Overlanding

Indiana

Why Indiana runs on plated vehicles and published roads

Indiana is 1.7 percent federal. The Congressional Research Service counts 383,751 federal acres of 23,158,400, with no Bureau of Land Management ground at all, and the largest single federal owner is not a land agency: the Department of Defense holds 150,753 acres, more than the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service together. Our build of the federal recreation database finds fourteen federal campgrounds a vehicle can reach in the whole state.

That leaves one federal forest carrying most of the driving. The Hoosier National Forest calls itself a 205,000 acre forest in the hills of south central Indiana and lists nine counties in its area: Brown, Crawford, Dubois, Jackson, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange and Perry. It publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map every January, and the sentence on it that governs your trip is short: all motorized vehicles must be street legal under Indiana state law, and off road vehicles are not allowed on the Hoosier National Forest.

Read that as good news rather than bad. A plated, insured truck or van is exactly the vehicle the Hoosier is designed around, and the forest says plainly that dispersed camping is allowed throughout most of it, with drive-in designated sites along several roads. Trailered machines are the ones with nowhere to go on federal ground here, and the state answers them separately at two reclaimed coal properties, Redbird and Interlake, which are the only places the state itself runs for off-road driving.

The far north is a different trip again. Indiana Dunes National Park holds over 16,000 acres along fifteen miles of Lake Michigan shoreline from Gary to Michigan City, threaded between steel mills and commuter towns, and the Park Service says most of its facilities are reached off US 12 rather than off any forest road. Indiana rewards a driver who reads the right rulebook before setting out: the forest map for federal roads, the property page for a state forest, the county ordinance for a county road, and 36 CFR 327 at any Corps lake.

Indiana by the numbers

of Indiana is federal land 1: 1.7%; 383,751 of 23,158,400 acres, and none of it Bureau of Land Management
federal acres held by Defense 1: 150,753; The largest federal owner in Indiana, and closed ground rather than recreation land
acres in the Hoosier National Forest 5: 205,000; Its own figure. The Congressional Research Service counts 204,380 Forest Service acres statewide
federal campgrounds a vehicle can reach 2: 14; 10 Forest Service, 3 Park Service and 1 Corps of Engineers; our build of the federal recreation database
off-road vehicle riding on the national forest 7: None; The forest states outright that off road vehicles are not allowed, and that every motor vehicle must be street legal
acres in 15 state forests 25: 160,251; The Division of Forestry’s own table. These, not the state parks, are where dispersed camping is permitted
acres at Interlake, with nearly 100 miles of trail 37: ~3,550; The property’s own figure. The Division’s off-roading index page gives 3,500 acres
acres at Redbird, the other state off-road area 35: 1,400; Both take full-size vehicles, and both require the vehicle to be registered or street legal
acres in the Charles C. Deam Wilderness 10: 12,953; Designated 1982, the only congressionally designated wilderness in Indiana, and closed to every wheeled vehicle
Hoosier Hill, the state high point 3: 1,257 ft; 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
of snow a year at Indianapolis 75: 25.5 in; The 1991 to 2020 normal. Annual precipitation there is 43.63 inches
acres at Big Oaks, on a former proving ground 67: 50,000; Open two weekdays and two Saturdays a month in season, on a permit, after a safety briefing and a signed acknowledgment of danger

Who owns Indiana, and which federal acres are shut

The federal share here is small and unevenly useful. Of the 383,751 acres the Congressional Research Service counts, 204,380 are Forest Service, 150,753 are Defense, 17,743 are Fish and Wildlife Service and 10,875 are National Park Service. There is no Bureau of Land Management ground in Indiana and no Indiana route in the national Bureau of Land Management transportation layer, so no federal backcountry byway mileage exists to quote.

The Defense acreage is the part that surprises people. Its best known piece is the former Jefferson Proving Ground, an Army munitions testing facility between 1940 and 1995, and the Fish and Wildlife Service now runs 50,000 acres of it as Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson, Jennings and Ripley counties under a 99 year real estate permit from the Army. The Indiana Air National Guard still operates an air to ground bombing range on 1,033 acres of the same property. Every visitor there attends a safety briefing, signs an acknowledgment of danger agreement and buys a public access permit before entering.

The rest of the federal map is easier. The Hoosier National Forest sits across nine southern counties. Indiana Dunes National Park covers the Lake Michigan shore in the far north. Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area protects 23,743 acres along 30 miles of river corridor in the southwest. Between them, those three carry almost all of the federal recreation ground in the state.

Source 1

How the Hoosier is laid out, and why that matters

The Hoosier National Forest is not a block. It calls itself a 205,000 acre forest in the hills of south central Indiana and names nine counties in its area: Brown, Crawford, Dubois, Jackson, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange and Perry. Those acres are scattered through private farm and woodland in parcels, with the northern concentration around Monroe Lake and the Deam Wilderness and the southern one in Perry and Crawford counties above the Ohio River.

The practical effect is that you drive between units on county roads and state highways, and the boundary changes under you without a sign. That is the reason the forest tells users to consult local law for the many roads inside its boundary that belong to a state or a county, and the reason the Motor Vehicle Use Map is worth having open rather than remembered.

It also means the two halves of the forest behave differently. The north is ridge and lake country with the wilderness in the middle of it and Bloomington close by on Highway 446. The south is sandstone and river bluff, with free campgrounds, an eight dollar self-service station at German Ridge and no town of any size between them.

Source 6

Where a vehicle may legally leave the pavement

Four systems answer this question in Indiana, and only one of them is generous. On the Hoosier National Forest the Motor Vehicle Use Map is the authority: designated routes are open, all motorized vehicles must be street legal under Indiana state law, and an ATV may not be ridden on any forest road at all, including roads inside campgrounds. Most designated roads suit a passenger vehicle and some are meant for high clearance only. Many roads inside the forest boundary belong to the state or a county instead, and the forest tells you to check local law for those.

On a state forest, vehicle use is restricted to roadways, and four-wheel vehicles, off-road vehicles, mountain bikes, motorcycles and snowmobiles are not allowed on service roads or recreational trails. On a state park it is tighter still: all motorized vehicles shall remain on paved roadway, and snowmobiles are prohibited. At a Corps of Engineers lake, 36 CFR 327.2 prohibits operating or parking a vehicle off authorised roadways except where the District Commander designates.

Which leaves two properties. Redbird Off-Road State Recreation Area at Linton is 1,400 acres, and Interlake Off-Road State Recreation Area at Lynnville is about 3,550 acres with nearly 100 miles of trail and 17 lakes. Both welcome full-size vehicles alongside dirt bikes, quads, side by sides and home built machines, both open sunrise to sunset seven days a week, and both charge fifteen dollars for a daily trail pass or ninety five for the annual permit.

