Mountain Bike Trail to be dedicated at state park
Ceremony set for Saturday at Versailles State Park
Cindy DiFazio - Staff Writer

In 2003, the International Mountain Biking Association’s (IMBA) annual report card ranked Indiana lowest in mountain bike trail building and use. Since 2004 the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association (HMBA) have been working together to change that. According to the HMBA website, “with active trail building at Versailles State Park, Brown County State Park, O’Bannon Woods State Park, and Rangeline Nature Preserve more miles of new mountain bike trails will be built in 2006 than the previous 5 years combined.”

This Saturday, April 22, at 10:00 a.m. the Indiana DNR and the HMBA invite the public to the Versailles State Park Mountain Bike Trail dedication ceremony. Indiana DNR Director, Kyle Hupfer will be in attendance. Refreshments will be served, and a large tent will be available in case of inclement weather. A group bike ride will start after the dedication. The ceremony will be held at the swimming pool parking lot area.

Guy Schwering, named HMBA’s “2005 Trailbuilder of the Year” for his work at the Versailles State Park, reported that more than 1,000 volunteer work hours have been donated in the last year-and-a half -mostly by local people, but also by folks from Louisville, Indianapolis and Cincinnati. “We’ve probably had over 100 people out there,” he stated.

Schwering, trained by HMBA in designing sustainable trails, says he “got a rough idea of what to do and made a map.” The trails follow the natural contours of the land. They are non-erosive, low-maintenance and very eco-friendly. Right now there are ten miles of trails. Eventually, 26 miles are planned.

Schwering coordinated volunteer labor in planning and constructing these trails. There have been several “trail days” sponsored by Indiana bike businesses. Weber’s Sports in Aurora, Indiana Cycle Specialists of Indianapolis, Fizz’s Bike Shop in Madison and The Bicycle Shop in Shelbyville have all pitched in to make these trails a reality. Rick Ries and the Big Ring Adventure Team in Madison, and the Cincinnati Off Road Association (CORA) have also been involved.

According to Schwering, local Boy Scout, Benjamin Montgomery, along with dad Tony Montgomery, put in countless hours. Benjamin dug out and expertly replaced a culvert that was causing drainage problems. That project helped him earn his Eagle Scout badge. “He was out here with me a lot,” explained Schwering. He also said that Versailles State Park property manager, Ted Tapp, has been very supportive throughout the project.

The beginner loop, named the “Turtle” is one mile long. The terrain is described as easy and great for families. There are lots of Cedar trees. It is made up partly of fire roads.

“Creekside” is 1.4 one-way scenic miles of medium difficulty following Laughery Creek. It is very scenic with a big hill towards the end overlooking a small creek. It is quite rocky.
The “Center Loop” is 1.5 miles long. It runs through thick woods and hillsides overlooking a creek with small waterfalls.

Finally, the “Grand View” loop is three miles long. It runs along ravine edges. There are great views of Laughery Creek from the high cliff-top trail. It is partially fire road. This is a very fast mountain bike trail and a good day hike destination for fit hikers. As a matter of fact, Schwering stressed, “These trails aren’t just for bikers. They’re great for hiking!”
In September of this year the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) will host a trail-building school at Versailles State Park. There will be classroom training for a half-day and then participants will actually build trails for the other half-day. “It gets everybody fired up. It’s a community thing,” Schwering enthused.

So, what are the plans for the future? An additional five miles of trails are to be built in the northeast park sector. These will be more open and include fast loops. Also, a bridge is going to be built across Laughery Creek, providing access to another large tract of park property. This will allow for another possible 15-20 miles of trail in the northwest section. Highlights will be a loop that will skirt the Versailles Lake, and some trails that will have overlooks of the creek and lake from 300' cliffs.

For more information, call the Versailles State Park at (812) 689-6424 and visit these websites:
* hmba.org - Hoosier Mountain Bike Association
* imba.com - International Mountain Biking Association
* bigringadventureteam.com - local website for Rick Ries
* coratrails.org - Cincinnati Off Road Association (they build hiking and biking trails).
The HMBA site in particular offers detailed information about trails in the Hoosier State.
There is no doubt that all the idea people, sponsors and volunteer laborers who have shared their time and talents have not been identified and thanked in this article. Hopefully, they, and you, will all attend the dedication ceremony on Saturday. Happy trails!

SUBMITTED PHOTO

The new mountain bike trails at the Versailles State Park will provide riding enjoymnent for those interested in biking the trails. They cann also be used by people who just want to hike. The dedication ceremony will be held this Saturday.