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Family-Friendly Hikes in Indiana

The directory currently contains 104 quality-checked routes matching this guide in Indiana. Their average mapped distance is 2.1 km and average recorded ascent is 25 m (82 ft); the longest route in the set is 6.8 km.

This subset represents 51% of the 204 quality-checked routes in Indiana. Its average distance is 2.1 km, compared with 11.5 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 25 m (82 ft), versus 97 m (318 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

Every route in this set has the kid-friendly field set to true. Age, experience and current terrain still need an individual assessment. Within this set, 104 routes (100%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 34 (33%) 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

0.8 km

Beach Trail

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

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

0 m

Beach 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
Indiana Dunes St Park beach
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Typical duration
10 min
  • Coastal
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
3.5 km
/ 2.2 mi
Elevation gain
63 m
Typical duration
49 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
84 m
Typical duration
21 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
30 m
Typical duration
29 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.8 km
/ 1.1 mi
Typical duration
22 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.3 mi
Typical duration
7 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
14 m
Typical duration
11 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
29 m
Typical duration
27 min
  • Lake
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
8 m
Typical duration
9 min
  • Lake
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
3.5 km
/ 2.2 mi
Elevation gain
12 m
Typical duration
45 min
  • Desert
Ogden Dunes Community Church
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
4.1 km
/ 2.5 mi
Elevation gain
37 m
Typical duration
55 min
  • Desert
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Typical duration
17 min
  • Castle and ruins
Platanus occidentalis , Griffy site of the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve, south side of Griffy Lake east of the causeway, Monroe County, Indiana, 8 Jul 2012.
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
33 m
Typical duration
38 min
  • River
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Typical duration
24 min
  • River
Fairfield Township, IN, USA
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
2.5 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
71 m
Typical duration
37 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
72 m
Typical duration
41 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
2.4 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
50 m
Typical duration
35 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
24 m
Typical duration
41 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Typical duration
20 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Typical duration
13 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Typical duration
18 min
View towards Michigan City from Mt. Baldy, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
10 m
Typical duration
11 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
6.6 km
/ 4.1 mi
Elevation gain
58 m
Typical duration
1 hr 28 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
16 m
Typical duration
11 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
14 m
Typical duration
11 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
22 m
Typical duration
13 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
3.1 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
34 m
Typical duration
42 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.6 mi
Typical duration
53 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

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

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
59 m
Typical duration
16 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
13 m
Typical duration
16 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
15 m
Typical duration
12 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
18 m
Typical duration
10 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Typical duration
13 min
  • Castle and ruins
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.5 mi
Typical duration
11 min
  • Castle and ruins
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
6 m
Typical duration
21 min
  • Castle and ruins
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
123 m
Typical duration
40 min
  • Lake
Buildings on the northeastern corner of the junction of Jefferson ( State Road 44 ) and Jackson Streets in downtown Franklin , Indiana , United States . This block is part of the Franklin Commercial Historic District , a historic district t
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
6.8 km
/ 4.2 mi
Elevation gain
7 m
Typical duration
1 hr 25 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Typical duration
7 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
16 m
Typical duration
16 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
17 m
Typical duration
11 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
13 m
Typical duration
16 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
31 m
Typical duration
13 min

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
Beach TrailIndiana0.8 km0 m10 minEasyApril to October
Trail 4Indiana3.5 km63 m49 minEasyApril to October
Trail 7Indiana1.1 km84 m21 minEasyApril to October
Trail 1Indiana2.1 km30 m29 minEasyApril to October
Trail 10Indiana1.8 km0 m22 minEasyApril to October
Trail 6Indiana0.6 km0 m7 minEasyApril to October
Trail 9Indiana0.8 km14 m11 minEasyApril to October
Ogle Lake TrailIndiana1.9 km29 m27 minEasyApril to October
Knob Lake TrailIndiana0.7 km8 m9 minEasyApril to October

Terrill Ridge Trail, Trail 9, Trail 1 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

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All planning articles →

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