiln network. The park’s existing Limekiln West Trail connects the campground to the Hoosier’s Nest, fire tower and park office. Limeklin East connects to the West, creating a 3.7-mile beginner directional loop for the park’s daytime visitors.
Next Level Trails is a part of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Next Level Connections initiative and funds the development of regional and local trails throughout Indiana.
The Brown County State Park NLT project was awarded in May 2019 as part of the first round of NLT funding. Holcomb announced the second round of awards this March, bringing the total of NLT funds awarded so far to $54.3 million for 35 projects that will develop more than 112 miles of trail in the state.
Holcomb announced an additional $60 million of funding for NLT in April, bringing the total for the trail grant program to $150 million.
Mountain bike trails in Brown County State Park are multi-use. They are open to hiking and trail running as well as bicycling. Riders should obtain a $5 daily or $20 annual off-road cycling pass before using park mountain bike trails. Passes can be purchased at gates, the park office or at ShopINStateParks.com.
“Brown County State Park is premier destination for mountain biking in the Midwest and the new Limekiln East Trail only cements that reputation,” DNR Director Dan Bortner said.
“Thanks to Next Level Trails and HMBA, trail users of all abilities will have an additional opportunity to experience the park.”
