Turkey Run 5-Mile Challenge Loop Hiking Guide
The 5-Mile Challenge strings five of Turkey Run's numbered trails into one long day north of Sugar Creek. It passes an old coal mine, the Narrows Covered Bridge, the Lusk Home, the Punch Bowl, Camel's Back, the 140 Steps, the ladders, Boulder Canyon and Falls Canyon. With Trail 9 back open after a long flood closure, the full circuit can be walked again.
Permit: Turkey Run is a fee property. Vehicles with Indiana plates pay $7 per day and out-of-state plates $15, every day including holidays; pedestrians and cyclists age 5 and older pay $2. Indiana's $50 annual entrance pass ($120 for nonresidents) is valid at all state park gates for the calendar year.
Distance and Climbing
Hiking Project's recommended route for the challenge measures 5.9 miles with about 629 feet of climbing, and its contributor counts roughly 1,500 built steps spread across the day. The park names it for five miles, and it links Trails 3, 4, 5, 9 and 10, which the DNR rates from Moderate to Very Rugged. Plan on a half day at least; the climbing comes in short, steep bursts on stairs and ladders rather than one long hill, and several stretches follow or cross streams.
The Route, Stop by Stop
Hiking Project starts just past the suspension bridge and heads east on Trail 4, ducking under the bridge, passing the coal mine and following Sugar Creek to a boulder-lined platform facing the Narrows Covered Bridge. The trail bends north to the Lusk Home, then follows a stream to the Punch Bowl, a pothole the park says was scoured by a boulder spinning in glacial meltwater. A spur on Trail 10 climbs switchbacks to the observation deck at Camel's Back. Back down, the loop runs west on Trail 3 and Trail 5 past the 140 Steps, descends one of the ladders to Trail 9, scrambles into Boulder Canyon and its small waterfall, then returns through Falls Canyon and past the Ice Box to the bridge.
Trail 9 Is Open Again
One piece of the loop, Trail 9, was closed for 13 months after flooding damaged its ladder structures. The park has rebuilt them and reopened the trail. The DNR calls Trail 9 the best trail in the park for seeing virgin woods and also its most rugged, and Hiking Project describes the climb just past the ladder bridge as the hardest stair work of the whole loop.
Earning the Sticker
The nature center runs this as its 5-Mile Challenge. Hikers who finish in one day and photograph themselves at the Lusk Home on the east end, Camel's Back on the north and Boulder Canyon on the west can collect a sticker. Some history to take in along the way: Salmon and Mary Lusk built a mill on Sugar Creek around 1823, the covered bridge went up in 1882 to reach it, and when their son John died in 1916 the land became Indiana's second state park.
Planning Around Water, Fees and Hunts
Parts of this loop travel in streambeds, so dress for wet feet, and turn around if the creeks are running high; the DNR treats flooded sections as closed. Wading and swimming in Sugar Creek are prohibited. Because the route includes the ladders, which the park advises against for pets and small children, leave the dog at home. Budget the gate fee ($7 per car with Indiana plates, $15 for others) and watch the calendar in late fall: the park closes for two firearms deer-reduction hunts, the first in mid-November and the second running from late November into early December.
Hiking tips for Turkey Run 5-Mile Challenge Loop
- Start early in the day; with stairs, ladders and streambeds the loop is slower than its mileage suggests.
- Take the three challenge photos at the Lusk Home, Camel's Back and Boulder Canyon if you want the sticker.
- Carry extra socks, since several stretches follow the water.
- Check the park alerts for high water before driving out.
- Pack food and water for a half day; the nature center and parking are back across the bridge.
Nearby trails to explore
- Turkey Run Trail 3 (Rocky Hollow and the Ladders)
- Shades State Park Trail 2 (Lover's Leap and Pearl Ravine)
- Pine Hills Nature Preserve Trail (Devil's Backbone)
Hike this trail with TrailMates
A six-mile day of ladders and canyons goes faster with a crew. Set up a 5-Mile Challenge hike in TrailMates, agree on a start time and who drives in the event's group chat, and gather at the suspension bridge for the photo stops. Download TrailMates on the App Store or Google Play.