Public roads are a fifth answer and the least predictable one. The Division states that laws governing off-road vehicle use on public roads are made individually by each county, that counties may differ on township limits, specific roads, vehicle type, age, hours, insurance, helmets, lights and vehicle width, and that riders should read the county ordinance first.

Source 8

Three camping rulebooks, and which one is drive-in

The Hoosier is the one that suits a vehicle. Dispersed camping is allowed throughout most of the forest, stays are limited to 14 days in a 28 day period and 28 days total per calendar year, and a camp must be at least 200 feet from trails, trailheads, roads, water sources, rock shelters, caves and historic structures. Camping along a road is prohibited unless you are in a designated site, and the forest has put drive-in designated dispersed sites along roads in several areas. Where those sites exist a vehicle may park within one vehicle length or up to 30 feet from the edge of a designated road.

The state forests permit dispersed camping where the state parks refuse it, but read the fine print before driving down: it is walk-in camping on three named trail systems, not a licence to pull off a forest road. It is allowed on sections of the Knobstone Trail at Clark and Jackson-Washington, on sections of the Adventure Trail at Harrison-Crawford, and on sections of the Tecumseh Trail at Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood. Sites sit at least a quarter mile from all roads, recreation areas and trailheads and at least 100 feet from the trail.

Corps water carries the third rulebook. Under 36 CFR 327.7 camping is permitted only at designated sites or areas, and camping at one or more campsites at any one project for longer than 14 days in any 30 consecutive days is prohibited without the District Commander’s written permission. At Indiana Dunes National Park the Dunewood Campground runs 1 April through 1 November with 67 sites, 54 of them conventional drive-in, at 25 dollars a night.

Source 9

What the gates do, and when

Indiana closes ground by season rather than by snowpack, and the dates are tied to deer seasons as often as to weather. At Jackson-Washington State Forest, Skyline Drive closes after the first snow accumulation until 1 April, and Mail Route Road in Washington County is a seasonal road that closes to vehicles after deer muzzleloader season until April. At Owen-Putnam, the Rattlesnake campground closes to vehicles after deer firearms season until April and stays open to walk-in access. At Morgan-Monroe, Hatfield Ridge Road is gated with seasonal access, and Oak Ridge and Scout Ridge campgrounds close from 1 January to 31 March while Mason Ridge stays open all year.

Federal campgrounds run on a milder calendar. The Hoosier says its campground open season is generally April through October, with some campgrounds open year round at reduced amenities and a reduced rate. Hardin Ridge takes campers from early April through late October while its trails stay open all year, and Indian-Celina splits the difference: South Slope sites run early April through October, North Face sites stay open all year with limited services from November through March at ten dollars a primitive site and fifteen for electric.

Nothing here is posted the way a mountain pass is. Indiana publishes no statewide seasonal closure table, so a gate is found on the property page for the forest you are driving to, or on the forest’s own alerts list, and not on a single map.

Source 42

Rain, snow and what they do to a gravel road

The number that shapes driving here is rainfall rather than snowfall. Indianapolis takes 43.63 inches of precipitation a year on the 1991 to 2020 normals, and it falls on the same southern hills that carry every unpaved road in this guide. A graded forest road there is firm in August and soft in March, and nothing is signposted to tell you which one you are on today.

Snow is real but modest by northern standards. Indianapolis averages 25.5 inches a year on the same normals. The far north gets more off Lake Michigan, which is why the dunes end of the state behaves like a different climate from Perry County in January.

The Department of Transportation normally conducts winter operations between mid November and mid March, and treats snow and ice removal as its first priority in that window. That is the period when everything you drive gets salted, and the period when the state forest gates listed above are shut.

Source 76

The reservoirs are federal, the campgrounds are not

Indiana’s big lakes were built by the Corps of Engineers and are run day to day by the Department of Natural Resources, which is why a federal lake here has state gate fees. Monroe Lake is 23,952 acres of property around a 10,750 acre lake, with 226 electric and 94 non-electric sites spread across recreation areas at Paynetown, Fairfax, Allen’s Creek, Cutright, Moore’s Creek, Salt Creek, Pine Grove and Crooked Creek.

Patoka Lake is 25,800 acres around an 8,800 acre lake across seven state recreation areas, with 455 electric and 45 primitive sites. The Corps Lakes Gateway gives the Patoka water as 8,880 acres in summer, so both figures are in print and neither is wrong. Brookville Lake is 16,445 acres around a 5,260 acre lake in Franklin and Union counties, split between Mounds and Quakertown recreation areas, with 62 full hookup and 388 electric sites.

The practical consequence is a split bill. The land rules are federal, under 36 CFR 327, while the gate charges seven dollars for an Indiana plate and fifteen for anything else, and the booking for the state recreation areas goes through the state system rather than through Recreation.gov.

Source 48

Twelve Corps projects and one Corps campground

The Corps Lakes Gateway lists twelve Indiana projects: Brookville, Cagles Mill, Cecil M. Harden, J. Edward Roush, Mississinewa, Monroe, Patoka and Salamonie lakes, plus the Cannelton, Markland and Newburgh pools on the Ohio River and the John T. Myers lock and dam. Four of those twelve are navigation pools rather than reservoirs, which is worth knowing before planning a night around one.

Against that, our build of the federal recreation database finds a single Corps run campground a vehicle can reach in the whole state, Quakertown at Brookville Lake in Franklin County. Every other bed on Corps water in Indiana is sold by the state.

Source 70

The state forests are the quiet half of the state

Fifteen state forests hold 160,251 acres, and they are run for timber, wildlife and recreation together rather than as parks. The Division says camping in state forests is generally more primitive than other camping it offers, that only Deam Lake and Starve Hollow have comfort stations, and that 125 miles of its trails carry dispersed camping. Hunting is open on more than 160,000 acres of the system.

Clark, established in 1903, is the oldest and largest at more than 25,600 acres. Morgan-Monroe holds 24,515.5 acres and a back country area east of Low Gap Road where overnight backpack camping is permitted on registration, in groups of six or fewer, for three nights at most and never within a quarter mile of an access point. Yellowwood holds 24,162.9 acres and takes no reservations at all, on any day of the year.

Further south, Harrison-Crawford runs to about 24,000 acres around O’Bannon Woods State Park, Jackson-Washington to nearly 18,000 in the Jackson County knobs, and Greene-Sullivan to almost 9,000 acres of reclaimed coal country holding more than 120 lakes. The small ones matter too, because they are where a quiet night is easiest to find: Ferdinand has 57 campsites, Martin 26, Owen-Putnam 38 across three areas and Pike 36.

Source 26

The byways are the through-routes

The Federal Highway Administration lists four nationally designated byways in Indiana: the Historic National Road, which is an All-American Road running through six states; Indiana’s Historic Pathways, which is the state’s own and runs on US 50 and US 150; the Ohio River Scenic Byway, shared with Illinois and Ohio; and the Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway in the southeast.

