Pike State Forest

Camping

Primitive camping is available for a fee. Campsites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Self-registration is required. Pit toilets and seasonal drinking water are available. There is a picnic table and grill located on each site. Eleven sites are available in the family camping area and 25 sites are located in the Horseman's Campground.

Fishing

The Patoka River is accessible for fishing. A valid Indiana fishing license is required.

Hunting

Whitetail deer, turkey, squirrel, fox, and raccoon. A valid hunting license is required.

Picnicking

Picnic areas with picnic tables and grills are available for day use. A picnic shelter and playground are also available.

Hiking/Horse Trails

Hiking is available on the forest property's firelanes and bridle trails. All horses brought, driven, or ridden onto the state forest must have a valid annual horse use tag. Hikers and horseback riders are advised to wear hunter orange or other bright clothing while on trails during hunting season.

Hog Branch Trail:  Easy – Medium, 3.0 miles

This trail takes you along stream bottoms and uplands and contains a mix of terrain. It traverses old pine plantations and old field areas that were in agriculture before the land became State Forest. There are some flat and some hilly areas, but there is typically no flooding along this trail. You will get your feet wet crossing Hog Branch after a rain.

Lookout Trail:  Easy – Medium, 2.9 miles

This trail traverses some of the most scenic parts of the forest, offering good views of the hilly terrain characteristic of pre-mining Pike County topography. Encounter unique plants more typical of the Southern states at the northern extent of their range. The trail takes you through a mix of upland and bottomland ecosystems, including some steep hills, while flat areas of the trail near the river can flood seasonally.

River Trail:  Easy – Medium, 2.6 miles

This trail winds through upland forest then runs along the Patoka River through a floodplain forest of mixed bottomland hardwoods, offering good views of the river and bottomland ecosystems. It passes through some large pine openings that were conducted as part of a timber harvest in 2015. These young forest areas provide good early successional habitat for wildlife such as woodcock and whip-poor-wills. Flat areas of the trail near the river can flood seasonally.

• Pike State Forest Map
• Pike State Forest Hunting Map