Indiana

Indiana map

State Coordinator – Northern Route
Mitch Barloga
Transportation Planning Manager / Active Transportation Planner
Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC)
6100 Southport Road
Portage, Indiana 46368
mbarloga@nirpc.org

State Coordinator – Southern Route 

Indiana Trails c/o Richard Vonnegut
PO Box 1688
Indianapolis, IN 46206-1688
Wk: 317-237-9348
trails@indianatrails.com

General Overview of Trail
Indiana is known as the “Crossroads of America” because of its central location. The American Discovery Trail offers a diverse, interesting, and challenging route for hikers, bikers, and other trail users as they cross Indiana on either the northern or the southern route of the ADT, which together total 616 miles. The Northern Midwest Route of the ADT goes 250 miles northwest from Richmond across the great Midwestern Corn Belt to the more industrialized region south of Gary. The Southern Midwest Route of the ADT follows 366 miles along and just north of the Ohio River through the Southern Hills region, the only part of Indiana that the glaciers did not reach.

Although Indiana’s weather ranges from cold, snowy winter days to hot and humid ones in the summer, its weather overall is considered temperate with few days being extreme. Expect showers in spring and cool, crisp, sunny days in the fall.

The most up-to-date, detailed trail directions are published in the ADT Data Books.

For county maps, contact:
Indiana Department of Transportation
Print Graphics
9900 Westpoint Drive, Suite 106
Indianapolis, ON 46256
Phone: 317-842-3191
Angela Powers, Cardinal Greenway
Phone: 765-287-0399

Maps of Knobstone & Adventure Hiking Trails
Knobstone Trail Maps can be purchased at the DNR customer service center.
The maps are $4.00 each and include shipping.
They are 24”X36” on waterproof paper and are printed in full color.
Also, you can download the pdf files that are about 7.0MB by visiting our website at: http://www.in.gov/dnr/outdoor/4224.htm.

DNR, Customer Service Center
402 West Washington St. Room W160
Indianapolis IN 46204-2739
(317) 232-4200 or (877) 463-6367
(8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Mon – Fri, except holidays)
Or you may complete your transactions in person at the location above.

Detailed Trail Description — Northern Route
There are three segments totaling 250 miles, mostly paved rail bank trails and rural roads:

Ohio State Line to Marion – 86 miles
The northern route crosses flat, glaciated topography. This part of Indiana is noted for its large grain farms, reservoirs and lakes, state parks, and wildlife areas. Much of the trail in the northwest is on back roads, but the route follows more than 90 miles of greenway trails in the state. From the east the ADT’s northern route enters Indiana just south of Richmond where it utilizes the Whitewater River Gorge Trail as a connector to the 57-mile-long Cardinal Greenway (the longest private greenway in existence). The Cardinal Greenway passes through Muncie before ending at Marion where it is but a short hop to the Sweetser Switch (another greenway). 

Marion to Rochester – 67 miles

The trail follows another scenic, significant rail-trail, the Nickel Plate, for some 30 miles, most of the way from Cassville to Rochester. The trail passes through Peru, which was once the winter home of many circuses and now features a fine circus museum.

Rochester to Illinois State Line- 97 miles

The route follows the shore of Bruce Lake and passes Tippecanoe River State Park and Winamac State Fish and Wildlife Area. The Erie-Lackawanna Trail provides another greenway, with the route tying in to the Pennsy Greenway to cross into Illinois. 

Affiliated Trails

  • Whitewater Gorge National Recreation Trail
  • Cardinal Greenway
  • Erie Trail-North Judson
  • Nickel Plate Trail
  • Sweetser Switch Trail (connection between cardinal Greenway and Nickle Plate)
  • Dearborn County Trail

Forests

  • Clark State Forest
  • Harrison-Crawford State Forest
  • Hoosier National Forest

Parks

  • Tippecanoe River State Park
  • Summit Lake State Park

Points of Interest

  • Bass Lake State Beach
  • Jasper-Pulaski State Fish and Wildlife Area
  • Lake Manitou
  • Frances Slocum State Recreation Area
  • Grissom Air Force Base Museum
  • Circus Museum-Downtown Peru
  • Lake Bruce
  • Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve

Organizations

  • NW Indiana Regional Planning Commission

Detailed Trail Description — Southern Route
There are six segments totaling 366 miles, mostly trails and rural roads.

