About three new miles of mountain bike trail opened at Overley-Worman Park on Oct. 3. The park's system is now about four miles, with sections rated green, blue and black on a ski-style scale. Before the expansion, the trail at 6040 Godello Circle mostly suited riders who already knew what they were doing. Now a beginner has a reasonable place to start. More riders on the dirt also means the trail depends more on riders knowing when to stay off it, and that skill matters most in November.
The trail newer riders used to skip
Brett Johnson, the trail's lead steward, told Current in Zionsville that many riders found the original trail difficult. He described it as "punchy climbs, tight turns, and concrete crossings." That suits a confident rider. It's a hard first ride for a teenager on a new bike, or for an adult who hasn't ridden dirt since college.
The town knew this. In January 2026 the Zionsville Board of Parks & Recreation voted to add a beginner-rated trail. Parks Director Jarod Logsdon called it a needed amenity for the park, Current reported in February. The same report said the existing difficult trails had been adjusted and that volunteers with the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association would build the new ones.
How the colors fall across the park
Each section of the new mileage is rated for a different skill level.
- Green: the new section at the back of the park is beginner-friendly.
- Green and blue: the sections along the creek are for beginner and intermediate riders.
- Black: one section is set aside for more experienced riders.
New signs tell riders which section they're on. In practice, a group with mixed skill levels can come together and split up at the trail instead of choosing a different park.
Johnson also told Current the work was about more than distance. "Beyond adding mileage, we've worked to improve the flow of the trail, making it more enjoyable to ride and creating a better overall experience," he said. He said he wants the trail to appeal to more riders and to draw from surrounding counties. About 50 people came to the grand opening, and he called the feedback overwhelmingly positive.
The mileage figures, from proposal to opening day
If you followed the project, you've seen several mileage numbers. They come from different stages of planning, and only the last one describes what's on the ground.
| Stage | Source | What it said |
|---|---|---|
| Partnership announcement | Hoosier Mountain Bike Association | About 4 existing miles of singletrack, rustic trail and jump line, with a long-range goal of around 8 |
| Parks Board approval, January 2026 | Current, Feb. 4, 2026 | A new 4-mile beginner trail, bringing the park total to 5.25 miles |
| Grand opening, Oct. 3, 2026 | Current, Oct. 9, 2026 | About 3 new miles, for a system of about 4 miles |
The plans don't line up neatly with each other or with the finished trail. The HMBA announcement also counted the park's existing rustic trail and jump line in its starting figure, and it described reworking the Rustic Trail into a loop around the edge of the park. The October number is the one to plan a ride around. Johnson told Current there is plenty of room to grow the trails and add features, so roughly four miles is where the trail stands now. More is likely.
No status feed covers Overley-Worman, so check the dirt
Here the beginner expansion runs into November. Most new riders expect to check an app before they load the car. For this trail, the usual tools say very little.
HMBA's trail status page links feeds for O'Bannon Woods, Southwestway, Town Run and Fort Ben, but it has no separate feed for Overley-Worman. The park's Trailforks page shows "Open as of Sep 27, 2025," a date before the expansion opened, and it has no condition reports. Current reports that trail announcements usually go out on the Zionsville Parks Department, Indy Trail Collective and Overley-Worman social media pages.
Even a current feed wouldn't settle it. HMBA's trail etiquette guidance warns that condition apps can't replace checking the trail yourself. Its rules are specific enough to teach a new rider in the parking lot:
- Look at your tracks. A faint tread mark is fine. If your tires or shoes leave clear tire-width or sole-shaped impressions, the trail is too wet, and HMBA says to turn around and leave.
- Skip wet trails entirely. HMBA says plainly not to ride them.
- Watch for freeze and thaw. HMBA also says not to ride during freeze-thaw cycles, because thawed mud can rut and then freeze into the trail surface.
That third rule matters most this time of year. A cold morning can make the surface feel firm, and then it softens by afternoon. A rut cut on a mild November day can still be there at the next hard freeze. The green sections were built for people still learning to read the trail, so the riders who use them most are the ones these rules are meant to teach.
Why the Zionsville trail matters beyond Zionsville this fall
Johnson's goal of drawing riders from surrounding counties comes at a time when the nearest comparable trail is unavailable. Indy Parks describes Town Run Trail Park as a seven-mile dirt loop with beginner and intermediate terrain on Indianapolis's north side. On its page published Sept. 18, 2026, Indy Parks said the park was closed because of flooding damage and erosion, and it gave no reopening date. Anyone planning to ride there should check that page for the latest status first.
As long as Town Run stays closed, Overley-Worman's marked beginner and intermediate sections give north-side riders a place to learn close to home. The Zionsville trail is maintained by the Indy Trail Collective, an HMBA chapter, working with Zionsville Parks & Recreation. A lot of new riders on a trail that's only weeks old will make wet-weather discipline matter more here.
Monday nights, and the shovels behind the miles
The Indy Trail Collective has started weekly group rides on Mondays at 6 p.m. Riders meet in the parking lot by the playground, and rides depend on the weather. If a ride is called off because the trail is soft, that's HMBA's own guidance in action.
The trail was built by volunteers, and volunteers keep it in shape. HMBA's announcement that Overley-Worman was joining the Indy Trail Collective network invited people to a first Sunday dig day and asked them to watch for more build days. Current reports that volunteers are needed to maintain the trails, and those calls go out through the same Parks, Indy Trail Collective and Overley-Worman social media pages that carry trail updates. Following those three accounts covers ride cancellations, condition updates and work days. If you're hosting a group off the bike, Zionsville Parks & Recreation lists two reservable shelters at the park, Shelter A and Shelter B.
A trail that now runs from green to black is a real asset for Zionsville. If you're weighing how close you want to be to trails like this one, Heigl Real Estate Group knows the parks along with the streets around them. Contact us any time. We're glad to help.
