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Loop Trails near Indianapolis

There are 13 hikes near Indianapolis in our database that fit. They average 4.0 km and 84 m (276 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 15.8 km.

That is 54 percent of the 24 routes we map near Indianapolis. The climbing is steeper too: 84 m (276 ft) on average versus 63 m (207 ft) across the wider area.

Circular routes: park once, finish where you started, and never walk the same section twice. The mix is broad: 9 are rated easy and 1 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day. A good share of them are loops, so you can park once and finish where you started.

Trails

Campsite in northern Monroe County
Hard

Three Lakes Trail

Indiana · United States

Distance
15.6 km
/ 9.7 mi
Elevation gain
364 m
Typical duration
3 hr 48 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Southern portion of the Pleasant View Baptist Cemetery, located at 7700 Anderson Road in rural northern Benton Township , Monroe County , Indiana , United States .
Moderate

Low Gap Trail

Indiana · United States

Distance
15.8 km
/ 9.8 mi
Elevation gain
305 m
Typical duration
3 hr 47 min
Easy

Red-Tailed Ridge Trail

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
21 m
Typical duration
19 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Whitetail Ravine Trail

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.7 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
19 m
Typical duration
11 min
  • Canyon and gorge
Easy

Prairie View Trail

Indiana · United States

Distance
1.3 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
10 m
Typical duration
17 min
  • Alpine meadow
Moderate

Woodland Way

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
10 m
Typical duration
12 min
  • Forest
Easy

Hitz-Rhodehamel Loop

Indiana · United States

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
152 m
Typical duration
1 hr 7 min
Easy

Barred Owl Trail

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
28 m
Typical duration
12 min
Easy

Paw Paw Pathway

Indiana · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
6 m
Typical duration
8 min
Easy

Mason Ridge Trail

Indiana · United States

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

Rock Shelter Trail

Indiana · United States

Distance
4.9 km
/ 3.1 mi
Elevation gain
105 m
Typical duration
1 hr 11 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
Three Lakes TrailIndiana15.6 km364 m3 hr 48 minHardApril to October
Low Gap TrailIndiana15.8 km305 m3 hr 47 minModerateApril to October
Red-Tailed Ridge TrailIndiana1.4 km21 m19 minEasyApril to October
Whitetail Ravine TrailIndiana0.7 km19 m11 minEasyApril to October
Prairie View TrailIndiana1.3 km10 m17 minEasyApril to October
Woodland WayIndiana0.9 km10 m12 minModerateApril to October
Hitz-Rhodehamel LoopIndiana4.2 km152 m1 hr 7 minEasyApril to October
Barred Owl TrailIndiana0.8 km28 m12 minEasyApril to October
Big Waulnut Crossing TrailIndiana0.6 km8 m8 minEasyApril to October
Paw Paw PathwayIndiana0.6 km6 m8 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Three Lakes Trail, Low Gap Trail, Red-Tailed Ridge Trail. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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