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Best Forest Hikes near Bloomington

The directory currently contains 6 quality-checked routes matching this guide near Bloomington. Their average mapped distance is 7.1 km and average recorded ascent is 142 m (466 ft); the longest route in the set is 13.1 km.

This subset represents 10% of the 62 quality-checked routes near Bloomington. Its average distance is 7.1 km, compared with 9.2 km across the full local set.

These routes carry the forest tag. The data does not quantify canopy cover or guarantee shade along every section. Within this set, 1 routes (17%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 0 (0%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

2.9 km

Terrill Ridge Trail

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

19 m

Terrill Ridge Trail

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

0 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

w:Hickory Ridge Fire Tower , looking up from the bottom, located in the w:Charles C. Deam Wilderness Area of w:Hoosier National Forest in Southern w:Indiana . The fire tower is the only remaining tower of eight that used to exist within the
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
2.9 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
19 m
Typical duration
38 min
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
4.0 km
/ 2.5 mi
Elevation gain
108 m
Typical duration
59 min
  • Forest
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
7.5 km
/ 4.7 mi
Elevation gain
113 m
Typical duration
1 hr 44 min
  • Forest
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
13.1 km
/ 8.2 mi
Elevation gain
171 m
Typical duration
3 hr
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
10.8 km
/ 6.7 mi
Elevation gain
357 m
Typical duration
2 hr 47 min
  • Forest
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
4.1 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
86 m
Typical duration
59 min
  • Forest

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Terrill Ridge TrailIndiana2.9 km19 m38 minEasyApril to October
Axsom Branch TrailIndiana4.0 km108 m59 minModerateApril to October
Sycamore TrailIndiana7.5 km113 m1 hr 44 minModerateApril to October
Nebo Ridge TrailIndiana13.1 km171 m3 hrModerateApril to October
Pate Hollow TrailIndiana10.8 km357 m2 hr 47 minModerateApril to October
Martin Hollow TrailIndiana4.1 km86 m59 minModerateApril to October

Terrill Ridge Trail, Sycamore Trail, Axsom Branch Trail currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

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