Monon South Trail expands with new 5.5-mile section in southern Indiana

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A new trail has opened in southern Indiana.

Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Radius Indiana announced the opening of the Monon South Trail's longest new section May 2 in Clark County. It's 5.5 miles of trail in the town of Borden, consisting of paved and crushed stone surfaces.

The trail section goes from the west end of Borden to Deam Lake Road, a crossing near Deam Lake State Recreation Area, according to a news release.

"With the opening of this newest section of the Monon South Trail, we’re looking forward to welcoming more visitors to Deam Lake State Recreation Area," Maddy Conner, DNR chief of staff, said in a news release. "Next Level Trails is all about connecting people to the outdoors and important destinations, and we’re excited to see this new link added through the Monon South."

There are now more than nine miles of trail open to the public.

“When our team was planning Phase 1 construction of the Monon South Trail, we pushed the boundaries of our budget to make sure that we built this connection to Deam Lake," Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana, said in a news release. "Providing the ability for Deam Lake visitors to visit Borden by walking or biking gives an immediate example of the power this trail will have to connect our communities, provide outdoor recreation, and revitalize communities with trail-related business opportunities."

According to a news release, Next Level Trails funded the purchase of the 62.3-mile corridor on behalf of New Albany and Radius Indiana for $5.5 million. DNR granted Radius with an additional $22.3 million to support Phase 1 development.

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