Southern Indiana trail named among USA Today's top 10 in country

Mikko Liu, left, offers jokes as his sister Mili Liu offers lemonade and other refreshments in their mobile stand along the B-Line Trail during Lemonade Day in Monroe County on Saturday, June 24, 2023.

Bloomington’s B-Line Trail has been named among the country’s 10 best recreational trails by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

The B-Line is the only Indiana trail to make the list. Most of the Top 10 trails are in the nation’s east. The nearest other trail in the Top 10 is the Little Miami Scenic Trail in Ohio.

The nation’s top three recreational trails, according to readers, are the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama; the Chessie Trail in Lexington, Virginia; and the Katy Trail in Missouri.

USA Today also recognized the best city park, main street, public square and riverwalk. Only one other Indiana location made it among the Top 10: The Riverfront Fort Wayne.

The USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards highlight the very best in travel, food and drink and lifestyle. Every week, the paper invites industry experts to nominate their favorites, and editors select finalists to be presented to the voting public for four weeks. You can find out more at https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/

A man and his dog jog the B-Line Trail over the Grimes Lane bridge.

The B-Line, a paved trail from Adams Street to Country Club Drive, offers 5.1 miles of trail, according to the city of Bloomington. The energy-efficient LED lights along the trail are on from dusk to dawn.

The trail is frequently used by walkers, joggers and bikers. It runs rough Switchyard Park and serves as a major north-south connector. At Country Club Drive, the trail connects with the Bloomington Rail Trail.

Motorized vehicles are not allowed on the trail, except for pedal-assisted electric bikes and motorized wheelchairs.

The trail also features picnic tables, a drinking fountain, fitness stations and public art.

The trail runs along a former rail line, which CSX stopped using in 2004. Before the trail was built, the soil was contaminated with metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The city obtained a $5.4 million grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation to purchase the property, according to state records. The city in 2001 and in 2007 also received grants from the Indiana Brownfields Program for assessment and remediation.

At the time of its creation, state and city leaders hoped the trail would provide “fitness, recreational and economic opportunities to the community.”

Boris Ladwig can be reached at bladwig@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington trail named as 1 of USA Today's top 10 in country