The Department of Transportation counts differently. It lists the Ohio River byway, the National Road and the Historic Pathways as the national ones, and puts Whitewater Canal among its state designations alongside the Wabash River Scenic Byway, the Historic Michigan Road Byway, the Lincoln Highway Scenic Byway and the Hoosier Hills route. The two agencies disagree about Whitewater Canal’s status rather than about where it goes, and both are given here.

For a driver, the byways are how you cross Indiana between the places this guide describes. Three of the four national routes touch the Hoosier National Forest or the ground immediately around it, and none of them charges a fee.

Source 58

The dunes end of the state

Indiana Dunes National Park covers over 16,000 acres of dunes, oak savannas, swamps, bogs, marshes, prairies, rivers and forests along 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline from Gary to Michigan City. The dunes rise to almost 200 feet in a series of ridges, blowouts and valleys, and over 1,100 flowering plant species and ferns grow in them.

It is also the least backcountry ground in this guide. The park is threaded through steel mills, power stations and commuter towns, and its facilities come off US 12 rather than off a forest road. Camping is Dunewood and the group and walk-in sites attached to it, booked ahead, from April to November.

Inside the national park boundary sits Indiana Dunes State Park, 2,182 acres with 140 electric campsites, all of them 50 amp, and its own gate fee. The three named dunes there, Mount Tom, Mount Holden and Mount Jackson, are the highest ground on the Indiana shore and our own readings of the elevation surface put them at 751, 758 and 742 feet.

Source 66

Passes and routes

The Hoosier National Forest road system

The forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map that clarifies what types of motor vehicle are allowed, when, and where. Designated routes are open to motorized use and every motor vehicle on them must be street legal under Indiana state law. Most designated roads are open and suitable for passenger vehicles and some are meant for high clearance vehicles only. Many roads inside the forest boundary are under state or county jurisdiction, and the forest tells users to consult local law for those. 8

Vehicle
Street legal under Indiana law. No ATV on any forest road, including roads inside campgrounds

Season
Open all year; the map is reissued each January
Tower Ridge Road

908 ft

Indiana 446 south of Bloomington to the Deam Wilderness trailheads and the lookout tower

The gravel road along the ridge above the Charles C. Deam Wilderness, reached by turning east off Highway 446 at the sign for the wilderness and the Maumee Boy Scout Camp. The Hickory Ridge Lookout Tower stands about five miles down it on the left: 110 feet of steel built in 1936 and the last tower left on the forest. The forest currently notes a temporary closure on the road and sends tower traffic round by Hunter Creek Road. 14

Vehicle
Passenger vehicles. Parking prohibited along the road except at designated trailheads
Blackwell Campground road

Highway 446 about eleven miles south of Bloomington to the Grubb Ridge and Cope Hollow trails

The first turning on Tower Ridge Road, about a mile in on the north side. There are no designated sites and a stated capacity of 100 horse trailers, which tells you what the space is shaped for, and trails from it link into the Deam Wilderness system. While the Tower Ridge closure stands, the forest says Blackwell is reached from the west. 15

Season
Open year round, no fee
Hardin Ridge Road off Indiana 446

781 ft

Indiana 446 south of Bloomington by Chapel Hill Road to Monroe Lake

The largest developed recreation area on the forest, on Monroe Lake south of Bloomington, with six campground loops, two picnic areas, three shelterhouses, a three lane boat launch, a swim beach and two rental cabins. Peak rates run from 24 dollars for a walk-to or primitive site to 33 for standard electric, 38 for RV electric, 52 for a double and 64 for a cabin. 17

Season
Campsites early April through late October; trails open year round
State Highway 37 to Tipsaw Lake

6 miles south of Interstate 64

The access to a 131 acre lake in the southern half of the forest, with three camping loops, two group camping areas and a 5.9 mile hiking and mountain bike trail running from the day use area around the water. Non-electric sites are 24 dollars and standard electric 33. The beach runs Memorial Day through Labor Day. 19

Season
Camping loops April through October; hiking year round
Indian-Celina Lakes road

3 miles south of Interstate 64

Two lakes off the same highway, Celina at 164 acres and Indian at 152, both restricted to electric motors. This is the Hoosier campground to know for a winter trip, because the North Face loop stays open with reduced services at ten dollars a primitive site and fifteen for electric. Peak season is 24 dollars for a tent or standard non-electric site and 33 for standard electric. 18

Season
South Slope early April through October; North Face all year with limited services November through March
Saddle Lake road

About 12 to 13 miles south of Interstate 64 on old Highway 37

A primitive campground, a boat ramp and a hiking trail on a 41 acre lake, at five dollars a site paid into a self-service station. The cheapest developed night on federal ground in Indiana and one of the few that needs nothing booked in advance. 20

Season
Year round
Onido Road to Buzzard RoostPaved

Indiana 66 south of Oriole, just off the alternate route of the Ohio River Scenic Byway

Five free campsites on a cliff top where the forest says a visitor can see far into Kentucky and get long views of the Ohio River, with benches at the overlook. The 0.8 mile Buzzard Roost Trail starts on the bluff and drops to the river beside a creek. Quiet hours are 10 at night to 6 in the morning. Take exit 86 off Interstate 64 and go south. 21

Vehicle
Two lane paved road; the forest calls clearance adequate

Season
Year round, no fee for camping or day use parking
County Road 825 West to Shirley Creek

A primitive horse camp in Orange County with pit toilets, hitching racks and water for livestock, open to any forest visitor rather than to riders only. The forest gives the approach by county road and railway crossing rather than by highway number, which is a fair warning about how the southern units are found. 22

Season
Year round, no fee
Youngs Creek from Paoli

12.7 miles of trail from the camp

Indiana 37 south of Paoli by Beech Grove Road and County Road 50 West

A primitive campground with vault toilets, hitching racks and a picnic shelter, and about twelve and a half miles of trail open to hiking, mountain biking and horse riding. Riders and mountain bikers aged 17 and over need a Hoosier trail use permit and must stay on trails designated for that use. 23

Season
Year round, no use fee
German Ridge Recreation Area road

781 ft 24 mile multiple use trail from the camp

Indiana 37 south to Indiana 70, then east less than a mile to the signed turn

The Perry County corner of the forest: a 20 unit primitive campground at eight dollars a night paid at a self-service station, a 24 mile multiple use trail, a short hiking trail round a small lake, a day use area and several historic buildings. Horse camping is allowed and water for horses is provided, but there are no corrals and no loading ramp. 16

Season
Campground year round; beach and day use Memorial Day through Labor Day
The Hoosier’s loop drivesPaved