Ohio Line to Clifty Falls State Park – 70 miles

The Southern Midwest Route of the ADT enters Indiana on the paved State Line Road and follows roads through Greendale and into Lawrenceburg, an early 1800s steamboat town on a bend in the Ohio River. Aurora, known as “River City U.S.A.,” is on IN 56 as you turn away from the Ohio River. Parts of the route into Farmers Retreat are on gravel roads and pass through the towns of Hartford and Milton. This section is known as the Laugherty Creek Trail and is an official Boy Scout trail. Friendship is the site of the annual National Muzzle Loading Rifle Championship Association competition. The ADT follows IN 62 (which is the Chief White Eye Trail) and passes through Madison, which contains the largest National Historic Landmark District in the United States, as well as Clifty Falls State Park.

Clifty Falls State Park to Deam Lake Campground- 54 miles

After passing Hanover College, Indiana’s oldest private college (1827), the trail leaves the Ohio River again and passes through Saluda and Underwood before reaching the Clark State Forest. The Knobstone Trail follows 58 miles of the north-south Knobstone Escarpment. The ADT joins the Knobstone Trail in Clark State Forest and goes south to the Deam Lake trailhead. 

Deam Lake State Park to Corydon – 48 miles

From Deam Lake State Park the ADT takes back roads through Wilson and St. Joseph to New Albany, across from Louisville, Kentucky. In nearby Jeffersonville guided tours are available at the Hillerich and Bradsby Company, makers of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat. The ADT follows IN 111 south along the river to Corydon, Indiana’s first state capital and the site of Indiana’s only Civil War battle. The ADT joins the 27-mile Adventure National Recreation Trail in Harrison-Crawford State Forest. The Wyandotte Caves nearby are worth a visit. 

Corydon to St. Meinrad – 96 miles

The ADT again winds high above the Ohio River with great views before entering the Hoosier National Forest. Through the Hoosier the ADT is on the Mogon Ridge, Tipsaw Lake, and Two Lakes trails. The ADT is on a gravel road from Sassafras to St. Meinrad 

St. Meinrad to Evansville – 65 miles

The route then passes through Fulda and on to Santa Claus, where the Holiday Amusement Park is located. Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial preserves the farm where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1816–30. The ADT enters Lincoln State Park where the musical drama “Young Abe Lincoln” can be enjoyed. 

The ADT is on gravel roads from Gentryville through Folsomville to Boonville, where a visit to the Warrick County Museum is recommended. On gravel roads, the ADT heads south through Pelzer to IN 662 (Hoosier Heritage Scenic Trail) where the ADT is once again along the Ohio River. Angel Mounds State Historic Site is the location of the largest and best preserved prehistoric Indian Mounds dating from 1200 to 1400. Through Evansville, the ADT takes Memorial Parkway, a greenbelt where there are historic monuments as well as the Evansville Museum of Art, History, and Science. 

Evansville to Illinois State Line (Wabash River) – 33 miles

Leaving Evansville, the ADT is on gravel roads through Heusler to Mount Vernon and then Hovey Lake, which is a cypress swamp. The ADT crosses the Wabash River on IN 62 into Illinois.

Affiliated Trails

Forests

  • Clark State Forest
  • Harrison-Crawford State Forest
  • Hoosier National Forest

Parks

  • Burdette Park
  • Clifty Falls State Park
  • Lincoln State Park
  • Falls of the Ohio State Park
  • O’Bannon Woods State Park

Points of Interest

  • Holiday World Amusement Park
  • Angel Mounds State Historic Site
  • Col. Williams Jones State Historic Site
  • Pigeon Roost State Historic Site
  • Hill Forest State Historic Site
  • Wyandotte Caves
  • Hovey Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area
  • Corydon Capitol State Historic Sites
  • Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
  • Madison National Historic Landmark District

Trail Organizations

Media and News

Adjoining Trail States:  Illinois – Ohio