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Hiking Trails Under 5 km in Indiana

The directory currently contains 150 quality-checked routes matching this guide in Indiana. Their average mapped distance is 2.0 km and average recorded ascent is 42 m (138 ft); the longest route in the set is 4.9 km.

This subset represents 74% of the 204 quality-checked routes in Indiana. Its average distance is 2.0 km, compared with 11.5 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 42 m (138 ft), versus 97 m (318 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

Every route in this set has a mapped distance of 5 km or less. Time and suitability still depend on ascent, surface and conditions. Within this set, 98 routes (65%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 50 (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

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

Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.5 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
49 m
Typical duration
23 min
  • Canyon and gorge
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
128 m
Typical duration
31 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
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
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.8 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
29 m
Typical duration
25 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
2.0 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
112 m
Typical duration
35 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
2.5 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
121 m
Typical duration
43 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Indiana · United States

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

Indiana · United States

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

Indiana · United States

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

Indiana · United States

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
32 m
Typical duration
32 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
16 m
Typical duration
14 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.3 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
39 m
Typical duration
20 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
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
2.9 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
72 m
Typical duration
43 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Indiana · United States

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

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
22 m
Typical duration
9 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Indiana · United States

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

Indiana · United States

Distance
3.9 km
/ 2.4 mi
Elevation gain
178 m
Typical duration
1 hr 4 min
  • Panoramic viewpoint
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
Moderate

Indiana · United States

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

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.3 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
55 m
Typical duration
21 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
8 m
Typical duration
14 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
75 m
Typical duration
29 min
  • Waymarked route
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
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
4.9 km
/ 3.0 mi
Elevation gain
139 m
Typical duration
1 hr 14 min
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
3.0 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
123 m
Typical duration
49 min
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
53 m
Typical duration
26 min
Easy

Indiana · United States

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

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
90 m
Typical duration
30 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
Moderate

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
40 m
Typical duration
12 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
Trail 7Indiana1.5 km49 m23 minModerateApril to October
Pinnacle Peak TrailIndiana1.6 km128 m31 minModerateApril to October
Terrill Ridge TrailIndiana2.9 km19 m38 minEasyApril to October
Beach TrailIndiana0.8 km0 m10 minEasyApril to October
Trail 10Indiana1.8 km29 m25 minModerateApril to October
Trail 2Indiana2.0 km112 m35 minModerateApril to October
Trail 3Indiana2.5 km121 m43 minModerateApril to October
Trail 4Indiana3.5 km63 m49 minEasyApril to October
Trail 5Indiana1.2 km66 m21 minModerateApril to October
Trail 7Indiana1.1 km84 m21 minEasyApril to October

Trail 7, Pinnacle Peak 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.

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