The forest says loop drives are available on each end of the forest on a printable flier, and names the two byways that cross it: the Ohio River Scenic Byway, which it calls 967 miles and which parallels the river along the forest’s southern edge, and the Indiana Historic Pathways Byway on Highways 50 and 150. It publishes no mileage for the loops themselves, so none is stated here. The Federal Highway Administration measures the Ohio River route at 943 miles, so both figures are in print. 24
Interlake Off-Road State Recreation Area

Nearly 100 miles of trail

About 3,550 acres of reclaimed mine country at Lynnville with 17 lakes, the larger of the two off-road properties the state runs. A daily trail pass is fifteen dollars, the annual off-road vehicle trail use permit ninety five, an out of state permit twenty, and a non-motorised day pass seven for an Indiana resident. Helmets are required except in a vehicle with a fully enclosed metal cab, seatbelts are required for everyone except on an ATV or dirt bike, and vehicles stay on the marked trails. The Division’s off-roading index page gives the property as 3,500 acres, so both figures are published. 37

Vehicle
Full-size vehicles, dirt bikes, ATVs, UTVs and home built machines, all registered or street legal

Season
Sunrise to sunset, seven days a week
Redbird Off-Road State Recreation Area

A 1,400 acre property at Linton named for the coal mine that was there, with trails and challenge areas running from novice to expert and no camping on site. The operator of a full-size vehicle must be at least sixteen and hold a valid driver’s licence, overhead or roll bar protection is required for every occupant, spark arrestors and mufflers must function, and tire chains and studded tires are prohibited outright. The Division’s off-roading index page describes the same property as 1,400 plus acres. 36

Vehicle
All types welcome, including full-size trucks and SUVs. Every vehicle must be registered or licensed

Season
Sunrise to sunset, seven days a week
Skyline Drive, Jackson-Washington State Forest

954 ft

The ridge drive on the forest above Brownstown, and one of the few state forest roads in Indiana with a published closure date of its own. The same forest runs Mail Route Road in Washington County as a seasonal road, closed to vehicles after deer muzzleloader season until April. The property is nearly 18,000 acres in the Jackson County knobs, and class C primitive camping on it is 15 dollars a night including tax. 42

Season
Closes after the first snow accumulation until 1 April
Morgan-Monroe State Forest roads

782 ft

The road network through 24,515.5 acres in Morgan and Monroe counties: the Main Forest Road off Old State Road 37, the Beanblossom Road entrance off Anderson Road, Rosenbaum Road, Gose Creek Road and Hatfield Ridge Road, which is gated and seasonal. Mason Ridge campground holds 19 sites and stays open all year, Oak Ridge holds 10 and closes from 1 January to 31 March, and the back country area east of Low Gap Road is where overnight backpack camping is permitted after registering with the forest office. 38

Vehicle
Vehicle use restricted to roadways. Fire trails are cabled and padlocked
Yellowwood State Forest roads

The forest road system serving 24,162.9 acres west of Nashville, with 80 designated campsites south of the forest office, a carry-in tent area north of it and a ten site class C horsemen’s camp south of the primitive sites. The Tecumseh Trail runs through the property and its back country area, and this page gives that trail as 42 miles where the Morgan-Monroe page gives 40. 39

Season
First come and first served 365 days a year; no reservations taken
Clark State Forest roads

Interstate 65 and State Road 31 by Winding Road and Switchback Road

The road network through the oldest state forest in Indiana, established in 1903 and now more than 25,600 acres. A 40 site family campground sits east of Interstate 65 at 22 dollars and a 28 site equestrian campground west of it at 25, each site with a hitching post, both first come and first served. Seven small lakes take trolling motors only, and more than 70 miles of hiking, mountain bike and equestrian trail include the 60 mile Knobstone Trail. 40
Harrison-Crawford State Forest roads

State Road 62 and State Road 462 by Old Forest Road, Cold Friday Road, Wyandotte Cave Road and Kintner Road

About 24,000 acres of hardwood forest in western Harrison and eastern Crawford counties, wrapped around O’Bannon Woods State Park. The roughly 25 mile Adventure Trail loop takes about three days and permits overnight backpack camping. Stage Stop Campground is closed, so horse camping goes to Horseman’s Hideaway inside the state park, and every horse on the property needs a valid annual horse use tag. 41

Vehicle
The Old Iron Bridge is closed to all traffic
Greene-Sullivan lake roads

Almost 9,000 acres of reclaimed coal country holding more than 120 lakes, founded in 1936 when coal companies gave the Division more than 3,000 acres. Around 60 of the lakes are reached by county roads with dirt or gravel launching ramps and take electric trolling motors only. There are 100 family campsites at Narrow Lake, Wampler Lake and Reservoir 26, and 20 more at the Horseman’s Campground by Ladder Lake. Quiet hours here start at 10 rather than 11. 43
Owen-Putnam State Forest roads

Three small campgrounds on the road network west of Bloomington: Fish Creek with 14 sites and water, the Horse Campground with 15 sites and a water trough, and Rattlesnake with nine. The Division clears its fire trails annually for access and closes them with steel cables and padlocks near parking areas. Every horse needs a daily or annual horse use tag. 44

Vehicle
Do not park in front of the cabled fire trails; they are emergency access

Season
Rattlesnake campground closed to vehicles after deer firearms season until April, walk-in access only
Ferdinand State Forest road

A Civilian Conservation Corps forest in Dubois County that began with 900 acres bought by a local conservation club in 1933. Its campground has 57 sites, each with a picnic table and grill, on a lake restricted to electric trolling motors, with Coyote, Campground and Fossil lakes also open to fishing. Entrance is seven dollars for an Indiana plate and fifteen for an out of state one. 45
Martin State Forest roads

Williams Road through the forest; State Road 650 to the Tank Spring trailhead

A property the Division says has grown to 7,863 acres through purchases and trades with the Forest Service, which sits next to the Hoosier in Martin County. Its 26 site primitive campground dates from the mid 1960s, its three small lakes take electric trolling motors, and the Willow Valley Fire Tower is reached by a spur off the Woodland Education Trail. The Division’s property table gives the forest as 9,303.9 acres, so both figures are published. 46
Pike State Forest roads

The Division calls this 4,444 acres in southwestern Indiana, against 5,031.5 in its own property table, and both are given here. Eleven sites sit in the family camping area and 25 in the Horseman’s Campground, primitive, first come and first served with self-registration. Three short trails run from 2.6 to 3.0 miles, and riders are told to wear hunter orange in hunting season. 47
Patoka Lake recreation area roads

Twenty five thousand eight hundred acres of property around an 8,800 acre lake, across seven state recreation areas: Newton-Stewart, Jackson, Lick Fork, Little Patoka, Painter Creek, Walls Lake and South Lick Fork. The campgrounds and visitor centre sit in Newton-Stewart, with 455 electric and 45 primitive sites and a dumping station. Backcountry camping is listed among the activities. The Corps Lakes Gateway gives the summer water as 8,880 acres. 49
Brookville Lake roads

