Robb McCormick Photography
The Walking Classic isn’t the only opportunity to interact with the New Albany community through walking. Visitors and residents can experience both new and long-established trails and pathways in this walkable community any time of year.
The city’s many paths all connect, forming a trail system. Adrienne Joly, director of administrative services for the city, says these connected pathways come with many benefits including providing residents and visitors with safe walking access to shops, restaurants, the post office, the library and other points of interest.
Local Destinations:
One of the city's newest greenspaces, Taylor Park, opened in late August with the second development phase currently underway. The park has a walking path with a distance of just under three miles as well as an adventure playground.
Bevelhymer Park has a paved walkway, and it also has 32 fields and plenty of courts, including basketball and pickleball.
Thompson Park also has tennis and basketball courts as well as a walking path, a playground and athletic fields.
Rocky Fork Park is connected to Bevelhymer by a multi-use, half-mile trail. Also at Rocky Fork is the Beech Woodland path.
One of New Albany’s most popular parks, Rose Run Park, includes miles of leisure trails, a scenic bridge, and a babbling creek to explore.
“We have a trail network that connects our neighborhoods to our parks and connects our neighborhoods to our village center, and then it also goes throughout the business park so employees that work in the business park can also use the paths on their breaks and their lunchtime,” Joly says.
Aside from accessibility benefits, Joly says there are many health benefits that walking outdoors can provide. With health and wellness as one of the city's pillars, the community takes great care in maintaining its paths and continues to develop new ones to adapt to the growing area and population.
“It is beneficial for physical and mental health, if you're able to walk outside. First of all for exercise, but also just to spend some time outdoors and in nature,” she says.
Not only do the walking paths tie into the city’s health and wellness initiatives but also to the city's sustainability pillar, as having a walkable city can reduce the need for cars, which can in turn reduce emissions. In addition, some of the walkways are present within the city’s wetland conservation areas, providing a convenient way for people to walk while appreciating the environmentally sensitive land.
“There are walking trails around the wetlands and there's a lot of good bird watching opportunities there, so that conservation of the land along with the amenities like the walking paths, it's going to make a great destination for people,” Joly says.
New Albany’s highly-rated schools aren’t its only family-friendly feature. Neighborhoods within the city are also within walking distance from new and innovative playgrounds, many with state-of-the-art structures that are well-maintained by the city. Many of these playgrounds are connected to the walking paths.
“One of our planning principles when new neighborhoods are developed is to include a park or a playground within a certain distance, so it's easy walking distance from every house,” Joly says.
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mfitzmaurice@cityscenemediagroup.com.
