Brown County State Park is only 20 miles from Columbus…Columbus, Indiana that is.  The trail currently consists of two loops with connecting trails; total mileage is about 26 miles.  Additional trails are planned as the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association has a $150,000 per year grant to build trails.  Additional trails in the area, such as Valley Branch Retreat, Gnaw Bone Camp, and Nebo Ridge, provide almost 100 miles of singletrack in the area.  This review is for Brown County State Park trails only.

The trail starts at the North Gate House trailhead.  This trail is a nice 1 mile warm up, with a mild uphill followed by a slight downhill that flows so well its best done in the big ring. At the end of this connecting trail, you’ll reach the North Tower Loop.  This 3.5 mile loop can be ridden either direction; we got mixed results on which way is best.  Clockwise, the longer direction, starts by riding up another half mile followed by some fast flowing singletrack with nice switchbacks.  The amount of effort put into building these trails is evident with the amount of bench cutting on the trails.  It keeps the trails in great shape when it rains and allows you to keep your momentum.  Even the switchbacks are banked to allow you to hold some speed.  The trail continues down the hill to the bottom where there are a handful of creek crossings.  The creek crossings are all reinforced with large flat rocks to control erosion.

The North Tower Loop connects with the Aynes Loop, which is slightly more difficult due to some technical features, such as rocks, logs, and a bridge.  Nothing too difficult though.  Continuing this trail clockwise is mostly mild to moderate climbing (all of which can be done in the middle ring) for the first part of the loop followed by some sweet flowing downhill trails from there.

Midway through the Aynes Loop is the Hesitation Point Connector Trail, which is a series of long switchback trails laced with rock gardens, logs and a few tight switchbacks.  A nice improvement over the old trail that was straight up the hill!!

Note that riding the North Tower and Aynes Loops counterclockwise is shorter and very fast and lets you get to the good stuff at Hesitation Point in less time.

The new out-and-back trail from Hesitation Point to the campground is now complete.  The beginning of this trail is considered intermediate level and has some of the funnest sections of trail in BCSP.  Banked turns, rock walls, jumps and sweeping turns – all while carrying lots of speed.  There are also a couple high banked switchbacks and slower technical sections.  The folks at Hoosier Mountain Bike Association (HMBA) have put a lot of time, money and effort into these trails and it shows.

This trail leads directly into the final segment of trail that leads to the campground.  It is a fairly easy section of trail that wanders peacefully through the woods.  Good stuff.  There is also a cool boardwalk made of split logs – much nicer than your typical boardwalk made of 1x6’s.

The trail ends at the campground.  Returning back to Hesitation Point is done by riding the same trail backwards.  Darn, now you get to ride the same cool trail again.  And thankfully, it is still fun even though you’re riding the opposite direction now!

Returning to the Aynes Loop requires another decision – clockwise or counterclockwise?  Continuing clockwise around the Aynes and North Tower Loops trail is mostly nice flowing switchbacks all the way back to the North Gate House Parking Lot Connector, which is mostly downhill.  You can really fly down this trail but you have to be aware of other riders coming up the trail.  Riding the Aynes Loop counterclockwise requires a lot of mild climbing but you are rewarded by riding some sweet sections at the end of Aynes and the North Tower Loop.

Overall, the trail is very similar to Lake Hope with respect to speed and flow.  It’s well worth the trip.

Wheatgerm

Directions:
From Cincinnati:
Take Interstate 74 W to Exit 134A, Route 3 South towards Greensburg. Route 3 becomes Route 46W. Continue on 46W through Columbus. The park entrance is on the left. Address: 1405 State Road 46W, Nashville, IN 47448

There is a swimming pool near the parking lot; cost is $2 per person.  Also, it costs $7 per car for non-Indiana residents to enter the park so it is wise to car pool.
Brown County Website