The Knobstone Hiking Trail takes you approximately 145 miles along an ancient Borden bedrock escarpment. High knobby bluffs of the forested Norman Uplands were separated over millions of years by erosion from the Scottsburg Lowlands. Scenic knobs jut 500 feet above the lowland plains, all vestiges of the North American continent’s vast Silurian inland sea. Trailheads connect to within 30 miles of Indianapolis and 20 miles of Louisville.
The Knobstone Hiking Trail is composed or four segments:
- Hiking northbound, the trail begins with the original section, the Knobstone Trail which is narrow and rugged; great elevation changes make it a real challenge as it climbs deep into valleys cut into the escarpment by creeks and rivers over millions of years. Many refer to the Knobstone Trail section as a “little AT,” as it is plenty steep and winding, making it suitable preparation for doing miles on the Appalachian Trail. All of this section allows dispersed camping (following LNT guidelines, of course). The Knobstone Trail has its own FKT page with an all-trail 50-mile route on that section: https://fastestknowntime.com/route/knobstone-trail.
- The next section moving northbound, the Pioneer Trail, is currently made up of backroad walks, with easements slowly being donated by private landowners to complete this section. The Hoosier Hiker Council created three stopover spots to camp safely and legally on this section.
- North of this section is the Hoosier National Forest section, which is mostly hiking and horse trails with a few minor forest service and backroad walks to fill in the gaps. Since this segment is National Forest land, dispersed camping is also allowed.
- The final and northernmost section, the Tecumseh Trail is mostly single-track with a few brief forest service and road walks. This section features multiple AT-style shelters for overnight usage, with dispersed camping allowed near the shelters.
The following is a link to the Knobstone Hiking Trail Association webpage, which includes maps and descriptions for each segment of the trail. Parts of the above description were pulled from this website: https://www.knobstonehikingtrail.org/
This trail is expected to develop and change over the years as the KHTA secures more easements and builds more trail miles. The trail is likely to grow slightly longer and possibly a bit slower as road miles convert to trail miles, but barring any dramatic changes, we intend to keep only a single variation for this route over the years.