The Whitewater valley in Franklin and Union counties

Sixteen thousand four hundred and forty five acres around a 5,260 acre lake, split between Mounds and Quakertown state recreation areas, with 62 full hookup and 388 electric sites. The Division notes that the area was bought by the federal government for flood control and to provide a place for wildlife and recreation, which is why Quakertown is the one Corps run campground in our federal build for Indiana. 50
Indiana Dunes State Park roads

751 ft

Two thousand one hundred and eighty two acres inside the national park boundary, with 140 electric campsites all on 50 amp service and a youth tent area. The state says its large sand dunes tower nearly 200 feet above Lake Michigan. It charges its own gate fee at its own higher rate rather than the standard state one, and dogs are not allowed on the beach. 51
Ohio River Scenic BywayPaved

943 miles across Illinois, Indiana and Ohio

The Ohio River shoreline along the southern edge of the Hoosier National Forest

A national scenic byway that follows the river bank with almost continuous views of the water, and the road that ties together the southern end of every public property in this guide. The Federal Highway Administration suggests two and a half days to drive it or eight days to enjoy it, and charges nothing. The Hoosier National Forest, which the byway crosses, calls the same route 967 miles. 59

Season
All year. No fees
Indiana’s Historic PathwaysPaved

250 miles

US 50 and US 150 across southern Indiana, through the Hoosier National Forest

The state’s own cross-country route, designated a state byway in 2004 and a national one in 2009, joining the lower Ohio Valley to the Mississippi Valley. The Federal Highway Administration suggests one day to enjoy it. The Hoosier National Forest notes that it crosses the forest on Highways 50 and 150, which makes it the natural spine for a trip stringing together Martin, Jackson-Washington and the forest campgrounds. 60

Season
All year. No fees
Historic National RoadPaved

824.15 miles across six states

US 40 from Richmond west across the state

The only All-American Road that touches Indiana, and the nation’s first federally funded interstate highway. The Federal Highway Administration suggests day trips or multi-day itineraries for portions, or two and a half days to simply drive the whole thing. It crosses the level farm country of central Indiana, and Richmond at its eastern end is the nearest city in this guide to Hoosier Hill. 61

Season
All year. No fees
Whitewater Canal Scenic BywayPaved

430 miles

The Historic National Road to the Ohio River Scenic Byway through the Whitewater valley

The southeastern loop network, which the Federal Highway Administration lists as a National Scenic Byway and the Indiana Department of Transportation lists among its state designations, the two agencies differing on its status rather than on its route. It runs past Brookville Dam and the state’s longest rail trail, and Brookville Lake with its Mounds and Quakertown recreation areas sits on it. 62

Season
All year. No fees
Hoosier Hills Scenic BywayPaved

Just over 83 miles

US 40 in the north to US 50 in the south, through Morgan and Brown counties

A route running north to south between the National Road byway and the Historic Pathways byway, mostly in Morgan and Brown counties with extensions north into Hendricks and south into Jackson. The Department of Transportation lists it among its state designated byways on one page and as a proposal under advisement on another, and the 83 mile figure comes from the application the Department itself publishes. It is the paved approach to Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood. 57
Wabash River Scenic BywayPaved

The Wabash valley in Tippecanoe County

A state designated byway since 2008, formerly called the River Road Scenic Byway, on the Wabash in Tippecanoe County, north of everything else in this guide. The Department of Transportation publishes no mileage for it, so none is given here. 55
Historic Michigan Road and the Lincoln HighwayPaved

Two state designated byways from 2011. The Historic Michigan Road runs the old territorial route across the state, and the Lincoln Highway Scenic Byway is designated for both its 1913 and its 1928 alignments, which is unusual and means two different roads carry the name. The Department of Transportation publishes neither length, so neither is stated here. 56
Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge roads

Fifty thousand acres of the former Jefferson Proving Ground in Jefferson, Jennings and Ripley counties, opened on a schedule rather than a season. Hours are 7:00 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon on open days, federal holidays excepted. Every visitor attends a safety briefing, signs an acknowledgment of danger agreement and obtains a public access permit, three dollars daily or fifteen annually, and searching for, picking up or possessing any object of historical significance or unexploded ordnance is prohibited. 68

Vehicle
Check in at the gate house. Permit and safety briefing required before entry

Season
Mondays, Fridays and the second and fourth Saturday of the month, 18 April to mid November
Patoka River refuge roads

The Patoka River corridor in southwestern Indiana

Twenty three thousand seven hundred and forty three acres of wetland, floodplain forest and upland buffer along 30 miles of river corridor, which the Fish and Wildlife Service calls one of the few remaining expanses of bottomland forested wetlands in the midwestern United States and one of two intact floodplain forest systems in Indiana. It is flat, wet ground reached on county roads, and a very different proposition from the ridges an hour east. 69
US 12 through Indiana DunesPaved

Gary to Michigan City along the Lake Michigan shore

The Park Service says the majority of the national park’s facilities can be accessed off US 12, with the park reached from Interstate 94, the Indiana Toll Road, US 20, Indiana 49 and other state roads. Watch for the large brown signs on the nearby highways, because the park is a chain of separate units rather than a single gate. 65

