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MUNCIE — When Kirk’s Bike Shop opened in downtown Muncie in 1865, it sold the towering high-wheel bikes that predated the first automobile. Today, its inventory includes some of the most high-tech two-wheelers on the market.

Owner Jason Allardt said business has been good at the shop for the last 157 years, but he hopes sales could climb even higher in the near future.

That’s because this month, Indiana’s U.S. senators, Todd Young and Mike Braun, co-sponsored legislation that would designate more than 6,800 miles in the United States as the first National Discovery Trail.

Part of that trail would include the Cardinal Greenway, which runs through Muncie and is located just one mile from the bike shop.

“I think the designation might bring more people through east central Indiana on the Cardinal Greenway,” Allardt said. “I think it can bring a lot more awareness and visibility and recognition to the trail and get more people out on it.”

The Senate bill would amend the National Trails System Act to add the American Discovery Trail to the U.S. trail system, which is administered by the National Park Service.

The route runs from Delaware to California. In Indiana, it splits into southern and northern routes that encompass a total of 616 miles, connecting trail systems and rural roads throughout the state.

The national route has been in place since the 1990s, when the American Discovery Trail Society hired a coordinator to work with other volunteer state coordinators to develop and refine the route.

Jim Bishop, archivist and historian for Indiana Trails, said his nonprofit has been working for years with the national group to have the path designated as part of the federal trail system. Now, with the proposed legislation, that work is on the cusp of paying off in a big way.

“I think it’s going to be quite remarkable,” Bishop said. “This is going to be quite good for anybody who wants to hike or bike or do any outdoor activity here in the state.”

The American Discovery Trail marks a whole new kind of federal designation since the National Trails System Act in 1968 created a framework for a national network of connected routes.

Today, that system includes 11 National Scenic Trails, 19 National Historic Trails and 1,300 miles of National Recreation Trails. However, it does not include any trail linking the network from coast to coast.

The proposed Senate bill would do that by creating a new category called National Discovery Trails. The designation would be for long-distance trails that connect urban areas with outdoor resources, public lands, rural areas and other communities. It would mark the first coast-to-coast, non-motorized recreational trail in the U.S. trail system open for hiking, biking or equestrian use.

The route includes the Nickel Plate Trail, which covers more than 40 miles from Kokomo to Rochester. Trail President Mike Kuepper said people from as far away as Germany and England sometimes use the pathway. Just this month, he ran into a backpacker hiking from Maine to Minnesota.

The trail is already popular, he said, but landing a federal designation would mean a major increase in trail activity and tourism for north central Indiana.

“I just don’t think people understand how big a deal this is,” he said. “It validates how important our trails are.”

The federal designation wouldn’t come with any extra funding, Bishop noted, but he has no complaints that it won’t provide money to maintain the state’s portion of the American Discovery Trail.

“It certainly would not hurt, but I think it is not critical at this point,” he said.

Sen. Braun said volunteers are the driving force behind many of the state’s trails, and the designation would empower volunteer groups to designate and maintain trails of regional significance in Indiana and across the country.

Kuepper agreed. He said the Nickel Plate Trail is maintained and operated solely by volunteers, and having the pathway as part of a national trail system would bring attention to the need for more volunteers and funding.

“The designation would be great,” he said. “Even without any extra money, it still will do good things.”

The senate bill was introduced Aug. 1 and is currently in the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. A companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives is cosponsored by 64 members, including five of Indiana’s nine U.S. representatives.

Bishop of Indiana Trails said although the legislation was just introduced, he’s hopeful it will soon become law. If that happens, the designation is sure to be a boon for the state’s trail systems, he added.

“Even great bills can get bogged down,” Bishop said. “It can be kind of a challenge, but we’ve got a lot of support here in Indiana.”
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