A new walking trail along the perimeter of the Douglas County State Fishing Lake is officially open, beginning at the southern corner of the lake.

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the trail was on Aug. 16. At the event, Don Phipps, who started the project, said, “The state’s position is that it’s a fishing and hunting park, but we also have now turned it into a hiking park.”

Phipps, a nature lover, came up with the idea for a walking trail a year and a half ago. Although it is still a work in progress, Dave Hill, chairman of the Baldwin City Economic Development Corporation, presented Phipps with the 2014 Community Service Award for his dedication to building the trail. The path is a combination of both a road and a trail that leads up to the dam.

“The trail is basically through some pin-points along the highway,” Phipps said. “I must admit it is really beautiful when you walk the trial, which I have done multiple times now, especially walking north to the berm.”

Students who are interested in using the trail can go north on Sixth Street for approximately one mile and then follow N. 400 Road, also known as State Lake Road, for another mile.

An edit has been made to clarify that Dave Hill is the chairman of Baldwin City Economic Development Corporation, not the Baldwin City Economic Development Commission.