Outback Trail at Imagination Glenn

First time here 10/19/19. West "Front" side "Outback Trail" is pretty average. Not bad, not great. mostly beginner stuff with some small hills. Not too techy. Not marked the best with multiple trail forks without guidance. Just a few miles.
The real story here is on the other side of the river, trails dubbed "The Dark Side" which you have to ride out a ways on a blacktop road to access. Where you get in to the Dark Side is right next to the very best part of the whole system, the Roller Coaster. It is right up there with my favorite all time sections ridden. It's got tons of flow and jumps and wooden features and ups and downs and...so worth the trip. Ride it over and over again and you might just decide to keep doing that instead of riding the rest of the Dark Side. But it's worth it too. There is a bit of a sketchy (steepish with multiple drops) descent down into what's called 'the basement' but if you're an expert you may just find it awesome. This intermediate rider hoped for the best and avoided the drops. Overall this trail system deserves its ranking as one of the best in Indiana. The Dark Side is fairly well marked with 'you are here' signs throughout, though that could always be improved. Rated for the Dark Side trails. Unless you're a beginner, skip the Front side. Dark Side requires pretty good fitness level to make all the climbs, none of which are too terribly long. Wood features scattered throughout, definitely worth a few hours drive to experience.

Great trail packed into a small space. Lots of tight technical climbs with fun down hills. Big wooden Burms in the roller coaster are a blast.

Rode yesterday and it seems to be pretty dry now.

My local trail which I love. Gets a bit technical but good thing it's also flowy. So when u pass a hard obstacle u can catch ur breath a bit. Has shortcuts so u can build up endurance n complete the whole trail on ur terms. Does get a bit complicated as far as shortcuts but if u ride it enough ull get used to it.

Great trail. Too many "connector or shortcut trails however. They seem to cris cross every where and with the lack of signage the trails are hard to follow. I do plan to ride again when in the area.

This was honestly one of the most challenging trails I've ridden yet. I has a lot wooden challenges (bridges and embankments) there was also a few hills that were fairly steep and if you dont get low enough in the gears you will end up running up the hill. There is also a section of skinny log bridges, and an easier section and a warm up section. My only wish is that this place was closer to home!!

My home trail where I started mountain biking. Front side is fast and flowy, dark side has this as well but with some great climbs and tech sections. Hyde's 7 Hills will challenge you to stay on the bike, Riches revenge is a mile of fast flowy fun, speedy ridge is pretty damn speedy, bobal ridge has some killer rooty climbs, and the new roller coaster has some great chutes and wooden berms. Start from the east trailhead to shake it up a bit.

Loved Dark side challenging and the roller coaster was awesome but kicked my ass (wrecked on the second run).The outback loop is really easy for most of the trail, there were couple of good hills that are great for newbies. Really liked this trail and when I'm back at the Dunes will def go back.

Best trail in NWI hands down. 10 miles and uses both sides east/west of salt creek. Has some tight techy stuff and some fast sections. Jump line for the Bmx types but ridable for all ages. Darkside trail dropn in and gives you 4.7 miles of intermediate rated flow through the woods. Short punchy climbs to techy rooty downhills with a few hidden jumps here an there (optional) Choose to "roller coaster" before of after, but either way yer legs are gonna burn when your done blasting up and down the hill side littered with wooden bridges and berms. The Outback loop is a modest beginner / intermediate on the west side of the creek, fast and flow with just a few climbs in the back section.
Hidden gem = Hinterland, the "when creek side trails are wet" option can be found in the far north east corner of the soccer fields and will take you across a bunch of wooden boardwalks and bridges ( covered in chicken wire for traction) to the Trailer run in the back, so you can ride the rest of Darkside out. Usually great mileage when everything else is still to wet.

Being a northern Hoosier currently transplanted to the Chicago area, I'm so disappointed I didn't hear about this awesome MF'n trail sooner! This is exactly what Big Marsh should turn into! Flowy singletrack for the beginners and some kick ass climbs and harder obstacles for the more advanced guys and gals. I will most definitely be frequenting this little beauty in the heart of Portage and I would recommend it to anyone in the area!

Hidden Gem. Great for all skill levels with good variety. Backside gets a little wet near the stream after big rains. Sweet trail and kept up well - make a day of it!

It's a nice fun trail . I love the dark side . Definitely something to visit in northwest Indiana.

I've ridden here twice now, just finished my second ride. I'm from Chicago, so the hour, twenty minute drive was nice but the trails are only average to me. Everything's well marked with directional arrows, and there's a nice jump section/ big wooden berm in the dark side. Besides a couple spots, most of it is boring for me, too many flat spots, unbermed turns, and sand. If you're a rider that likes advanced trails, I'd skip here and go to Levis Mounds, Human Powers Trails, Owasippi, Nine Mile, or White Lake.

Way fun. It's my favorite trail locally. One of the best maintained trails I've been too. Ride outback trail for a quick 3 mile ride then hit Darkside for more technical and longer run. I haven't had a chance to ride the basement or the new expansion yet but I can't wait for warmer weather to get out there. Ride reverse is a fun way to switch up the trail so even when the river floods we still get in a good fun ride.

Stopped by here for a couple of hours while on business travelling to Detroit from Chicago. The locals have quite a trail network to be proud of. I was here on the 23rd of Sept 15 and the majority of the trails had dried out with the exception of the basement trail(closed) and the light side trail by the river. Good mix of trails with nothing too challenging. No big drop offs just some sandy sections to catch you out especially on roller coaster. Some rock gardens but more fun than challenging. Found roller coaster to be fun but not technically challenging. I had my long travel bike but found it to be overkill. Would be best suited to a 120mm-140mm 29er which would allow you to keep your momentum up through the rough sections and flow through the gravity assisted sections. Well done guys and I look forward to coming back when next in the US.

This place is great. Very clean and well maintained. I love coming here, always a good time. Multiple different trails from beginner to more advanced. More advanced trails are very fun and worth the time.

I this would be a 4-star trail if not for the excellent community of riders I ran into there. The trail itself is very entertaining with sections of nice flow, a few short, tough, rooty climbs, and some man-made wood features. Navigation can be a bit confusing until you ride it a few times or meet someone (like I did) who is more than happy to show you around. The best part was being able to demo a couple of Canfield Brothers bikes from a local who is very generous with his stable. He enabled my wife and I to be able to ride while up from Florida to visit family. If you're in the area, it's certainly worth a stop and ride, especially if you run into the same good people as did I.

A real nice ride. Tight, twisty, and rooty. Some fun features. A real nice ride if you are in the area or passing through. And LOTS of people pass through this area!
I always stop either after surviving Chicago traffic, or to get my head clear before heading into the onslaught.

This is not much a work out trail but rather a technical trail. There are "most difficult" sections that are not for any rider. Besides those advanced sections, trail is mostly narrow single track and endless number of switchbacks. One advise: bring lots of mosquito repellent or mosquito-monsters will eat you alive !

Very technical trail with lots of obstacles. Definitely not for any rider. One advice: bring insects repellent or monster-mosquitoes will eat you alive !