Recreation
The Hoosier National Forest is within a 2-hour drive of Cincinnati, Evansville, Indianapolis, and Louisville. The Forest offers people a tranquil setting to explore, fish, hike, hunt and reconnect with nature. There are over 260 miles of trails on the forest for hiking, mountain biking, or horseback riding. Trail systems may be open to more than one type of use, so please be courteous to other users.
Please note: To reduce our paper use, printed trail maps will no longer be available at trailhead kiosks when current supplies run out.
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Hardin Ridge Recreation Area
Site Open
Hardin Ridge Recreation Area is located on Monroe Lake south of Bloomington, Indiana. This recreation area offers​ six campground loops, two picnic areas and three shelterhouses,​ two of which…
Hickory Ridge Fire Tower
Site Open
The Hickory Ridge Lookout Tower, now standing guard over the Charles C. Deam Wilderness was once a sentinel built to protect a fledgling forest from wildfire. Today, it stands as a tribute to its…
Indian-Celina Lakes Recreation Area
Site Open
Indian-Celina Lakes Recreation Area is located two miles south of Interstate 64 off Indiana 37. It offers​ opportunities for both overnight and day use, with two camping loops and two lakes that…
Initial Point
Site Open
Initial Point marks the initial survey point for Indiana. Ebenezer Buckingham Jr. surveyed west to establish the original wooden post on September 1, 1805. This point represents the intersection of…
Jackpine Loop
Site Open
Jackpine Loop Campground is one of three shady campground loops in the Tipsaw Lake Recreation Area and includes 23 individual sites. The loop has centralized water, flush toilets, hot showers, and a…
Maines Pond
Site Open
This small pond is surrounded by open grasslands, thickets of brush and cedar, and patches of small trees. A buried pipeline runs behind the pond and the pipeline corridor is kept mowed which…
Mano Point Fishing Area
Site Open
Mano Point is a fishing access point on the Ohio River. This facility offers restrooms, parking, bank fishing, a picnic table and interpretive sign, as well as a ramp to launch boats on the Ohio…
North Face Loop
Site Open
North Face Loop includes 36 individual sites. The loop contains centralized water, flush toilets, hot showers, and a recharge table for electric boat motors. A selection of single or extra large,…
Paw Paw Marsh
Site Open
Paw Paw Marsh is a flooded wetland along an oxbow of the Lost River, where there is a high probability of seeing beaver and muskrat. Surrounding lowlands contain hardwood forest, a white pine…
Pioneer Mothers' Memorial Forest
Site Open
This 88-acre old growth oak-hickory forest has been virtually undisturbed since before it was purchased by Joseph Cox in 1816. After being protected by the Cox family for 124 years, when a descendent…