Mountain Biking
~ story and photos by Boris Ladwig
Mountain bikers Paul Tackett and Alyn Brown grinned as they steered their bikes around a slight left turn at the beginning of the Walnut Trail in Brown County State Park on a recent pleasant spring afternoon.
The cyclists had just taken a break at a lookout spot near the trailhead to admire the park’ s beauty. They debated whether to take the Walnut Trail, for advanced riders, or go all in and tackle the double black diamond-rated Schooner Trace, probably the park’ s most challenging trail, which has gained fame on YouTube.
They opted for the Walnut Trail in part because they had been delayed at the lookout point. Tackett had planned to be back home in Indianapolis at 5 p. m., and he already knew he was going to be late.
The mechanical engineer comes down to Brown County about two to three times per month, to enjoy the trails, the park, the camaraderie, and the exercise.
“ I think it’ s the best mountain biking in the Midwest by far,” he said.
He has ridden in lots of places, including Utah and North Carolina, and planned to head to Italy this fall. He said he even tells people in other states that they’ d be pleasantly surprised if they came to south-central Indiana.
Brown, an intellectual property attorney who lives in Brown County, goes a step further in his praise for the local park.
“ One of the best anywhere in the world,” he said.
Brown has ridden as far away as Spain and Costa Rica.
But he may be biased: Brown said he and his wife moved from Indianapolis to Brown
Paul Tackett rides along the Walnut Trail in the Brown County State Park.
County to be closer to the trails. And he serves as president of the local Team Nebo Ridge cycling club.
Brown and Tackett used to be neighbors. And Brown said he and his wife found themselves coming to Brown County two to three times per week, for the restaurants, pubs, music, art, and trails. About two years ago they simply decided to move down here.“ It’ s been fantastic,” Brown said. Tackett and Brown praised the variety offered by the local trails.“ There’ s really something for everybody,” Brown said. Eli Major, interpretive naturalist at the park, and an avid mountain biker, said the park offers nearly 40 miles of mountain biking trails, ranging from beginner to expert.
16 Our Brown County May / June 2023