Rules worth knowing

Off-road vehicles are barred from the national forest: The Hoosier National Forest states it in one line: off road vehicles are not allowed on the Hoosier National Forest. The Motor Vehicle Use Map carries the working version of the same rule, that all motorized vehicles must be street legal under Indiana state law and that users may not ride an ATV on any forest road, including roads within campgrounds. A plated truck or van on a designated road is welcome. A trailered quad has nowhere legal to unload on this forest at all, and that is the single fact to settle before driving to southern Indiana with one. 7
Registration runs three years and titling is separate: The Division states that all off-road vehicles and snowmobiles purchased after 31 December 2003 must be registered under IC 9-18.1-14, that the registration costs thirty dollars for three years, and that since 1 July 2016 Indiana requires a certificate of title for off-road vehicles bought after 31 December 2009 whatever the model year. Snowmobiles need registration but not a title. The Division also points to IC 14-8-2-185 for what is not an off-road vehicle, and the exemptions in IC 9-18.1-14-1 cover special events, short non-resident visits, dealer demonstration and government use rather than recreational riders. 33
An off-road vehicle decal is not a licence plate: Registration is done by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles rather than the Division of Natural Resources. The Bureau defines an off-road vehicle as a motor driven vehicle capable of cross-country travel without benefit of a road, on or immediately over land, water, snow, ice, marsh, swampland or other natural terrain, requires every one operated in Indiana to be registered and to display valid decals unless exempt, and states that it will not issue a licence plate regardless of modifications such as turn signals or windshield wipers. Reading that definition against a plated, insured truck is our own judgement rather than a quotation: a registered motor vehicle is not an off-road vehicle, and the decal is not what gets it into Redbird or Interlake. 52
The two state off-road areas want your vehicle street legal: Redbird and Interlake both state that all vehicles must be registered or licensed, street legal, according to Indiana law. The operator of a vehicle or SUV must be sixteen or older with a valid driver’s licence, helmets are required except inside a fully enclosed metal cab or under roll bar protection, seatbelts are required for all occupants except on ATVs and dirt bikes, overhead or roll bar protection is required for everyone in a full-size vehicle, spark arrestors and mufflers must function, and tire chains and studded tires are prohibited. Vehicles may only be operated in designated areas and must stay on marked trails, and no alcohol is allowed on either property. 36
Out of state machines buy a twenty dollar permit: The Division states that out-of-state visitors to Redbird and Interlake can purchase a twenty dollar annual out of state motorized trail use permit in lieu of an Indiana off-road vehicle registration. It is sold at the property gatehouse or office, it works on those two properties, and it does not authorise anything on a county road. In-state riders pay fifteen dollars for a daily trail pass or ninety five for the annual off-road vehicle trail use permit. 32
The state’s riding list includes ground it does not run: The Division’s off-roading page lists Interlake and Redbird as the state facilities and names private ones beside them, in Attica, Laurel and Springville. This guide covers only the two the state runs, because a private operator sets its own rules and prices and can change or close without notice. If you plan a trip around one of the others, confirm its terms with the operator rather than with the state page that lists it. 31
Dispersed camping on the Hoosier: 14 days in 28, 28 in a year: Dispersed camping is allowed throughout most of the Hoosier National Forest. Stays are limited to 14 days in a 28 day period and 28 days total per calendar year. Every dispersed camp must be at least 200 feet from trails, trailheads, roads, water sources, rock shelters, caves and historic structures, and camping along a road is prohibited unless you are in a designated site. Where the forest has made drive-in designated dispersed sites, a vehicle may be parked within one vehicle length or up to 30 feet from the edge of a designated road. Parking is prohibited on Tower Ridge Road in Monroe County except at designated trailheads. 9
Hoosier campgrounds run April through October: The forest states that its campground open season is generally April through October, that some campgrounds stay open year round with reduced amenities out of season at a reduced rate, and that reservations go through Recreation.gov or its telephone line. Seven developed campgrounds carry the system: Buzzard Roost, German Ridge, Hardin Ridge, Indian-Celina Lakes, Saddle Lake, Shirley Creek and Tipsaw Lake, with two rental cabins at Hardin Ridge. Prices run from nothing at Buzzard Roost and Shirley Creek to 38 dollars for an RV electric site at Hardin Ridge in peak season. 11
Check the forest’s alerts before you commit to a road: A section of Tower Ridge Road was closed to the public on 3 July 2025 because of deteriorating condition from storm damage and the hazard that posed, and the forest now routes traffic for Blackwell Campground in from the west and traffic for the Grubb Ridge trailhead, the Hickory Ridge Lookout Tower and points east round by Hunter Creek Road. That closure is a live notice rather than a permanent state of the road, and it is the reason to read the forest’s alerts page before a trip rather than after one. Seasonal cave closures and trail bridge closures sit on the same list. 13
State forest dispersed camping is on three trails, on foot: This is the rule most often misread in Indiana. The Division allows dispersed camping only on sections of the Knobstone Trail at Clark and Jackson-Washington, on sections of the Adventure Trail at Harrison-Crawford, and on sections of the Tecumseh Trail at Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood, with 125 miles of trail carrying it in total. Sites must be at least a quarter mile from all roads, recreation areas and trailheads and at least 100 feet from the trail, so it is never a place you park. Stays are limited to 14 consecutive days, groups to six people per campsite, campfires to a pit twelve inches across with three feet cleared to mineral soil, and registration is required at Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood. There is no camping between Knobstone mile markers 0 to 2 or 30 to 34. 26
On a state forest, vehicles stay on roadways: The Division states that vehicle use is restricted to roadways, and that four-wheel vehicles, off-road vehicles, mountain bikes, motorcycles and snowmobiles are not allowed on service roads or recreational trails. Overnight camping is not permitted in day-use parking areas, fireworks are prohibited at all times, and quiet hours in campgrounds run from 11 at night to 7 in the morning, or from 10 at Greene-Sullivan. Forest staff may prohibit fires where that is needed to protect the property, and washing a vehicle or boat in a camping area is prohibited. The full rules sit in Article 8 of the Indiana Administrative Code. 27
On a state park, vehicles stay on pavement: The contrast with the forests is the thing to remember when planning a night. Indiana state park rules state that camping is permitted only in the campground and that all motorized vehicles shall remain on paved roadway, with snowmobiles prohibited. Motorists observe posted speed limits and park only in designated areas, dogs and cats must be attended and on a leash no longer than six feet, and gathering limbs, brush or trees for firewood is prohibited because it rebuilds the natural humus. A state park in Indiana is a place to sleep in a numbered site, not a place to find one. 28
Corps lakes: vehicles stay on authorised roadways: Every federal reservoir in Indiana is a Corps of Engineers project, so the federal public use rules apply on the ground even where the state sells the campsite. 36 CFR 327.2 covers cars, trucks, motorcycles, mini-bikes, snowmobiles, dune buggies, all-terrain vehicles, trailers, campers and bicycles alike. Operating or parking a vehicle off authorised roadways is prohibited except at locations and times the District Commander designates, and taking any vehicle through, around or beyond a restrictive sign, recognisable barricade, fence or traffic control barrier is prohibited. In designated recreation areas vehicles are used only to enter or leave the area or an individual site, and a vehicle parked so as to obstruct traffic can be removed and impounded at the owner’s expense. 71
Corps lakes: camping only where it is designated: Under 36 CFR 327.7, camping is permitted only at sites or areas the District Commander designates, and camping at one or more campsites at any one water resource project for longer than 14 days during any 30 consecutive day period is prohibited without written permission. Leaving camping equipment on a site, or appearing at one without occupying it daily in order to reserve it for later, is prohibited separately. So is digging or levelling ground, building any structure, and occupying a site marked reserved without a reservation for it. 72
A gate fee is charged by the plate: Indiana prices its own properties by where the vehicle is registered. A noncommercial vehicle with an Indiana plate pays seven dollars for daily entrance and one with an out of state plate pays fifteen, every day including holidays, while the fifty dollar annual entrance pass admits a noncommercial vehicle, its driver and its passengers to properties that charge a gate fee. All guests including campers pay the entrance fee once on arrival. Indiana Dunes State Park and Prophetstown charge their own higher rates rather than the standard ones. 29
State forest camping is priced off the reservation system: Camping on state forest properties, fish and wildlife properties and backpack or canoe campgrounds that are not on the central reservation system is first come and first served: twelve dollars for a non-electric site and 12.15 for a primitive, backpack or canoe site. Where a primitive site is reservable it runs 14 to 16 dollars on ordinary nights and 16 to 18 on holiday weekends. The entrance fee is charged once on arrival on top of that, so budget for a gate ticket as well as a site. 30
Recreational fires are exempt, with conditions: Indiana generally prohibits open burning and then exempts recreational and ceremonial fires in all counties except where a local ordinance forbids them. The conditions are specific: burn only clean wood, paper, charcoal and clean petroleum products, keep the volume under 1,000 cubic feet, tell the local fire and health departments at least 24 hours ahead if the pile is bigger than 125 cubic feet, do not light more than two hours before the activity, never burn within 500 feet of any fuel storage area or pipeline, and attend the fire at all times and extinguish it when the activity ends. Residential burning is separately banned in Clark, Floyd, Lake and Porter counties. 73
Burn bans are ordered locally, not by the state: Indiana runs no statewide fire restriction stage system of the western kind. Restrictions on outdoor burning may be ordered by any local fire chief for that jurisdiction or imposed by the legislative body of a city, town or county, and a fire chief may require open burning to stop immediately where it constitutes a hazardous condition. Whoever imposes the ban decides what it covers, who enforces it and how long it lasts. The Department of Homeland Security publishes the active list on its burn ban map, so the question to ask is which county you are camped in. 74
Winter law is a studded tire window, not a chain law: Indiana publishes no traction or chain requirement of the western kind. The state answer is that tire chains are legal when required for safety reasons and that studded tires are permitted from 1 October through 1 May under IC 9-19-18-3. That last date is worth noting against the off-road properties, because Redbird and Interlake prohibit chains and studs on their trails at any time of year, so a vehicle running studs in April cannot use them. 53
Winter operations run mid November to mid March: The Department of Transportation states that it normally conducts winter operations between mid November and mid March each winter season and that snow and ice removal is its number one winter priority. Conditions are published at 511in.org, on 1-800-261-ROAD, or by dialling 5-1-1, around the clock. Because Indiana publishes no frost law or spring weight posting programme for light vehicles, the practical limit in March is what a state forest gate says rather than what a sign on a highway says. 54
Off-road vehicles on county roads are a county matter: The Division states that laws governing off-road vehicle use on public roads are made individually by each county and that counties may differ. Restrictions may include township limits, specific road restrictions, vehicle type restrictions, age restrictions, allowed hours, insurance requirements, helmet requirements, head and tail light requirements and vehicle width restrictions. The Division also repeats the manufacturers’ position that off-road vehicles are designed for off-road use only and should not be driven on public roads, and tells riders to review the county ordinance before riding. It publishes a list of the counties that allow it. 34
Horses and bicycles need a Hoosier trail permit: A permit is required for each rider aged 17 and over using a horse or a bicycle on a Hoosier National Forest trail, trailhead or campground designated for that use. It is five dollars a day or thirty five for the calendar year, it is issued to the rider and may not be lent, and it must be carried or displayed in use. Permits are not required on public roads or on the Hardin Ridge trail, and pack stock and foals without a rider need none. Indiana state bridle tags are not valid on Hoosier National Forest land, which catches people who ride both systems. 12
Wilderness here means no wheels at all: The Charles C. Deam Wilderness is 12,953 acres designated in 1982 and the only congressionally designated wilderness in Indiana. No wheeled vehicles including carts, wagons and bicycles, and no motorized travel, are allowed inside it. Its 36 miles of trail take hikers, backpackers and horses. Camping is limited to 14 days in a 28 day period and 28 cumulative days a calendar year, a campsite must be occupied the first night and may not be left unattended for more than 24 hours without permission, and group size is limited to ten. Park at a designated trailhead on Tower Ridge Road and walk in. 10
Indiana Dunes charges you to stop, not to pass: The Park Service states that simply passing through the park on roads, bike trails or by water does not require an entrance fee, but that stopping to walk a trail, use the beach, eat in a picnic shelter or use other park facilities does. A private vehicle pass is 25 dollars for seven days, a motorcycle 20, a person on foot or bicycle aged 16 and over 15, and the park annual pass 45. That structure matters on US 12, which carries ordinary local traffic straight through the middle of a national park. 64
Dunewood is the only campground, and it books ahead: Indiana Dunes National Park runs one campground. Dunewood has 67 campsites, of which 1 to 54 are conventional drive-in sites for RVs or tents and 55 to 67 are tent only, at 25 dollars a night as an expanded amenity fee, open 1 April through 1 November. Stays are limited to 14 days in a 30 day period. The Park Service says RV length is limited at some sites without publishing a figure, so measure and ask. A group site at Dunbar and walk-in sites on Central Avenue complete the park’s three listings in our federal build. 63
Firewood does not travel into the forest: Firewood brought onto the Hoosier National Forest must be kiln-dried lumber, bought on site, or sourced in Indiana with the bark removed, or else carry an Indiana Department of Natural Resources compliance stamp, and it must fit inside the fire ring. Small open fires are permitted except during a fire ban, and camping or building a fire on or within a rock shelter is prohibited outright, which matters in a forest full of sandstone overhangs. Possessing, discharging or using any kind of firework or other pyrotechnic device is prohibited. 7

