The Knobstone Trail is the longest hiking trail in Indiana. Its southern terminus is about 10 miles (16 km) north of Louisville, Kentucky in the Deam Lake State Recreation Area. It currently ends at Delaney Creek Park near Salem, Indiana, however there are plans to eventually extend the trail another 80 miles (129 km) north to Martinsville, Indiana. Most of the trails lies within Clark State Forest. As it lies along the Knobstone Escarpment, it is a difficult hike, which is why many use the Knobstone Trail to prepare for hiking the Appalachian Trail.
The trail was first established in 1980, and was only 32 miles (51 km) long. It now covers 40,000 acres (160 km2) of land, most of which is public forest.
Hiking the trail in its entirety results in approximately 20,000 feet (6,100 m) of elevation change between the gains and losses. The trail passes through 3 counties and is surrounded by approximately 40,000 acres (160 km2) 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 1-mile (1.6 km) from roads and trailheads.
Famous quotes containing the word trail:
“These, and such as these, must be our antiquities, for lack of human vestiges. The monuments of heroes and the temples of the gods which may once have stood on the banks of this river are now, at any rate, returned to dust and primitive soil. The murmur of unchronicled nations has died away along these shores, and once more Lowell and Manchester are on the trail of the Indian.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)