Hoosier National Forest
The Hoosier National Forest is a property managed by the United States Forest Service in the hills of Southern Indiana. Composed of four separate sections, each of which has many parcels, it has a total area of 204,303 acres. Hoosier National Forest's headquarters are located in Bedford, with a regional office in Tell City. Prominent places within the Forest include the Lick Creek Settlement Site, the Potts Creek Rockshelter Archeological Site, and the Jacob Rickenbaugh House.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Designation | National Forest |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Indiana |
| Size | 646,949 acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres)) |
| Forest Service code | 0912, region 09 |
| Center point | 38.5194, -86.5141 |
| Night sky | Very dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 28) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
17 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 0 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Show 4 moreHide
5 more within ten miles are not listed here.
Trailheads and sites
The Forest Service lists 31 recreation sites in this forest, among them 13 interpretive sites, 4 campgrounds, 3 viewing Plantss, 2 group camps. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.
- 3 miPioneer Mothers' Memorial Forest ↗Viewing Plants · Year-round
- 3 miUnderground Railroad: James Guthrie ↗Interpretive site
- 3 miUnderground Railroad: The Lindley Family ↗Interpretive site
- 4 miUnderground Railroad: Indiana State Laws ↗Interpretive site
- 5 miUnderground Railroad: Lick Creek Church ↗Interpretive site
- 5 miInitial Point ↗Interpretive site · Year-round
- 6 miUnderground Railroad: Cultural Landscape ↗Interpretive site
- 6 miUnderground Railroad: William Paul Quinn ↗Interpretive site
- 6 miUnderground Railroad: Civil War Soldiers ↗Interpretive site
- 6 miUnderground Railroad: African American Landowners ↗Interpretive site
Show all 31Hide
- 6 miUnderground Railroad: Lick Creek ↗Interpretive site
- 10 miShirley Creek Campground ↗Horse camp · Year-round
- 23 miNorth Face Loop ↗Campground · Year-round
- 23 miSouth Slope Loop ↗Campground · April 13 to fire arm gun season
- 23 miRickenbaugh House ↗Interpretive site · summer months as interpreter is available.
- 26 miBoone Creek Barrens ↗Viewing Plants · Year-round
- 27 miCatbrier Loop ↗RV camping · April to October
- 27 miGoldenrod Loop ↗Group camp · April 1 to October 15
- 27 miJackpine Loop ↗Campground · April 1 to October 15
- 27 miPrimrose Loop ↗Group camp · April 1 to October 15
- 28 miDogwood Loop ↗Campground · April 1 to October 15
- 28 miBuzzard Roost Recreation Area ↗Viewpoint · Year-round
- 33 miClover Lick Barrens ↗Viewing Plants · Year-round
- 33 miSaddle Lake Recreation Area ↗Fishing · Year-round
- 33 miMano Point Fishing Area ↗Fishing · Year-round
- 35 miBrooks Cabin ↗Interpretive site · Seasonal
- 35 miBlackwell Campground ↗Horse camp · Year round
- 35 miCharles C. Deam Wilderness ↗Backpacking
- 37 miHickory Ridge Fire Tower ↗Interpretive site · Year-round
- 41 miMaines Pond ↗Birdwatching · Year-round
- 43 miSundance Lake ↗Fishing · Year-round
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
The Forest Service trail layer records 102 named trails in this forest, 244 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Grubb Ridge Trail ↗ | 14.5 | |
| Two Lakes Trail 1 ↗ | 12.5 | |
| Birdseye Trail 1 ↗ | 11.9 | |
| Shirley Creek 1 ↗ | 10.5 | |
| Youngs Creek ↗ | 10.3 | |
| Springs Valley Trail 1 ↗ | 9.1 | |
| Nebo Ridge Trail 1 ↗ | 8.2 | |
| Oriole West 1 ↗ | 7.3 | |
| German Ridge 1 ↗ | 7.2 | |
| Hickory Ridge 2 ↗ | 6.3 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas, refreshed September 18, 2026. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
All 102 trails in Hoosier National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 2.3 miCannelton Cotton Mills ↗National Historic Landmark
- 12.1 miIrwin Union Bank and Trust ↗National Historic Landmark
- 12.2 miFirst Christian Church ↗National Historic Landmark
- 13.1 miMcDowell, Mabel, Elementary School ↗National Historic Landmark
- 0 miRickenbaugh House ↗St. Croix, IN
- 0 miWilliams Bridge ↗Williams, IN
- 0 miWheeler, Frank, Hotel ↗Freetown, IN
- 0.4 miJackson County Courthouse ↗Brownstown, IN
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Hoosier National Forest?
646,949 acres.
Source: Forest Service boundary data
Who manages Hoosier National Forest?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: U.S. Forest Service
What state is Hoosier National Forest in?
Indiana.
Source: How states are assigned
Can I camp at Hoosier National Forest?
17 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Blackwell Campground, Buzzard Roost Campground and Catbrier Loop. 17 in all are within ten miles. Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites; check the forest page for closures.
Source: Where to camp
Where are the trailheads in Hoosier National Forest?
The Forest Service lists 31 recreation sites here, including 13 interpretive areass, 4 campground campgrounds and 3 viewing plantss. Each one links to its Forest Service page.
Source: Trailheads and sites
How do I get to Hoosier National Forest?
A point inside the boundary is at 38.519, -86.514. Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is 18 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: U.S. Forest Service
How dark is the night sky at Hoosier National Forest?
NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 28 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.
Source: NASA Black Marble
Which national parks are near Hoosier National Forest?
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial (18 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Hoosier National Forest?
132 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Cannelton Cotton Mills and Irwin Union Bank and Trust.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
- States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
- Description: Hoosier National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.