Stopping for a quiet break on Indiana’s Tecumseh Trail (Photo: “Yellowwood Lake – looking north” by sf-dvs is licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Source: Backpack Magazine, The 50 Best Hikes in the U.S., UPDATED MAR 22, 2022 BACKPACKER EDITORS & CONTRIBUTORS

Indiana: Tecumseh Trail

Length: 42 miles

Backpacking opportunities may not abound in Indiana, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any at all. The Tecumseh Trail provides a perfect weekend outing close to Indianapolis. Only an hour drive from the city, it’s easy to reach on a Friday after work or get an early start on Saturday morning. Best done as a shuttle hike, this well-maintained path  winds through dense forest, rolling hills, and quaint towns. The scenery is distinctly Indiana: thickly-forested groves, bridges over stream crossings, and a portion of trail along the shore of serene Yellowwood Lake. Three pristine cabin-style and lean-to shelters provide options for overnighters. Two of the shelters were built in the last two years, and they’re ideally located for splitting the trail in half or turning it into a two-nighter over a weekend. Catch splashy fall foliage in autumn, or visit in the middle of winter to have the trail to yourself.

Brian Ainley travels all around the world to mountaineer, backpack, and climb when he’s not exploring near his hometown of Carmel, IN. He summited Aconcagua in 2020 and has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Editor’s Note: Indiana’s Tecumseh Trail has been closed since May 2020 from State Road 45 to the parking area south of Beanblossom Creek. The trail is bisected by a railroad crossing. Hikers who cross the tracks or divert to an adjacent road will be trespassing. The Knobstone Hiking Trail Association is working on a solution to reopen the trail.]

Local Efforts to Re-Open the Trail: Part 5 Indian Hill – The Final Season – maybe

• • 2024_03_13 Remember Indian Hill Closure-Rebuttal-Analysis ….  A detailed analysis of the timelines and supporting documentation regarding the lack of a public hearing, a likely violation of open meeting laws, questionable legal advice, and misleading statements by elected and appointed officials.

My position as a candidate for Commissioner is to submit a practical engineering plan for reopening the Indiana Hill railroad crossing that will be approved by INDOT. I will also identify funding strategies and a plan of action for reopening.  More info: Re-Opening the Crossing and Road.

Additional Information

Facing a new challenge: Route changes due to railroad crossing closure
Abigail Youmans -October 14, 2021

• • Brown and Morgan counties have hosted runners in a variety of distance events during the Tecumseh Trail Challenge every year since 2003.
  • The trail has been a destination for runners from dozens of states who participate in the DINO (Do INdiana off-road) race, with participation growing to more than 700 in 2010. But now the point-to-point race route has been turned into a loop due to the Indian Hill Road railroad crossing closure.

Tecumseh and Knobstone Trails and Maps