I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2023, and since then I’ve scratched my backpacking itch on Indiana trails. I’ve walked the Knobstone Hiking Trail 4 times, the Knobstone Trail and Tecumseh Trail at least a half-dozen times each, and the Adventure Hiking Trail once. I’ve also done most of the recent mapping work for the Knobstone Hiking Trail and all the mapping work for the Hoosier Heritage Trail. So I think I’m in a good position to answer questions about Indiana’s backpacking trails.
But I wanted more data, particularly on elevation changes, length and surface types. So I spent a couple dozen hours analyzing every major Indiana backpacking trail. Here’s what I found out:
| Trail | Length | Dirt Path | Road Walk | Rail Trail | Elevation Change |
| American Discovery | 607 mi | 6.7% | 75.6% | 17.6% | 96 ft/mile |
| Hoosier Heritage | 170 mi | 73.3% | 26.5% | 0.2% | 252 ft/mile |
| Knobstone Hiking | 147 mi | 70.1% | 29.7% | 0.2% | 239 ft/mile |
| Knobstone | 51.8 mi | 99.8% | 0.2% | 0% | 373 ft/mile |
| Tecumseh | 43.1 mi | 86.5% | 12.8% | 0.7% | 250 ft/mile |
| Adena Trace | 26.2 mi | 95.4% | 4.6% | 0% | 261 ft/mile |
| Adventure Hiking | 24.4 mi | 100% | 0% | 0% | 331 ft/mile |
So which trail should you choose? If you want a relatively short, challenging experience, try the Knobstone Trail or Adventure Hiking Trail. If you want an easier but still relatively short hike, try the Tecumseh or Adena Trace trails. If you want a longer hike, try the Hoosier Heritage Trail or Knobstone Hiking Trail. And if you want to do a ton of road-walking, hike the American Discovery Trail.
Trail Notes:
American Discovery Trail: I wouldn’t want to hike this one, because I prefer to hike on dirt, and it’s 93% paved. I might consider biking it someday, but oddly it includes part of the Knobstone Trail where bikes aren’t allowed. More info at discoverytrail.org.
Hoosier Heritage Trail: This is the newest trail on the list. It includes a number of fire roads, logging roads, and access roads that are not always well maintained. Choose it if you’re looking for a longer hike and an adventure. More info at hoosierheritagetrail.org.
Knobstone Hiking Trail: The first time I hiked this, I skipped the 33.5 mile road walk in the middle. Since then, I’ve hiked the road walk a few times and don’t feel the need to ever do it again. Other than that, it’s one of my favorite Indiana trails. More info at knobstonehikingtrail.org.
Knobstone Trail: The Indiana DNR claims this trail is 60 miles long. It’s not–I’ve hiked it at least a half a dozen times and taken several gpx tracks for it. Including the loops at the north end, it’s 51.8 miles long. The Knobstone is the most difficult of all Indiana trails by elevation change at 373 feet/mile. (That makes it more difficult than the Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail, but easier than the Appalachian Trail, by the way). It’s among my favorite Indiana trails and I plan to hike it until I no longer can. More info here.
Tecumseh Trail: This is a lovely trail with three shelters available. One of them, Charlie’s Shelter, is easily one of the nicest shelters/campsites I’ve ever visited. The trail has some problems with logging, an reroute/road walk forced by The Indiana Railroad Company, and the lack of trailhead at the southern terminus, but it’s still well worth the hike. More info here.
Adena Trace Trail: I haven’t hiked this one. I plan to rectify that later this year. More info here.
Adventure Hiking Trail: The second most difficult Indiana trail by elevation change at 331 feet per mile. It’s commonly quoted at 26 miles, but a reroute 3-4 years ago reduced the length slightly. The map the Indiana DNR puts out is not current, but the trail is well-blazed with a neat directional blazing system, so you can always tell if you’re going clockwise or counterclockwise. More info here.
Did I miss any significant Indiana backpacking trails? Have questions? Comments? Let’s chat below. –Mike Mullin
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