HMBA - Lafayette Trails

Trail conditions

2010-05-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

Mccormick Woods remains soggy, especially the SW corner, please wait until the sign at the trail head 'Trail Closed' to be removed by the trail steward, John Steward. John could also use help adding additional trail just past the culvert.

Ampitheater Trail, is wet in some spots, please wait until 24 hours past end of rainfall to allow the trail to dry. Trail work, additional trail, continues every Thursday 9 - noon at the LP tank trailhead.

McCormick Trail Map

2009-08-07T07:22:00.001-07:00

Trailbuilding day at Tippecanoe Amphitheater - Saturday June 27

2009-06-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to everyone who came out to help build trail today at the amphitheater. We had 4 teams of trailbuilders, and we accomplished lots of benching and concealment of exposed soil. We currently have about 1 mile of completed trail, but the work continues. Stay tuned for next month's trail session (on a Saturday near the end of July).
Thanks to Arni's for providing much-needed pizzas for lunch. We really appreciate the donation!

Above - front to back: Lobo supervises while Matt Hardebeck and Eric McNelley finish up a section of trail.

Below - front to back: Tyler, Jeff Nisen and Jeff Heasley rough out the trail tread.

Below - Our trailbuilding group for the day - left to right:
Jane Sellers, Cristyn Elder, Vicki Albitz, Tyler Johnson, Eric McNelley, Matt Hardebeck, Molly Gillam, Lobo, Jeff Heasley, Jeff Nisen, Tom Albitz, John Stewart

Not pictured but also helped:
Duane Sellers, Charlie Myer, Phyllis Myer

Trailbuilding day at Tippecanoe Amphitheater - Saturday June 27

2009-06-17T05:07:00.000-07:00

The Hoosier Mountain Biking Association of Lafayette will again be hosting a volunteer trailbuilding day on Saturday, June 27, 2009. The multi-use trail system will serve walkers, runners, mountain bikers, and other non-motorized trail users. Bring work gloves and bug repellent and meet us in the parking lot of the Tippecanoe Amphitheater at:

4449 State Road 43 North
Lafayette, IN 47906-5753

Time: 8:30AM - 12:00PM

Pizza and refreshments will be provided after the work session. Please email us for more info: lafayettetrails@gmail.com.

Amphitheater trailbuilding day - May 23, 2009

2009-05-28T08:46:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who showed up and volunteered to help us build trail at the soon-to-be-fabulous Tippecanoe Amphitheater multi-use trail system. We benched trail, removed honeysuckle, rerouted and cleared trail corridors, and ate pizza donated by Papa John's in West Lafayette (thanks, Regina).

Right: Charlie Myer, John Stewart, Delmer Hensley and Eric McNelley bench new trail.

Below: Tom Albitz and Jane Sellers clear the trail corridor.

Right: Phyllis Myer clears the trail corridor.

Below: Bob Haan gets medieval on a honeysuckle bush.

Photo right:
Top row: Tyler Johnson, Cristyn Elder, Bob Haan, Tom Albitz, Delmer Hensley, Mike McNelley, John Stewart
Bottom row: Charlie Myer, Lobo

Thanks also to Adriana and Remus, who left before we could get photos of them.

McCormick Woods Update

2009-03-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

March 21st trailwork session was a success with 13 people showing up.

The entire system was walked raking when necessary plus removing downed limbs and trimming back branches.

The narrow ravine on the outer loop in the back was replaced with a bench-cut trail and rerouting on the upper section.

Due to flooding the culvert installed in 08 required some reconstruction.

All in all the trail is in exceptional condition due to a dryer than normal spring.

A Warmer Riding Alternative

2009-01-15T05:37:00.000-08:00

Recently one of the forum member asked about good places to ride within 10 hours of Lafayette. Well this is a bit further but especially during cold winter in Indiana it provides a fairly warm and fun place to ride. Per Tom it's around a 16 hour drive from Lafayette and on the way if you're heading to Orlando.
Just South of Ocala Florida on Interstate 75 near Exit 341 is Santos Trail system. It's a project by OMBA (Ocala Mountain Bike Association) to create trails in the abandoned Florida Barge Canal area. Trails consist of mountain biking, hiking and horse trails with biking and horses separated from each other. The terrain is very diverse with elevation changes of 20+ feet as the trail sig zags across the Florida landscape. Almost all of the trail is in the woods and even crosses Interstate 75 on a bridge that is bordered with vegetation with the only evidence of the Interstate being the noise.
We rode there two days this week. The first day was at the East trailhead on the heavier used trails where the complete array of levels is available. Easy loop trails around the more difficult and double black diamond trails in the center. The center also includes a challenge park with up to 20' drops off a cliff onto a ramp of dirt. Uh, we didn't even think about anything like that. A double black trail around the challenge park was riddled with rocks, ladder bridges and difficult trail with quick up/downs combined with tight turns and more. It easily will challenge the majority of riders. Needless to say we did not clear several areas! Our mileage for this area was around 13 miles and we did not cover all of the trails.
The second day we headed to the West trailhead and rode cross country trails for nearly 20 miles. These too were in wooded areas with lots of variation in the trail. It did provide some challenges with quick ups/downs combined with twisty trail.
We did ride to the center of the "Land Bridge" which is the connector over Interstate 75 (see pic). The two areas we rode do connect West of the Land Bridge but the connector trail is not as diverse.

