Adventure Trail

Location: The Adventure Trail lies within Harrison-Crawford State Forest and the Wyandotte Woods Recreation Area, which are continguous properties. Check in at either Wyandotte Caves, Wyandotte Woods State Recreation Area, or Harrison-Crawford State Forest.

Description: 27 miles and circular, but a lot of up and down stuff; plan at least two nights for the trail. Segments of the trail run along bluffs above the Ohio River; this area is very scenic, but there are other nice places running along Indian Creek. Heavily wooded most of the way, and not crowded judging by my trip; the only folks we ran into were two horseriders (who don't belong on the trail, by the way; there's a separate trail for horses) and three hunters (it was deer bowhunting season) at one of the trailheads. The southern half of the circle loops around the backcountry area of the State Forest; take some time and explore, the area is interesting in a lot of ways. This is in the karst geological area, with lots of sinkholes and probably some caves besides Wyandotte, and also features some unique plants. A good experience for people who want to check out the backpacking idea without going too far out on a limb.

Cautions: A lot of climbing up and down; also keep an eye out for snakes, although I wouldn't get paranoid about it (in several decades, I have run into exactly one poisonous serpent in Indiana, a copperhead). Carry water, there aren't tons of places to find it. Click here for info on hunting seasons.

Facilities: Some shelters along the path, and several campgrounds.

Map

National Forest