Mountain bikers will soon have six more miles of developed trails to explore thanks to a partnership between the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association and the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department.
The soon-to-be-completed trails will be for intermediate-level riders and run north and south of Enterprise South Nature Park. The trails should take roughly 14 weeks to complete, said Parks and Recreation Director Tom Lamb.
Since the park’s opening in 2010, it has steadily grown in popularity, said Lamb. This year, the park boasted more than 150,000 visitors, a number that is expected to increase with the new bike trails and the previously announced 10-mile horse trail.
“We are expecting the same [number of people] and more in future years, especially as we expand into these horse trails and more bike trails,” Lamb said. “We also expect a wider demographic in our users. As the park grows in popularity I think we’ll see more people there for social activities – your picnickers, your families.
“We want to keep with the theme of the park itself but still make it a destination, an additional resource for everything area already has to offer.”
Although 10 miles of horse trail is not considered a huge distance for riders, the concept is to become a stopping point for travelers with their animals and those looking for a short excursion, he said. The plan to expand all existing trail opportunities across the 1,300-acre park is being implemented slowly, but surely.
“You’ve just driven past Amazon, which is a mile of concrete, and Volkswagen, but when you get out here you are really in the element. You don’t feel like you’ve just driven past all of that, you’re completely immersed,” he said. “We want to preserve that and develop it in the right way.”
For more information or to give input on what you would like to see at Enterprise South Nature Park, call the park superintendent at 893-3500 or call the county parks office at 842-0177.
Email Gabrielle Chevalier at gchevalier@timesfreepress.com.