Tom riding the Land Bridge directly over the Northbound lane of Interstate 75! This one of the few wide trails of the system!

Charlie riding some of the cross country trails from the West Trailhead

Riding the Bunny Trail at Santos East Trailhead

Expert trail around challenge park!

Challenge park features!

Links to sites pertaining to Santos:

OMBA web site:
IMBA's site for epic trails:
Florida Barge Canal History:

Email lafayettetrails@gmail.com for a tour of Santos by Tom Albitz!

Whats Happening With Lafayette Trails

2008-09-06T05:35:00.000-07:00

In this message;
1. September road trip to Westwood near New Castle
2. Purdue collegiate mountain bike race in october
3. October road trip to Imagination Glen in Portage Indiana
4. Three More Dirt Days at Brent Mullen's South of Dayton
5. Report on August road trip to Kickapoo
6. Amphitheater update
7. McCormick update
September 20th - Road trip to Westwood trail near New Castle The trail is around a manmade lake and is slightly more technical than Town Run but considerably less than Kickapoo. There is no bailout point so be prepared for ten miles of fun. Bring a lunch and take a break between laps. We'll depart at 8:00 AM sharp from Wall*Mart on the SW side of town. If you are interested in car pooling be there at 7:45 and make those arrangements with others attending.

October 11th - Purdue Cycling Club sponsors a collegiate race at McCormick Woods More of a spectator event unless you're a Purdue student. This is the second time the Purdue Cycling Club has sponsored the event at McCormick Woods. This year with the inner loop complete the woods course will be 1.6 miles longer making the overall course with the field nearly five miles. Last year the event had over 100 participants racing through the woods making it an interesting day to watch the racers negotiate the tight corners in the woods while trying to pass their opponent.

October 18th - Road trip to Imagination Glen in Portage Indiana This is a two hour drive also but is well worth the trip.
We'll depart at 8:00 AM sharp from the Tippecanoe Amphitheater on the North side of West Lafayette. Take SR43 North for five miles and enter the park on the right. If you are interested in car pooling be there at 7:45 and make those arrangements with others attending.

More Dirt Days @ Dayton, IN
Off-road cycling fun for riders of all skill levels!
Sat. Sept 6 2 p.m.--7 p.m.
Sat. Sept 20 2 p.m.--7 p.m.
Sat. Oct 11 2 p.m.—6 p.m.
Come ramble 'round the trails and get your tires dirty. Our trails offer a variety of fun and challenges as you wind your way through our unique terrain. We update and add to our trails regularly, no two rides will be the same! Try our mountain bike race track--bumps & turns & jumps & berms & hills & thrills & hopefully no spills! Ride "The Monster", our 8' tall over & under bridge \ tunnel 4555 Dayton Road, Lafayette, IN 38E into Dayton, turn R at Dayton Road (Liquor store on left), go 1.6
miles South. Look for sign at drive on left. Helmets required Riders must sign a waiver--parent must sign for riders < age 18.
No pets please For questions or to obtain a waiver prior to ride day:
Brent and Linda Mullen 296-3542 or bmullen47...@yahoo.com

Report on Kickapoo road trip:
Around ten riders participated in the August 10th ride in Illinois! The trip to Kickapoo is just over an hours drive from Lafayette. The ride got started around 2:30 with the faster ones heading out in the lead. There were probably ten cars in the lot which is fairly typical for weekends. The trail was dry (except for the creek crossing) and in general showed evidence of some recent recent reroutes around troubled areas. In my opinion and some of the others we felt that the
conditions seemed a little harsh in that there had been some erosion in several areas and more root exposure was noticed. This trail is more technical than Westwood and definitely more than Town Run. We found that some of the less technical riders found it pretty challenging and most of the group did not clear a few of the steep and eroded hills and crossings. After the completion of the first lap we enjoyed snacks and visiting then headed out for a second lap. The trip was a great time to meet new riders and talk the talk of trails, bikes and fun! In the end I'd suggest that if you really enjoy Town Run and want to
make the next step up in difficulty it might be best to try Westwood or the Northern loops at Brown County State Park. Definitely do not rule out Kickapoo but just be aware that it is challenging!

What's happening at the Amphitheater
There is approximately 0.6 mile of trail on the upper level that is rideable at this time. To find the trail enter the park and follow the main road back toward the amphitheater structure. When the road turns to the left, park and walk back across the main road past the cabled driveway and head over to the woods on the right. Around 75' along the woods you'll find an entrance into the woods which is the trail. Follow this along the field back to the river overlook then East along the bluff. The trail then turns toward the amphitheater along the bluff then exits near the amphitheater. Layout work is continuing down the hill and below the stage of the amphitheater.

