A few years ago, I decided I wanted to become a more serious bicyclist. I lamented the lack of riding opportunities in Northwest Indiana. To be sure, there are designated bike routes. But these are no more than direction signs on existing roads. After a visit to Johnson County, Kansas, I remarked to a friend that we had nothing to compare with their outstanding Millpond Streamway Bike Path. His straightforward reply: You obviously have never ridden the Outback Trail at Imagination Glen in Portage, Indiana
Located at the north end of McCool Road, this bike trail is situated on 256 acres that extend east to State Road 149. The property consists of open fields, dense hardwood forest and wet land adjacent to Salt Creek that divides the park. The area teems with wildlife, such as deer, raccoon, squirrel, birds, and the occasional coyote. Activities offered include soccer, softball, hiking, BMX racing, and the one of primary interest here, mountain biking.
Mountain biking had its origins in northern California in the late 1970s, when a group of riders ventured onto ski trails. They rode bikes unsuitable for off road use. But a new sport was born. As with many Californian inspired ideas, the activity spread across the country. Even to flat places such as Northwest Indiana. 
My first mountain bike was purchased at a local shop that hosted weekly rides at the Glen. At the trailhead, the guide explained that there are over ten miles of single track meandering through the property. About one half of this mileage runs right on the edge of the creek. (This is significant since heavy rains can flood the trail requiring a few days to dry.) We would be doing one lap, beginning with the easier “front side,” that covered just over three miles. Then, if I was up for it we would tackle the much tougher seven mile long back half, or “Dark Side” as it is called by local bikers. Just over ten miles total. Who did he think he was dealing with? I may have been a newbie, but I was in decent shape and wanted a real challenge. Little did I know what was in store.
Things start out innocently enough, with a smooth graded gravel path into the woods. Almost immediately though this morphs into a rutted, steep, hill emptying into a sandy area that threatens to wrench the bike from beneath you. This was but a harbinger of the test of biking prowess to come. After some pushing, well, a lot of pushing, the front was completed. My host congratulated me for surviving, and asked if I was up for the back. I was somewhat out of breath, but still able to manage a hearty “let’s go for it, on to the Dark Side!” 
The Outback Trail was developed over a number of years. The back, in addition to being longer is the more challenging segment; it is also the newer portion. Many sections have descriptive names: such as the Balcony, Basement, Logjam, Switchback and the ever popular Revenge. The entire system is masterfully laid out to take full advantage of the topography of the land. I learned this type of trail is classed as technical: tight and twisty, with a lot of elevation changes. The rider who survives this test can revel in the fact that he or she (and a fair number of women take the challenge) has tackled one of the toughest trails in the Mid-west.
When I began riding, I was somewhat confused by the term “path” which denotes smooth gravel or paved, rails-to-trails situation, and “trail” which is a rough single track, requiring a purpose built bicycle. The whole Outback Trail, and particularly the Dark Side, is aptly named. The entire circuit was built, and is expertly maintained by volunteers of the Outback Trail Commission, www.outbacktrail.org.
Outback Trail is an immensely popular place. Its reputation as a premier riding destination grows almost daily. In the five years I’ve been riding there I have witnessed this explosion first hand. On any given day, bikers from all over Northern Indiana and even Illinois and Michigan may be found there. If you drop by for a ride and happen to find a full parking lot don’t despair, saddle up and head out anyway; there is always room on the Dark Side.