Hills and trails in Lincoln Parish Park

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Bikes have plied these rolling woodland trails near Ruston for nearly two decades. The trails were designed by James Ramsaur, the manager of Lincoln Parish Park.

“You don’t really need mountains,” Ramsaur says.

Ramsaur returned to his native Ruston in the early ’90s, leaving the mountains of Colorado and bringing with him a passion for mountain biking.

“I felt that this property had a lot of good opportunities for good and good mountain biking trails.”

He got help from the nearby Louisiana Tech University cycling club, and in 1993 the trails were opened and have been attracting serious mountain bikers ever since.

“It winds through the woods, can go up and down, believe it or not in an 11 mile loop here you get about 1000 feet of climbing. So you have these hard hitting little climbs; the laces are unique. I would say probably the first switchbacks in the south, ”says Ramsaur.

The trail passes an artificial waterfall that balances the flow of water between the lake and the stream. Andrew Neilson is a frequent trail runner at Lincoln Parish Park.

“It has changed a bit. It has evolved over the last few years, so we tried to make it flow, jump, and I kind of mixed that up with the cross country side of things, ”says Neilson.

“I think it’s Ruston, LA’s best kept secret. I mean, it’s amazing how many locals don’t know it’s here. So this park got bigger, the trails got better and they were already great. It’s just, I mean, you come here and have a whole day, it’s pretty amazing, ”says mountain biker Ray Duval.

The big attraction is the big hill, Tomac Hill, named after a legendary mountain biker. It’s a 120 foot loop that looks like a ski slope.

“Come up a hill and once you get to that point it’s all downhill from there. You don’t really have a way to stop or get off, so just hang on and get behind the wheel, ”says Scott Greenwood.

“It’s just one of the best built trails I’ve ever seen,” said JB Yelverton.

JB Yelvington, a pastor in Texarkana, drives two hours to get here.

“These are not the biggest hills. We’re not in the mountains here, obviously, but you have some really nice hills, where you train most of the time, but it’s still fun.

There is a lot more here than just cycle paths. This parish park has a 25 acre lake with a swimming, fishing and boating beach, as well as a campground.

“We have a campground with 33 RV sites, 12 tent sites, swimming, boating, lifeguards and a beach,” says park manager James Ramsaur.

It’s a park where the focus is on nature, whether it’s hiking a trail or just enjoying a quiet getaway in the woods.

To learn more about Lincoln Parish Park and other Louisiana bike trails, visit HeartofLouisiana.com.

Do you see a spelling or grammar mistake in our story? Click here to report it. Please include the title.

Copyright 2021 WVUE. All rights reserved.