McCormick Woods
The trail is getting more use this summer and has picked up even more now that the students have returned. The center trail at the entrance has been rerouted to avoid water pockets and mud. The initial work should alleviate some of the problems of spring however there will need to be some armoring of a couple spots, filling in other areas. We have requested permission to install directional sign-age and a new sign at the trailhead. We have also proposed to the property managers that a new trailhead with parking be considered. These are bigger items than we've delt with in the past and merit careful
consideration. We'll keep the forum updated as to the progress.

Local HMBA Gets Access To Amphitheater Park

2008-07-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

The Tippecanoe County Parks board of directors has approved the local chapter of Hoosier Mountain Bike Association (HMBA) to develop multi-use trails at the Amphitheater Park on SR 43 North. A Memorandum Of Agreement has yet to be completed however once this is in place the plan is to build three to four miles of single track trail at the park
for walking, running and mountain biking.
The trail system will be constructed using volunteer labor and will use US Forest Service and International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) approved techniques for construction of sustainable single track trails. You can help in this effort and be a part of team who is promoting more recreational opportunities in our area. Being a member
of this forum you will be receiving information regarding trail building sessions, organized rides to other areas and general updates as to where we are on trails.

We look forward to your support in this effort!

Results Of Saturday's Work Session At McCormick Woods

2008-06-21T18:02:00.000-07:00

Six volunteers showed up to get the trail back in order for riding. The storm last Sunday left several trees blocking the trail plus loads of small derailler busting sticks on the trail. The three trees were removed using a chainsaw and the forth being so big required rerouting the trail to get around it. Using weed eaters we were able to remove the nettles and poison oak which was creeping into the trail plus large pruners were used to remove encroaching branches. The sticks and limbs were removed and some raking took place. All in all we had a successful day and the trail is now fully open and very rideable.

Pictured above: Jason Pruitt, Vicki Albitz, Charlie Myer, Phyllis Myer, Tyler Johnson, Tom Albitz.

If you haven't visited the parks this year we encourage you to check it out. In the one year that HMBA members have been working on the trail we have nearly doubled the trail and significantly improved the condition of most of the original trails.

Suggested route for riding McCormick's 3.6 miles of trail:

Enter the park from Cherry Lane and turn right onto the outer loop.
Follow this along the West side of the woods crossing a small bridge then on to the Southwest side.
From the there the trail meanders around and ends up at the center bridge 0.76 miles
Take the trail to the right and make a right turn at the Y, 0.9 miles.
This trail takes you around the Southeast section of the woods through twisty trail and along the ravine.
The trail comes back to the main trail near the big tree, 1.25 miles
Make a right turn and follow the trail down the narrow ravine then back up and along the East section of the woods , later the trail drops back into the creek valley then follows along the North side of the woods back to the entrance. 1.9 miles total.

The inner loop (more technical) begins from the entrance but this time goes to the left. A short distance down the trail make a right at the Y.
This trail takes you across a deep ravine via a bridge then on into the center passing over two small bridges / ravines. Several log crossing, some more technical than others will take you to an armored crossing of the ravine then on into the North center section. Again there are several log crossings as the trail meanders ending up at the center bridge, 1.5 miles. From here take a right to head back to the park entrance. 1.6 miles total.

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Tippecanoe County Amphitheater Park

2008-05-30T05:11:00.001-07:00

Negotiations have been taking place over the past few weeks to gain access to build trails at Tippecanoe County Amphitheater Park. As of yet, we're still on hold with the county and access to Tippecanoe County Amphitheater property.
The Parks Board met Wednesday (June 3) however all of the subcommittee members had not walked the proposed trail area. The last two subcommittee members will walk the area next week. Parks director Allen Nail is optimistic about the proposal and encouraged us to attend the next meeting in early July.
Tyler, Tom and Charlie have walked the site several times and feel that 2.5 to 4 miles of nice trail can be built at the park. Several overlooks on the Wabash River and Burnett Creek as well as sloping hillsides make this a desirable place to build multi-use trails for walking, running and biking.

Becoming an Outdoorswoman Workshop

2008-05-30T05:10:00.001-07:00

On May 4th, 2008, HMBA-Lafayette members Tyler Johnson and Charlie Myer along with Cristyn Elder presented a mountain-biking workshop for Indiana's Department of Natural Resources "Becoming an Outdoors-Woman" workshop series. The three facilitated the MTB workshop for about 11 beginner women mountain bikers. We stressed proper bike size and fit, safety, and fun. We may have converted a few of them.

Trail Improvements at McCormick Woods

2008-05-30T05:07:00.000-07:00

May 31, 2008 - The work session at McCormick Woods last week was a success! Several problem areas were corrected as well as minor clearing of the trails. It was fun to meet some new people who showed up to support the effort. In all we had seven people who worked for three hours then ended up at Preston's for a cold drink and lunch. Watch for news on the next session coming up soon.

View of improvement to armored ravine crossing (left).

Jane and Cris mercilessly shred nettles along the trail (right).

Trail workers unite - from left to right: Cris Elder, Jane Sellers, Heather Moore, Charlie Myer, Tom Albitz, Duane Sellers.