Elizabethtown, Kentucky is the state’s first “Urban Trail Town”

Photos by Alyssa Fortenberry, Kentucky NICA – National Interscholastic Cycling Association

Elizabethtown, Kentucky, just south of Louisville, has the designation of being the state’s first “Urban Trail Town.” For over 50 years, a local non-profit, Greenspace, has preserved corridors and natural spaces for the community, linking some 40 miles of bike and walking paths throughout the city. This close, longstanding relationship between non-motorized paths and Elizabethtown laid the foundation for bringing more singletrack to Kentucky’s Urban Trail Town.

NICA, IMBA, and PeopleForBikes teamed up with Greenspace to bring more trails to Elizabethtown, focusing on providing singletrack that is close to the community. With the new Trooper Lake project slated to include about six miles of trail, the organizations hope to provide a blueprint that can be repeated in towns across the country.

Trooper Lake

“Trooper Lake is meant to be the home course for the local NICA team with the ability to host events,” David Haines, Kentucky League Coach Development Manager, told us. “The current planned trail mileage is expected to be around 5-6 miles of green- and blue-skill-level trails, with the possibility of alternate advanced lines.”

The plan is for cross-country-style loops that NICA teams can easily practice and race on. As we’ve learned from other trail systems with a NICA focus, progression is typically the key, with more significant features typically having an optional go-around.

“In addition to all [Haines] shared about Trooper Lake, we also want to add that Trooper Lake is being purpose-built to host not only team practices, but Kentucky NICA racing and events, and potentially a NICA regional event,” Denile Hill, Kentucky NICA League Director, said.

A mountain biking event scene showing several competitors in jerseys with their bicycles. Two cyclists are interacting, with one cyclist receiving a fist bump from a supporter. In the background, spectators are seated, and there are trees and event barriers nearby. The atmosphere is lively and supportive, typical of a sports competition.

But optional “alternative advanced lines” may not be the only black diamond offering at Trooper Lake. Haines told us that Trooper Lake began as 75 acres of city-owned land and increased by 40 acres through a land acquisition. The newly acquired land provided ample room to house up to six miles of singletrack across the system, making a new NICA course a much closer reality.

Now, there is a “potential of acquiring 60-70 more acres,” which would allow the trails at Trooper Lake to expand even further.

In addition to being a trail system, Trooper Lake will also be a city park with the “usual amenities.” Visitors can expect bathrooms, pavilions, play areas, and picnic tables. As for the trails, while professional trail builders will build them, the folks we corresponded with at NICA anticipate a good number of volunteers from local NICA clubs—both athletes and coaches.

More trail systems like Trooper Lake

“NICA and IMBA have a new partnership aimed at getting trails closer to kids,” Dallen Atack, who works for NICA Field Operations, told us. Elizabethtown was perhaps a perfect trial ground for a project such as this, with Greenspace advocating for outdoor recreation for such a long time.

It was also Greenspace that provided the initial funding to begin planning the trails with IMBA. SRAM stepped in too, providing $80,000 in funding over the next two years. In total, Elizabethtown has budgeted $1.8 million for planning and to begin construction on the Trooper Lake Park. The park will be the 11th in the city.

Along with the established relationship with Greenspace, Haines also told us that losing access to trails in the past helped the Trooper Lake project along. The beloved Buffalo Lake trails, right next to downtown, were impacted by the construction of an amphitheater, with several trails lost. To the city’s credit, they quickly began working to remedy the lost mileage, especially after local NICA student-athletes attended council meetings and told city leaders about the positive impacts of trails on their lives.

Trooper Lake, with the backing of the established organizations, was an easy choice.

Two cyclists share a warm embrace after a race, surrounded by greenery and a few other participants. One cyclist wears a blue helmet and a purple jersey, while the other is in a green shirt. A mountain bike stands nearby. The atmosphere is celebratory and supportive.

And hopefully Elizabethtown is just the beginning. “Our vision is that through partnerships we will be able to bring local trails to communities, both urban and rural, across Kentucky,” Atack said. Trooper Lake is the first of two trail systems in development with NICA, IMBA, and PeopleForBikes. Singletracks inquired about the details on the second project, but it seems the group is being tight-lipped about the subject for now.

And it is even bigger than two trail systems. The partners are looking at these initial projects as somewhat of a pilot program. The long-term goal is to create repeatable guidance that both NICA leagues and communities can take to their local municipalities to advocate for more trails.

Three organizations think it will look something like this: NICA will take the lead on researching potential project locations and training coaches and athletes in trail advocacy. IMBA will work one-on-one with local NICA leaders, advising on things like community engagement and narrowing objectives for the potential project. PeopleForBikes will connect each potential project to existing bike initiatives in the community and support advocacy training.

Ultimately, the goal is to get more people out on singletrack. Hill summed it up: “NICA believes in the power of trails to transform communities’ physical, mental, social, and economic well-being.”