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.

Towns

Richmond On the Historic National Road, the nearest city to Hoosier Hill 979 ft
Bloomington The base for Monroe Lake, Tower Ridge Road and the Deam Wilderness 770 ft
Bedford Where the Hoosier National Forest keeps its supervisor’s office 684 ft
Chesterton The main approach to Indiana Dunes and its state park 640 ft
Paoli Orange County services for Youngs Creek and Springs Valley 625 ft
Brownstown Jackson-Washington State Forest, Skyline Drive and the Knobstone Trail 623 ft
Michigan City East end of the national park shoreline, on US 12 620 ft
Martinsville North gateway to Morgan-Monroe State Forest and its back country area 605 ft
Nashville Brown County services beside Yellowwood State Forest 596 ft
Corydon Harrison County, at the edge of Harrison-Crawford State Forest 590 ft
Linton The town by Redbird, one of two state off-road areas 536 ft
English Crawford County, between the Hoosier’s sandstone cliffs and the Ohio River byway 507 ft
Madison Ohio River services on the byway east of the forest 491 ft
Jasper Full services in Dubois County before Patoka Lake and Ferdinand State Forest 468 ft
Lynnville The town by Interlake, the larger state off-road area 463 ft
Tell City Ohio River town at the south end of the Hoosier, near the Tell City ranger district 421 ft

