New map details county bike and walking trails

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Bicycling has become increasingly popular in Putnam County, which offers many safe and scenic places to ride.

From the many iron and covered bridges to nature preserves and parks, Putnam County offers something for every type of biker.

Just recently, the Putnam County Convention and Visitors Bureau and People Pathways published a bike and walking routes map of Putnam County.

"We've always had biking maps, and when People Pathways came up with a walking map, we decided to combine them," said Carla Lawless, director of the Putnam County Visitor and Convention Center.

"We get a lot of people in the office asking for bike maps. There have been just so many, and when you get that many people asking for the maps it's an added benefit to have them available," she added.

Inside are eight trails with information about mileage, scenery and cut-throughs. These routes are all color-coded with major routes represented by solid lines. Single color, dashed lines represent cut-throughs.

There are even suggested alternatives on the routes represented by one-color dotted lines. Connecting trails are also shown on the map.

"They are very detailed and offer a lot of options to bikers and walkers," said Lawless.

The bike routes include a Roachdale Loop, the longest route at just under 44 miles. This is almost entirely flat.

The Eastern Loop is about 20 miles and includes the Fillmore area.

The Mt. Meridian Look runs about nine miles and includes some hills.

Crossing Deer Creek on an original concrete bridge, the Deer Creek Loop is about 17 miles and follows an old section of the original Old National Road.

Running about 17 miles, the Putnamville Loop borders the DePauw University Nature Park. It includes a spur to the Oakalla Covered Bridge.

The Dick Huffman Bridge Loop runs about 36 miles with plenty of hills. It crosses Putnam County's longest covered bridge. There is also a historic concrete bridge on the east side of this route between Pleasant Gardens and Reelsville. It includes a cut-through to the Houck Covered Bridge and the Boone Hutcheson cemetery.

The Western County Line Loop is 37 miles and connects to Parke County. There is a historic concrete bridge on the east side of this route.

Plenty of hills, including Dunbar Hill, are part of the Northern Walnut Creek Loop. It runs about 13 miles and passes through the Dunbar Covered Bridge. It includes an extension to the Edna Collings Bridge.

Quick guides to the county's People Pathways walking trails are included in a separate section of the map. They are also color-coded and include a red, purple, gold, blue, orange and green route.

Mileage and junctions on the trails are noted.

"This is a wonderful thing for people to have, It shows both walking and biking trails from one end of the county to the other," said Joy Marley with People Pathways.

The new maps can be picked up at the Putnam County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 12 W. Washington St. between 8 a.m. and noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. They are also available at the Welcome Center or any of the local hotels.

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