New mountain bike trail opens in WL

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Mountain bikers looking for a trail close to home have a new option in West Lafayette.

A new 4 mile out-and-back trail is now open within the Tippecanoe County Amphitheater Park.

Tom Albitz of the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association said a small group of volunteers spent about 600 hours building the trail.

He said the trail, which runs near the Wabash River and Burnett's Creek, was designed for novice riders and is also ideal for runners and walkers.

"We're trying to encourage new mountain bikers to come in and try out riding in the woods and find out how adventuresome and fun it can be," said Albitz.

"It's been a lot of fun. They did a really really nice job. The people I ran into on the trail were all very polite and seemed to be very excited about being out in nature," said West Lafayette Resident Les Yocum.

"It's great. The surface is good. The worst of it is the leaves that will eventually go away. It's nice. You get a little bit of a workout with it and it's easy to follow," said Lafayette resident Bill Wright.

Albitz says there are plans to expand the trail next year making it a true loop.