Ozark attracts bikers with new trail

The first of four phases is complete and it’s no easy ride. The city of Ozark got advice from the experts, the Southeast Alabama Mountain Biking Club on what exactly the trail should look like.

“This is is true mountain biking here in Ozark, there’s no doubt about it,” Director for Ozark Leisure Services Department, Steve Sherrill said.

The Colonel – the first phase of the mountain bike trail at Ed Lisenby Lake and is a mile and a half long. Intersecting with the 7 to 10 miles of the 3 other phases, Blackhawk, Apache, and Lacota.

“Some folks with the Southeast Alabama mountain bike club kinda came up and said hey what do y’all think about putting a bike trail up here. So we got with the state of Alabama, they own the property around the lake, and they gave us permission to pursue it and with there help we’ve got one phase of it completed,” Steve Sherrill said.

The city of Ozark has been prepping for this mountain bike trail for more than 8 months. And the trail’s level of difficulty will attract biker enthusiasts from all over.

Ozark is blessed with some good elevation change which we don’t have like Dothan, we’ve got some bike trails here that are good trails but they’re just not, the elevation is not there. And to get a good workout sometimes you need some good elevation change,” Southeast Alabama Mountain Bike club member, Craig Tillery said.

The trail will surround the entirety of the lake and will be the first of it’s kind in Ozark.

“Well it’s kind of neat because I actually graduate from high school in Ozark so of course I live here in Dothan but it’s kind of neat to go back up there and help them build the trail,” Craig Tillery said.

But the ultimate goal –

“So hopefully we will have a trail that people and then mountain bikers all over the southeast, say they were going to that trail in Ozark, Alabama,” Steve Sherrill said.

Ozark Leisure Services hopes that this new trail will help give the lake and the city more exposure.

The plan to start the second phase of the trail mid October and the grand opening for the first phase will be Friday, September 27th at 10 am at Ed Lisenby Lake.

Source: WTVY Dothan