Passes, high roads and summits

Hoosier Hill The highest point in Indiana, on farm ground in Wayne County. Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 1,249 feet 1,257 ft
Weed Patch Hill Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in the Brown County hills 1,055 ft
Pinnacle Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in the Jackson County knobs 954 ft
Pinnacle Skyline Drive, Jackson-Washington State Forest 954 ft
Nebo Ridge Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, on the ridge the Hoosier’s 8.6 mile trail follows 921 ft
Hickory Ridge Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, on the ridge above the Deam Wilderness horse trails 908 ft
Hickory Ridge Tower Ridge Road: Indiana 446 south of Bloomington to the Deam Wilderness trailheads and the lookout tower 908 ft
Low Gap Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, at the gap that names the road along Morgan-Monroe’s back country area 782 ft
Low Gap Morgan-Monroe State Forest roads 782 ft
German Ridge Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in the Perry County hills above the Ohio 781 ft
Hardin Ridge Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, above Monroe Lake 781 ft
German Ridge German Ridge Recreation Area road: Indiana 37 south to Indiana 70, then east less than a mile to the signed turn 781 ft
Hardin Ridge Hardin Ridge Road off Indiana 446: Indiana 446 south of Bloomington by Chapel Hill Road to Monroe Lake 781 ft
Mount Holden Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, one of the named dunes at Indiana Dunes State Park 758 ft
Mount Tom Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point. The state says its dunes tower nearly 200 feet above Lake Michigan 751 ft
Mount Tom Indiana Dunes State Park roads 751 ft
Mount Jackson Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, the third of the named dunes at the state park 742 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.

Sources for this page

Congressional Research Service. Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (R42346), Tables 1 and 2. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Recreation.gov. Recreation Information Database (RIDB) full export, the site’s own build of it. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
U.S. Geological Survey. Elevations and Distances in the United States, online edition, Highest and Lowest Elevations table. The Indiana low point carries footnote 2, Corps of Engineers. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
U.S. Geological Survey. Geographic Names Information System and 3D Elevation Program point query. Elevation of the 3DEP surface at the GNIS coordinates of the named place, rounded to the nearest foot. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest home page. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, About the Area: the nine counties in the forest area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Rules and Regulations. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Motor Vehicle Use Maps. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Dispersed Camping. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Charles C. Deam Wilderness. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Camping and Cabins. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Horseback and Mountain Bike Trail Permits. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest alert: section of Tower Ridge Road temporarily closed for safety. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Hickory Ridge Fire Tower. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Blackwell Campground. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, German Ridge Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Hardin Ridge Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Indian-Celina Lakes Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Tipsaw Lake Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Saddle Lake Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Buzzard Roost Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Shirley Creek Campground. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Youngs Creek Campground and Trails. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
USDA Forest Service. Hoosier National Forest, Scenic Drives: the byways that cross the forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Division of Forestry: state forest properties and their acreages. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Indiana State Forest Recreation: dispersed camping, trails and campgrounds. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. State Forest Property Regulations. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. State Parks: Property Rules and Regulations. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. State Parks: Entrance Fees. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. State Parks: Camping Fees, including first come first served state forest rates. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Off-Roading in Indiana: public and private riding areas. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. State Parks: Motorized Recreation and the out of state trail use permit. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. ORV and Snowmobile Registration FAQs. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Off-roading on county roads. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Redbird Off-Road State Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Redbird State Recreation Area property rules. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Interlake Off-Road State Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Morgan-Monroe State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Yellowwood State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Clark State Forest, established 1903. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Harrison-Crawford State Forest and the Adventure Trail. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Jackson-Washington State Forest: Skyline Drive and Mail Route Road. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Greene-Sullivan State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Owen-Putnam State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Ferdinand State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Martin State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Pike State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Monroe Lake. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Patoka Lake. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Brookville Lake. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Indiana Dunes State Park. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Off-Road Vehicles and Snowmobiles: registration, titling and decals. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
State of Indiana. Are tire chains and studs legal in Indiana? (IC 9-19-18-3). Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Transportation. Winter Weather operations. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Transportation. Indiana Scenic Byways: national and state designations. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Transportation. The Indiana Byway Program. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Transportation. Hoosier Hills Scenic Byway state application, as published by INDOT. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Federal Highway Administration. America’s Byways: Indiana. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Federal Highway Administration. America’s Byways: Ohio River Scenic Byway, length and time to allow. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Federal Highway Administration. America’s Byways: Indiana’s Historic Pathways, length and time to allow. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Federal Highway Administration. America’s Byways: Historic National Road, length and time to allow. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Federal Highway Administration. America’s Byways: Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway, length. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
National Park Service. Campgrounds at Indiana Dunes National Park. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
National Park Service. Indiana Dunes National Park, Fees and Passes. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
National Park Service. Indiana Dunes National Park, Directions and roads. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
National Park Service. Indiana Dunes National Park, Nature: acreage, shoreline and dune heights. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, About Us. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge, Visit Us: permits, safety briefing and open days. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area, About Us. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Corps Lakes Gateway: Indiana projects. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Office of the Federal Register. 36 CFR 327.2, Vehicles, at Corps of Engineers water resource development projects. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Office of the Federal Register. 36 CFR 327.7, Camping, at Corps of Engineers water resource development projects. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Environmental Management. Open Burning: exempt burning activities and required conditions. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
Indiana Department of Homeland Security. Issuing Burn Bans. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
NOAA National Weather Service, Indianapolis. Snowfall statistics for central Indiana, 1991 to 2020 normals. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
NOAA National Weather Service, Indianapolis. Precipitation scorecard for Indianapolis, 1991 to 2020 normal. Retrieved September 25, 2026.

Reviewed September 25, 2026. Conditions, closures and rules change; check with the managing agency before you travel.

Who manages Indiana

The agency on the sign decides where you can drive and where you can sleep. Choose one to see how much of the state it holds and what that means for a trip.

Indiana
1.7% 383,751 acres

Source: Congressional Research Service, Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (R42346), Table 2, data as of September 30, 2024. Federal land here means the five agencies shown; state, tribal and private land make up the rest of each bar.

The public land map of Indiana

Agency boundaries, the BLM and Forest Service roads and trails open to vehicles, wilderness, and BLM campgrounds. Select any point for who manages it.

Map layers

Find a place

Layers

Federal land Who manages the ground, by agency

State and local land State forests, parks and wildlife areas, county and city land, nationwide

BLM roads and trails Routes managed for public motorized use

Forest roads and trails Forest Service Motor Vehicle Use Map

Wilderness BLM Wilderness and study areas, closed to vehicles

Camping and trailheads BLM campgrounds, OHV areas and trailheads

Base map

Map Topo Satellite

Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
US Forest Service (USFS)
National Park Service (NPS)
US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
Department Of Defense (DOD)
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
Other Federal
State
Local
Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
Alaska Native Allotment

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

State land
County and city land
Regional agency or district
Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Open the full map