Saturday, June 6, is time to hit the trail.
That day is National Trails Day, and Indiana is celebrating with activities throughout the state, including trail workdays and clean-ups, hikes and rides, and other events.
For a complete list of Trails Day events, see nationaltrailsday.org/events <http://www.nationaltrailsday.org/events> .
Headlining Trail Day events will be the grand opening of several multi-use trails at Southwestway Park in Indianapolis on June 6, with additional activities there on June 7, too.
The new Southwestway trails will be open to mountain bikers, horse riders and hikers. The trails were built by Hoosier Mountain Bike Association volunteers and Spectrum Trail Design. The city owns the park and the trails were built with funding from a Recreational Trail Program grant administered by the Indiana DNR Division of Outdoor Recreation and a grant from outdoor gear retailer REI.
The Southwestway event, hosted by HMBA and REI, includes a trail workday, lunch, trail dedication, demonstrations and group rides. A ribbon cutting will take place at 2 p.m. on June 6. A schedule of weekend activities and online registration is at hmba.org <http://www.hmba.org/wp/> .
The DNR also will host Trails Day events at several agency properties, including Brookville and Patoka lakes, Turkey Run, McCormick’s Creek, Falls of the Ohio and Harmonie state parks, Lieber State Recreation Area and Morgan-Monroe State Forest.
Indiana offers more than 3,500 miles of public trails that provide opportunities for wellness, transportation and recreation. These trails are made possible through federal, state and local governments, not-for-profits, volunteers and trail advocates.
