Wayne County. Our own reading at its map point gives 1,249. The low point is 320 feet on the Ohio River in Posey County, footnoted to the Corps of Engineers
Open two weekdays and two Saturdays a month in season, on a permit, after a safety briefing and a signed acknowledgment of danger
Suspension for a low, wet state
Indiana is a low state and the numbers say so. The sixteen towns in this guide run from 421 feet at Tell City to 979 at Richmond, and the state high point, Hoosier Hill in Wayne County, is 1,257 feet. Nothing here asks for altitude-tuned damping or long-travel articulation.
What it asks for is composure on washboard gravel at road speed with a load, and enough control to stay out of the soft shoulder on a forest road in March. Tell a shop the trip is hill-country gravel and paved byway in the rain, not rock crawling, and let it spec accordingly.
A suspension shop matches spring rates and shock valving to the vehicle's real loaded weight, corrects the geometry that a lift changes, and aligns it afterward. On an overland vehicle the goal is control and durability under constant load, not maximum height.
The work usually includes
01Coil and leaf springs rated for the load
02Shocks: monotube, remote reservoir or adjustable
03Control arms, track bars, driveline and brake line corrections
04Air bags or helper springs for heavy rear loads
05Alignment after the work
06Advice on gearing when tire size goes up
How to choose a suspension shop
The right shop asks about weight before it asks about height.
01Weigh the vehicle loaded, or ask the shop to. Choosing springs without a weight is a guess.
02Ask what else the lift changes on your platform: alignment range, driveline angles, brake lines, headlight aim and driver-assistance sensors.
03Ask whether they align in house.
04Ask for the least height that clears your tires and keeps the geometry happy. More lift is not better.
05Ask how it will ride at both ends of your use: empty around town and loaded on washboard.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
Weight is the number that matters.
01Year, model and drivetrain
02Current tire size and the size you want to run
03Everything bolted on: bumper, winch, rack, tent, drawers, water
04Loaded weight, if you have been across a scale
05How you use it, and a budget range
Questions people ask
How much lift do I need?
Less than you think. Most overland travel is dirt roads, washboard and the occasional ledge, and the vehicle spends its life loaded. Enough lift to clear a sensible all-terrain tire, with springs rated for your weight, usually drives better and breaks less than a tall kit.
Why does my truck sag in the back?
Because the factory springs were chosen for an empty truck. Drawers, a fridge, water, a tent and a rear bumper add constant weight. The fix is springs rated for that constant load, sometimes with air bags for the occasional heavy trip.
Do bigger tires mean I need new gears?
Larger tires make the engine and transmission work harder and change the speedometer reading. Whether re-gearing is worth it depends on the tire size, the vehicle and how much weight you carry. A shop that knows your platform can tell you where the line is.
How high is Indiana?
From Tell City at 421 feet to Hoosier Hill at 1,257.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
RichmondOn the Historic National Road, the nearest city to Hoosier Hill979 ft
BloomingtonThe base for Monroe Lake, Tower Ridge Road and the Deam Wilderness770 ft
BedfordWhere the Hoosier National Forest keeps its supervisor’s office684 ft
ChestertonThe main approach to Indiana Dunes and its state park640 ft
PaoliOrange County services for Youngs Creek and Springs Valley625 ft
BrownstownJackson-Washington State Forest, Skyline Drive and the Knobstone Trail623 ft
Michigan CityEast end of the national park shoreline, on US 12620 ft
MartinsvilleNorth gateway to Morgan-Monroe State Forest and its back country area605 ft
NashvilleBrown County services beside Yellowwood State Forest596 ft
CorydonHarrison County, at the edge of Harrison-Crawford State Forest590 ft
LintonThe town by Redbird, one of two state off-road areas536 ft
EnglishCrawford County, between the Hoosier’s sandstone cliffs and the Ohio River byway507 ft
MadisonOhio River services on the byway east of the forest491 ft
JasperFull services in Dubois County before Patoka Lake and Ferdinand State Forest468 ft
LynnvilleThe town by Interlake, the larger state off-road area463 ft
Tell CityOhio River town at the south end of the Hoosier, near the Tell City ranger district421 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Hoosier HillThe highest point in Indiana, on farm ground in Wayne County. Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 1,249 feet1,257 ft
Weed Patch HillOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in the Brown County hills1,055 ft
PinnacleOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in the Jackson County knobs954 ft
PinnacleSkyline Drive, Jackson-Washington State Forest954 ft
Nebo RidgeOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, on the ridge the Hoosier’s 8.6 mile trail follows921 ft
Hickory RidgeOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, on the ridge above the Deam Wilderness horse trails908 ft
Hickory RidgeTower Ridge Road: Indiana 446 south of Bloomington to the Deam Wilderness trailheads and the lookout tower908 ft
Low GapOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, at the gap that names the road along Morgan-Monroe’s back country area782 ft
Low GapMorgan-Monroe State Forest roads782 ft
German RidgeOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in the Perry County hills above the Ohio781 ft
Hardin RidgeOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, above Monroe Lake781 ft
German RidgeGerman Ridge Recreation Area road: Indiana 37 south to Indiana 70, then east less than a mile to the signed turn781 ft
Hardin RidgeHardin Ridge Road off Indiana 446: Indiana 446 south of Bloomington by Chapel Hill Road to Monroe Lake781 ft
Mount HoldenOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, one of the named dunes at Indiana Dunes State Park758 ft
Mount TomOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point. The state says its dunes tower nearly 200 feet above Lake Michigan751 ft
Mount TomIndiana Dunes State Park roads751 ft
Mount JacksonOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, the third of the named dunes at the state park742 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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