The Knobstone Trail is the longest hiking trail in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Its southern terminus is about north of

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

in the

Deam Lake State Recreation Area Deam Lake State Recreation Area is an Indiana State Recreation Area in Clark County, Indiana in the United States. The park is and sits at an elevation of . Deam Lake State Recreation area is open for year-round recreation, however the campgro ...

. It currently ends at Delaney Creek Park near

Salem, Indiana Salem is a city in and the county seat of Washington Township, Washington County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 6,319 at the 2010 census. History Salem was laid out and platted in 1814. It was named for Salem, North Carolin ...

. However, there are plans to eventually extend the trail another north to

Martinsville, Indiana Martinsville is a city in Washington Township, Morgan County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 11,828 at the 2010 United States Census. The city is the county seat of Morgan County. History Martinsville was founded in 1822. It is ...

. Most of the trail lies within

Clark State Forest Clark State Forest, located just north of Henryville, Indiana in the United States, is Indiana's oldest state forest, formed in 1903 as a forest research facility and a nursery and later expanded by the Works Progress Administration. Originally 2 ...

. As it lies along the

Knobstone Escarpment The Knobstone Escarpment is a rugged geologic region in Southern Indiana. Physically, the Knobstone Escarpment is the most rugged terrain in Indiana. The highest hill in the area is Weed Patch Hill, with an elevation The elevation of a geogra ...

, it is a difficult hike, which is why many use the Knobstone Trail to prepare for hiking the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...

. The trail was first established in 1980, and was only long. It now runs , mostly through public forest. Hiking the trail in its entirety results in approximately of elevation change between the gains and losses. The trail passes through 3 counties and is surrounded by approximately of Indiana State Forest. The rugged trail consists of steep climbs and descents throughout its duration. It is maintained to backcountry standards. There are no designated camp sites; rather hikers must camp at least from roads and trailheads. After a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

on March 2, 2012, destroyed 4.5 miles of the trail, sections of the trail were closed. The damaged areas were reopened in early 2014.

Waypoints

Following are

waypoint A waypoint is an intermediate point or place on a route or line of travel, a stopping point or point at which course is changed, the first use of the term tracing to 1880. In modern terms, it most often refers to coordinates which specify one's posi ...

s on the trail:

References

{{reflist

External links

Indiana DNR Knobstone Trail official siteFull trail on OpenStreetMapFull trail downloadable GPX at Way Marked TrailsHoosier Hiker's Council Knobstone Trail expansion projectDelaney Creek Park
at Indianaoutfitters.com *Strange, Nathan D

Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2011. Protected areas of Clark County, Indiana Hiking trails in Indiana Long-distance trails in the United States Protected areas of Scott County, Indiana Protected areas of Washington County, Indiana