Trail 4, Rally Campground to Ogle Lake, Brown County State Park

Male hiker crouching on a hiking trail in the forest at Brown County State Park, Indiana.

Trail 4 at Brown County State Park in Indiana is a lesser-known trail that connects with popular Trail 7 (Ogle Lake) and ends at Trail 5 in the Ogle Hollow Nature Preserve. It begins at Rally Campground and winds through upland terrain to the headwaters of Ogle Lake before turning east to the Trail 5 junction.

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Trail 8, Ogle Lake to West Lookout Tower, Brown County State Park

Man standing on wooden bridge over dry creek bed along Trail 8 hiking trail in Brown County State Park, Indiana.

This four-and-a-half-mile trek of solitude through the southern Indiana wilderness is the perfect low-key affair for recharging your batteries. Here you’ll hike to Hesitation Point and the West Lookout Tower – two of the best views in all of Brown County State Park. You might even get to sample the largest edible fruit indigenous to the United States – the pawpaw, a.k.a. the Indiana banana.

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Brum Woods, Batesville, Indiana

Woman hiking in autumn wooded area, Brum Woods, Batesville, Indiana.

Brum Woods is a small network of well-maintained multi-use trails on the southwest side of the city of Batesville in Indiana.

Lena Brum (1900-1993) was opposed to Batesville development and denied many offers for her land, and she left the property to the city upon her death. In turn, the city honored her wishes for preservation and created a fine park for the public to enjoy.

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Cowles Bog Trail – Hiking Indiana Dunes National Park

A woman in a colorful dress walks a sandy path in a grassy plain with Lake Michigan in the background.

A nearly private beach and stunning views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago Skyline await on this 4.5 mile hike through the charming forested dunelands in one of the United States’ youngest national parks.

Cowles Bog at Indiana Dunes National Park features diverse habitats and was one of the sites used in botanist Henry Chandler Cowles’ study of ecological succession — one of the driving factors behind efforts to save the dunes from commercial development.

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The Perfect Hiking Route at Indiana Dunes

Woman hiker standing atop sand dune overlooking Lake Michigan at Indiana Dunes State Park.

If you’re visiting Indiana Dunes, you probably already know about the 3-Dune Challenge, but did you also know that the less-trekked Trail 9 (pictured above) was named best hiking trail in Indiana by USA Today? (Well, kind of — more on that later)

Our curated hiking route combines both experiences as well as the gorgeous shoreline with an easily-customized map for those wanting to hike shorter or longer distances.

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