COLUMN: Trailing or Leading: MYPath in the economic driver seat

We have talked about the economic impact of trails. People who use the trails tend to spend money, boosting the local economy. And we talked about the trail counts. The pavement, bridge and other improvements have brought an increasing number of visitors to the MYPath Trail. Now it's time to combine those concepts and talk about real dollars.

Last year a group of graduate students from Indiana University conducted a thorough study of MYPath and the regional trail concept. One of the key findings was an economic impact analysis. Based on similar economic studies of similar trails in similar communities, they estimated the impact of local users was between $7.21 and $11.33. The median value of that is $9.27 per visit.

We have had trail counters in three spots on MYPath. These are simple counters, not cameras. They do not provide any photos or any videos of any visitors. What they do quite well is record when something passes by. We have been recording MYPath crossings since April 2023. In May of 2023, we recorded 698 passages. In May of 2026, we recorded 2,791 passages.

Okay, it's time for some math. Take the economic impact of each person, $9.27, and multiply it by the number of people who visited in May of this year. I needed my calculator for this. The economic impact of MYPath, for the month of May 2026 was $25,873.

If you doubt the economic impact of a trail visitor, I invite you to join us for a Wednesday walk. Better yet, join those of us who meet at Main Street Coffee before the hike. I get at least a cup of coffee. Sometimes I get a muffin. More than once, I've gotten breakfast. Others in the group have had breakfast by the time I get there, and at least one usually orders a lunch to be picked up later. I frequently get lunch somewhere else. The people who don't join us at Main Street Coffee may fill up their gas tank, visit Babbs or take advantage of being in town to do other shopping.

The economic activity is real. It is at least $25,873 for a single month. And it is happening only because the MYPath trail exists.

I submitted this column before I had the chance to download the June 2026 numbers. Do you think they will be higher? Do you believe we will hit 3,000 monthly users before the end of summer? Then the impact will be $27,810. Will we hit 5,000 users one of these months? That's $46,350. Those are only monthly figures. What will be the impact for a year?

Now, these are just local users. The economic impact for non-local users is between $13 and $30.50 per person. Overnight visitors generate between $98 and $176.98 each. As MYPath expands and people become more aware of it, usage and economic impact will increase. Just wait until we connect to McCormick's Creek State Park.

In Owen County, we are fortunate to have events and activities that draw visitors and their money. Think how good the Owen County Fair is for local businesses during fair week. Think of the Apple Butter Festival. Think about the other fun events we host around the square. These are all important parts of the economic mix. Do they generate over $20,000 each month?

I haven't even talked about the positive impact on housing and development. Recently, the Indianapolis Cultural Trail reported the impact of that trail through our capitol city is at $3 billion.

Right now, a paved MYPath with a bridge is less than two-years-old. And it is starting to grow, in both usage and its reach. It is time to start treating MYPath as a key economic driver in Owen County right now. And it's only going to get bigger.