Skip to content

Best Mountain Hikes near Bloomington

The directory currently contains 16 quality-checked routes matching this guide near Bloomington. Their average mapped distance is 25.2 km and average recorded ascent is 211 m (692 ft); the longest route in the set is 274 km.

This subset represents 26% of the 62 quality-checked routes near Bloomington. Its average distance is 25.2 km, compared with 9.2 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 211 m (692 ft), versus 123 m (404 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

These routes carry the mountain tag. Their measured distance and ascent are shown separately so the label is not used as a proxy for difficulty. Within this set, 7 routes (44%) are rated easy, 2 (13%) are rated hard or expert, and 2 (13%) 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

1.2 km

Huckleberry Ridge

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

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

13 m

Huckleberry Ridge

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

Return logistics

1 recorded loop

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

Expert

Indiana · United States

Distance
274 km
/ 170 mi
Elevation gain
1,415 m
Typical duration
67 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Indiana · United States

Distance
69.8 km
/ 43.4 mi
Elevation gain
797 m
Typical duration
17 hr
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
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
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
13 m
Typical duration
16 min
  • Mountain
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
3.3 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
45 m
Typical duration
45 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
7.6 km
/ 4.7 mi
Elevation gain
187 m
Typical duration
1 hr 52 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
70 m
Typical duration
25 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
9.1 km
/ 5.7 mi
Elevation gain
226 m
Typical duration
2 hr 14 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
2.9 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
76 m
Typical duration
42 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
9 m
Typical duration
36 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
57 m
Typical duration
44 min
  • Mountain
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
3.9 km
/ 2.4 mi
Elevation gain
199 m
Typical duration
1 hr 7 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
20 m
Typical duration
23 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
4.4 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
64 m
Typical duration
1 hr 1 min
  • Mountain

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
Hoosier Heritage TrailIndiana274 km1,415 m67 hrExpertApril to October
Tecumseh TrailIndiana69.8 km797 m17 hrExpertApril to October
Terrill Ridge TrailIndiana2.9 km19 m38 minEasyApril to October
Huckleberry RidgeIndiana1.2 km13 m16 minEasyApril to October
Nebo Ridge TrailIndiana13.1 km171 m3 hrModerateApril to October
Hickory Ridge Trail 15Indiana3.3 km45 m45 minModerateApril to October
Hickory Ridge Trail 18Indiana7.6 km187 m1 hr 52 minModerateApril to October
Hickory Ridge Trail 14Indiana1.5 km70 m25 minEasyApril to October
Hickory Ridge Trail 16Indiana9.1 km226 m2 hr 14 minModerateApril to October
Hickory Ridge Trail 17Indiana2.9 km76 m42 minModerateApril to October

Hoosier Heritage Trail, Tecumseh Trail, Terrill Ridge 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.

Frequently asked questions

Plan with more confidence

All planning articles →

Related guides

Other shortlists covering the same area or the same kind of terrain.

People also search for