Spring Valley residents have a real gem of a bike trail right in their own backyard.
A couple of weeks ago I was in town for my high school reunion–Class of ‘67 (Go Wolves!–we were the Wolves back then).
Being an avid cyclist, I often bring my bicycle along on a trip so I can see close up the town and countryside I am visiting. After stirring memories by riding around town on the streets I rode so many years ago, I was pleased to find a relatively new bike trail leading from town four-and-a-half miles into the countryside to the east.
The trail starts just north of Sunshine Foods and wends its way east for a short time through a pleasant residential section, then crosses Co. Rd. 1 (be careful–watch for traffic) at Reps Field. It continues through a small woods before turning south and into farmland. Just east of the school the trail takes a sharp turn to the east and continues to the compost site road where it turns into a “bike lane” on the road and takes you south a short ways. You have to cross Co. Rd. 8 (again, be alert for traffic) to pick up the trail again and from there it runs east through another three miles of fields, meadows, and woods. It also runs alongside, and crosses (twice), Spring Valley Creek. The trail ends at the parking lot of the Spring Valley Camper site and, as the trail is not a loop, you will have to double back to return.
There are five benches along the trail in case you want to rest, sit and contemplate, or just sit on something flatter and wider than the bike seat, and two picnic tables on the east end, set close to the creek. In several places paths have been mowed in the meadows allowing someone on foot closer access to the creek.
A little over mid-way is a “roller-coaster hill,” a hill that allows the cyclist to build up enough momentum on the down-hill side to almost make it up the up-hill side without pedaling (but not quite). There are several curves that are sharper than they look so slow down as you approach them. Several inclines (not quite hills) are enough to get your blood pumping going up, then give you a pleasant period of coasting going down.
If you decide to ride city streets to the trail remember that while on the bike you are a vehicle, not a pedestrian–obey all traffic laws and ride with traffic, never against. Of course, wear a helmet (but take it off when you are more than three feet from the bike).
The trail is a real treat to the senses. Enjoy the farmland vistas and watch for a deer bounding down the trail, smell the lush vegetation, freshly plowed fields or freshly mown hay, and listen to the wind in the trees, songbirds, and the rippling creek. Leave the i-pod at home, it will just block the pleasant sounds you want to hear, not to mention the sounds of traffic you need to hear when you’re on or near a roadway.
There are, of course, longer bike trails around, but this is a great one for getting the feel of a bike trail yourself or for introducing your kids to the joys of longer cycling.
You have a real gem here, Spring Valley; short, to be sure, but a gem all the same. And it’s right in your backyard.
