TRAIL BUILDING AND MAINTENANCE:
TECUMSEH TRAIL

The Tecumseh Trail is a 50+mile through trail. Of this, 42 miles is located in Morgan-Monroe/Yellowwood State Forest, 30 miles south of Indianapolis, and was built by HHC volunteers in 1997-2001 working with the management of YSF. One property and four easements were acquired by the HHC with a $50,000 grant to connect public properties to make a scenic and safe trail. The addition to the Tecumseh of another 13 miles of trail in the adjacent Hoosier National Forest property will complete the planned future north section of the extended 140-mile Knobstone Trail. (For Yellowwood State Forest office information contact: yelstfor@bluemarble.net)

The HHC hopes that the Tecumseh Trail will one day be the northern section of the Knobstone Trail, which will extend from just south of Martinsville to within a few miles of the Ohio River near Louisville. The Tecumseh Trail is situated in Morgan-Monroe and Yellowwood State Forests, with an eventual connection across public property in the Hoosier National Forest to Rt. 58, east of Bedford. At Route 58 a "no-man's land" of 30 miles of terrain with little public ownership awaits trail extenders. We propose that this section be named the "Pioneer Trail," to commemorate Indiana's homesteaders. Here willing sellers of land and easements must be found to help link the northern Tecumseh section with the original Knobstone.

Tecumseh Trail Maps are available for purchase from the HHC.

Download the new Tecumseh Trail Data Book. This is a 110KB Microsoft Word document.

Morgan-Monroe State Forest Office to Bear Lake: This section was completed in March 2000. It includes the Rock Shelter and Low Gap Trail loops that are old growth forest preserves, removed permanently from State Forest logging rotations. The Tecumseh Trail leaves Low Gap Trail from the Back Country Area, where camping is allowed anywhere, following Shipman Ridge to Bear Lake (good fishing).
Bear Lake to Prang Pond on Lanam Ridge Rd: An outpouring of volunteers late in 2000 and into 2001 helped finish the trail by the end of 2001. This trail crosses property purchased by the HHC at Bear Lake, then crosses three hollows to Richards Road, and then proceeds nearly a mile on a donated easement on Lutheran Hills Church Camp property. The trail then crosses Carmel Ridge Road, to Yellowwood State Forest property again, and then south on old logging tracks past huge old beeches, pine stands, and a spring to come out on West Lost Branch Road. It then jogs west .2 mile along Rt. 45 to Indian Hill Road. The trail then turns south on the road, crossing a railroad track and concrete ford over Beanblossom Creek, then ascends extremely steep Indian Hill Road. Here it again connects to Yellowwood State Forest Land and then through two easements purchased by the HHC on private land along the scenic south bank of Plum Creek (rarely dry). After passing an HHC commemorative stone marker at Plum Creek Road, the trail crosses and follows Salmeron Road south .2 mile, hopping a creek and switchbacking southwest up the ridge on an easement donated by Kneadmore Community Church, a 1970s commune. At the top of the ridge the trail enters Yellowwood State Forest property again, and follows several creeks to an old mill dam, to ascend finally again to Lanam Ridge Road and a short jog east and south on Dubois Ridge Road to spring-fed Prang Pond.
Prange Pond to Yellowwood Lake: Completed in June 2000, this section leads southwest from Dubois Ridge Road at Prange Pond, out Patties Garden Ridge and into the adjacent hollow, up to a horse trail on a beautiful ridge, then down to a crossing of Yellowwood Road at Yellowwood Lake. A primitive campground is located adjacent to the trail (no water; water is available at the Forest Office 1 mile south via Lake Trail or road).
Yellowwood Lake to Belmont at Rt. 46: The trail passes around Yellowwood Lake, on the west side, where it's very peaceful and scenic. The trail passes a beaver dam and cypress knees, and then the dam. The trail passes by a sign for the Scarce O'Fat trail (ignore this) and 200 yards further ascends the steep High King Trail to a hill with a great view of the lake. The trail then crosses Coleman Hollow and then ascends and proceeds south along Scarce O'Fat Ridge. The ridge trail becomes a gravel road for the last half mile, descending to and crossing Rt. 46. The trail follows Rt. 46 for 1/4 mile, safely down an incline from the roadway, to the "town" of Belmont, where there is a Western store with some snacks/vending machines and phone available outside. At Belmont is also located the Hickory Shades Motel: phone, vending machines, clerk on duty (812/988-4694).
Belmont to Crooked Creek Road near Brown County State Park and Monroe Reservoir: The trail follows T.C. Steele Road south to where it crosses Salt Creek on one of the only bridges not usually under water in flood years, then turns left (Lower Schooner Rd.) and right again (Stevens Rd.) and finally reenters the Forest. Then it proceeds south 3.7 miles on forested ridge trails east of T.C. Steele Monument, turning off the ridge at a cairn down to Crooked Creek Road, just 1.5 miles north of the Boat Ramp. From the trailhead here the trail goes up a switchback to Miller Ridge, then crosses it and descends to good camping on Hoosier National Forest property at Panther Branch (rarely dry), adjacent to Brown County State Park.
The Hoosier National Forest section - Miller Ridge to Rt. 58: to be completed. This part will continue the trail past Brown County State Park and down one of the longest ridges in the HNF, locally known as Dan Sipes Ridge, to a crossing of the reservoir/Middle Fork of Salt Creek at the old Elkinsville bridge. This very scenic section will then mount Browning Hill, pass by Nebo Ridge, the HNF area originally proposed for Indiana's federal Wilderness, then just west of the tiny town of Houston, crossing the South Fork of Salt Creek, then up to Hominy Mortar Ridge. From there the trail will follow ridges to an eventual road crossing at Route 58.