In Which I Try a New Lion Trail

Feeling good riding the new trail behind Linn-Mar High School.

I could not resist the cheap pun—dad jokes, right? When I posted an image of today’s bicycle ride, a selfie on Instagram, I captioned it: “New bike trail behind Linn-Mar High School is quite nice, I’m not lion.”

Because, of course, the school’s teams are the Linn-Mar Lions.

Anyway, earlier this year, a new trail leading from the Boyson Trail to Boyson Road in Marion opened. A new crosswalk was painted at Boyson and 10th Street, and a bit north of the intersection, there’s a new crossing light that takes the trail across 10th Street.

I had not ridden that new leg of the trail behind the high school before today. This afternoon, seeking a break from grading, I decided to go on a quick bike ride.

I got the mountain bike out. There are some short mountain bike trails off of the Boyson Trail, and I was just in the mood, since the ride would be short, to ride those trails. One is “easy” and the other “also easy but not quite as easy,” and I rode them both.

Bike parked in twilight at end of mountain bike trail near Boyson Road.

Bike at end of mountain bike trail, pretty light.

And then decided to explore the new trail behind the high school. It was getting to twilight, and I turned on my lights and headed north.

My chilled cheeks and cold toes weren’t that happy with my decision, but I carried on.

The crossing of Boyson feels a bit weird. It’s just a crosswalk at a busy interstation that, to me, has needed a traffic light for many years. Adding a bike trail to that already overloaded intersection feels a bit strange, but at 4 or so on a winter afternoon, traffic was light.

On 10th Street about to ride on new trail. The walkers are the nice people I chatted with.

New bridge on new trail--nice view.

Another view of the same bridge.

I crossed 10th and came to the new trial. I paused and made a few images there. A nice couple was out for a stroll, and told me that they walk that trail daily.

I wasn’t sure what to expect. The trail went under 29th Street and beside the track where the Linn-Mar football stadium used to be. The trail crosses a creek several times, and winds its way through pretty woods. It’s not a long trail, but it’s nice, and it does go all the way to Tower Terrace Road.

It can give me a way to ride with a grandchild to the playground at Indian Creek School, and also can be part of a loop to the Lowe Park Trail via Tower Terrace Road.

Here and below, views seen from the trail behind Linn-Mar High School, Dec. 3, 2022.

Well, that was nice. Cold, but nice. I got to chat with the my walking trail buddies several times—once, they passed me while I was on a photo pause, and the next time was when I had gone to the end of the trial and came back.

At one point, the new trail was dug up, but I was luckily on the mountain bike and could easily navigate the bare ground beside the hole in the trail.

It was getting dark by the time I got back to the Lindale Trail, but I went across the bridges and turned back when I got to the sidewalk at the end of that trail. By doing that, I was able to squeeze in 10.4 miles. Not bad for a late-day winter ride, and I’m sure I’ll be visiting the new trail again!

Map of Dec. 3, 2022 ride.