With 100 miles of hiking, biking, and horse riding trails at Brown County State Park, this gem of the Uplands is among the Midwest’s best places for mountain biking. Join Larry as he attempts to reach one the highest points in Indiana.
One of my favorite destinations in the Indiana Uplands, regardless of the season, is Brown County State Park. The park, just outside Nashville, first opened in 1929 and is Indiana’s largest State Park. It offers a variety of trails for walking, biking, and horseback riding. Camping is plentiful; however, reservations are required, and it is not unusual for all sites to be reserved on most weekends. There are lakes for fishing, a large swimming pool, overlooks galore, and the historic Abe Martin Lodge that also offers overnight rental cabins. The park was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2021, making it the state’s largest historic district. Historic district designations recognize areas that have a high degree of historical integrity in buildings and landscape and an association with events, developments, or people of historical importance.
One of the more recent additions to the park is its mountain bike trails. The very professional and well-groomed trails were made possible thanks to the volunteer efforts of the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association.
With 100 miles of hiking, biking, and horse riding trails in the park, there is a trail for everyone. Among the bike trails, seven are rated as easy. Eight are intermediate, and seven are difficult. Many of these trails will push the limits of your endurance and technical skill. Make sure your bike is in good shape. Pack plenty of water and some energizing snacks, and get ready for some fun.
For my recent trip to the park, I met up with my friend Mark to ride one of the trails and explore what we thought was the highest point in Indiana, Weedpatch Hill. After some exploring and a few misadventures, we climbed to the top of the fire tower, where we found we had decent cell phone reception. Our research quickly told us we were only at the third highest point in Indiana. The highest point is Hoosier Hill at 1,257 feet in Wayne County, and the second-highest point is Sand Hill in Noble County at 1,058 feet. While we may not have made it to Indiana’s highest point, we think you will agree that nothing beats the rolling hills viewed from the very top of Weedpatch Hill.
View our adventure for yourself:
After the fire tower, we parked at the Nature Center and found the entrance to the 10 O’Clock Trail at the end of the Taylor Ridge Camping area. This nine-mile ridge ride was just challenging enough for our skill level, and we enjoyed the wonderful spring foliage as we slipped through the mud in some of the steeper sections. This trail will eventually take a rider all the way to Yellowwood State Forest.
We rode for about 2 hours and encountered a few other riders and one group on horseback. A great day and a ride to definitely visit again.
Videos Courtesy of Mark Taubensee