Springs Valley

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="005b85a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Big Ring Adventure Team</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Big Ring Adventure Team"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="vsp.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="VSP">VSP</A>   |   <B>Springs Valley</B>   |   <A HREF="youngs_creek.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Youngs Creek">Youngs Creek</A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="006d2b83.jpg"> <div> <IMG SRC="23eafa00.gif" border=0 width="175" height="160" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <I><B>Serious cyclists having serious fun!</B></I></div> <div> Big Ring Adventure Team</div> <div> A Division of 53T, Inc.</div> <div> P.O. Box 622</div> <div> Madison, IN 47250-0622</div> <div> Office: 812-265-4203</div> <div> Mobile: 812-292-0700</div> <div> Fax: 812-418-3368</div> <div> E-mail: <A HREF="mailto:info@bigringadventure.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:info@bigringadventure.com">info@bigringadventure.com</A></div> <bR> <div> We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. 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can be linked with Young's Creek for an epic ride; it's never too wet to ride here - ever!</div> <div> <B>Bad:</B> Typical wide, gravelly HNF trail; steep sections may be too steep for some riders' tastes.</div> <div> <B>Other Nearby Attractions:</B> Patoka Lake is fun; Paoli Peaks has skiing and snowboarding; French Lick Springs and West Baden Springs Resorts offer golf, horseback riding, and casino gambling. Both resorts are worth the trip just to see them, and don't miss the atrium at West Baden.</div> <div> <B>Comments:</B> The elevation profile is for riding Springs Valley counterclockwise from the spur leading down from the CR 650S parking area. Start at the back of the parking area; the trail at the southwest corner of the lot is a connector leading out to county roads to provide access to Young's Creek. If you cross a county road soon after you start riding, you're on the wrong trail. And once you're on the right trail don't turn until you're at the bottom of the descent. Mane Trails outfitters has a connector from their campground that comes in from the left early in the ride while you're still on top of the hill. You don't want that. It's well marked.</div> <div> Don't forget that the Hoosier National Forest requires a trail permit for horseback riders and mountain bikers. Daily and annual permits are available. Check the Mane Trails Web site and avoid Springs Valley on days when they have large, organized rides.</div> <div> <B>Directions to Trailhead (from HNF Web page)</B>: </div> <div> <B>From Hwy 145: </B>Take Hwy 145 South out of French Lick 6.4 miles and turn left at brown FS sign on Baseline Liberty Road and proceed 4.8 miles to trailhead on left.</div> <div> <B>From Hwy 37: </B>From Hwy 37, south of Paoli turn right on Unionville Road, proceed for 1 mile, turn right at brown FS sign onto County Road 150 S. and proceed 1.1 miles to stop sign and turn left onto County Road 225 W, proceed 2.1 miles to brown FS sign and bear left onto County Road 325 W for 4.9 miles to Springs Valley Trailhead on right side of road.</div> <div> <B>Additional Resources</B></div> <div> Paoli Peaks <A HREF="http://www.paolipeaks.com/" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.paolipeaks.com/">ski center</A></div> <div> Patoka Lake (<A HREF="http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/properties/res_patoka.html" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/propertie">DNR Web page</A>)</div> <div> Mane Trails <A HREF="http://www.themanetrails.com" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.themanetrails.com">horsemen's campground</A></div> <div> French Lick Springs and West Baden Springs <A HREF="http://www.frenchlick.com/default_.asp" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.frenchlick.com/default_.asp">Resorts</A></div> <div> Hoosier National Forest <A HREF="http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier/trail_chart.htm" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier/trail_ch">trails page</A></div> <div> Hoosier National Forest <A HREF="http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier/recreation/trpermits.htm" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier/recreati">trail permit page</A> (including a list of vendors)</div> <div> <IMG SRC="52c527f0.jpg" border=0 width="850" height="383" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="52d39a20.jpg" border=0 width="569" height="418" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="52fd48a0.jpg" border=0 width="724" height="650" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Springs Valley is one of my favorite winter rides, in part because of its beauty.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="5318ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="5338ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="5398ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> That info kiosk (in photo below) at the back of the lot is where the trail starts.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="5358ae80.jpg" border=0 width="650" height="488" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>