Ogle Lake Trail 7 (Brown County State Park) Hiking Guide
Brown County is Indiana's largest state park, about 16,000 acres of steep ridges and ravines the DNR nicknames the Little Smokies. Trail 7 is its easy-to-reach lake walk: a hilly, wooded loop around 17-acre Ogle Lake that takes about an hour and a half at a naturalist's pace and connects to longer trails if you want more.
Permit: Brown County State Park charges Indiana's state park gate fee: $7 per day for noncommercial vehicles with Indiana plates and $15 for out-of-state plates. Visitors walking or biking in pay $2 apiece (age 5+). Annual passes are $50 for residents and $120 for nonresidents and run on the calendar year.
Distance and Terrain
The park's trail table lists Trail 7 at 1.5 miles and rates it Moderate. A park naturalist's hike listing gives 1.2 miles and about an hour and a half, and Hiking Project also maps a 1.2-mile loop with only about 68 feet of climbing, while onX shows roughly 126 feet. The listing mentions short staircases, uneven surfaces and possible muddy spots. It is hilly in the way a lakeshore trail is: lots of small ups and downs rather than one big climb.
Getting to the Trailhead
The park has two main entrances off State Road 46, and the DNR warns that GPS directions may not send you to the right one. Its mapping addresses are 1405 S.R. 46 W. for the west gate, two miles west of Nashville, and 1801 S.R. 46 E. for the north gate. The north gate crosses a historic covered bridge with a 9-foot clearance and 3-ton limit, so RVs and anything towing a trailer must use the west gate. Trail 7 starts from the Ogle Lake parking area, which is also where Trail 8 ends.
Linking Longer Hikes
Trail 7 is a hub. Trail 4 from the Rally Campground joins it for a short stretch and continues to Ogle Hollow Nature Preserve, where the rugged 0.75-mile Trail 5 loops through a slope of state-endangered yellowwood trees. Trail 8, the 3.5-mile HHC Trail improved by Hoosier Hikers Council volunteers between 2002 and 2007, runs from the West Lookout past Hesitation Point to the Ogle Lake parking area. Trail 9's extension and the out-and-back Vollmer Trail also connect near the lake.
Lake Rules and Dogs
Swimming is prohibited in Ogle Lake. Fishing is allowed with a state fishing license, which the park office sells. Dogs are welcome on a leash no longer than six feet, a rule Indiana applies everywhere on state park property. Beyond the lake, the park map counts about 21 miles of hiking trails and 37 miles of shared mountain bike and hiking trails.
Fall Crowds and Hunt Closures
The DNR calls Brown County a traditional fall color hot spot, with nearly 20 miles of tree-lined park roads and vistas over unbroken forest, so October is the park's showcase month. Pay at the gate: $7 per vehicle with Indiana plates, $15 if your plates are from another state. After the leaves fall, the DNR also closes Brown County to the public for two firearms deer-management hunts, one in mid-November and one that straddles the start of December.
Hiking tips for Ogle Lake Trail 7 (Brown County State Park)
- Enter through the west gate if you are driving anything tall or towing.
- Wear shoes that handle mud; the naturalist's listing warns of muddy spots.
- Add Trail 5 through Ogle Hollow for a short, steeper detour among the yellowwoods.
- Climb the 90-foot fire tower afterward for a view over the hills.
- Stop at the nature center, where the park keeps a state-endangered timber rattlesnake on display.
Nearby trails to explore
- McCormick's Creek Trail 3 (Falls and Canyon)
- Camp Creek Trail (Fort Harrison State Park)
- Red Trail (Eagle Creek Park)
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Ogle Lake is an easy first hike for people new to Brown County, and a good warm-up before the longer ridge trails. Create a Brown County hike on TrailMates, coordinate the gate and carpool from Indianapolis in the event's group chat, and meet at the Ogle Lake parking area. Download TrailMates on the App Store or Google Play.