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| Elevation: | 871 ft | 265 m |
| GPS: |
40.08638, -86.08638 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
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| Page Views: | 272,048 total · 2,355/month | |
| Shared By: | Tom Robson on Dec 14, 2016 · Updates | |
| Admins: | Dylan Kehres, Serov |
The Short and Skinny
Rock climbing access in Indiana is limited. Climbing is prohibited on Indiana state-managed public lands, with few exceptions.
Despite these restrictions, Indiana does have climbable rock. Dolomitic limestone and sandstone, most of which exists on privately owned land, is found all over the state. Climbing on private land is legal with landowner permission.
Muscatatuck County Park, the first historically legal public climbing area, was closed to climbing in 2023 due to insurance concerns from the county. Discussions are ongoing.
As of 2020, climbing is legal in Hoosier National Forest. Specific areas within the Hemlock Cliffs subarea are closed to roped-based climbing and rappelling to protect sensitive resources. Climbers should consult the official Hemlock Cliffs access map before visiting.
The Indiana Climbers Coalition (ICC) is actively working to expand legal climbing opportunities across the state. In coordination with the Access Fund and private landowners, ICC has:
- Multiple climbing areas currently under review
- Ongoing discussions to secure and expand access
- Efforts underway to publish clear, accurate access information for the Indiana climbing community
Access in Indiana is evolving. Stay informed, respect closures, and be involved.
Indiana Climbers Coalition (ICC)
The Indiana Climbers Coalition (ICC) as an Access Fund affiliate is working with federal and private landowners to secure and grow permitted climbing access throughout Indiana.
If you’d like to stay up to date on what’s ahead for Indiana climbing, you can follow along with the ICC at indianaclimbing.org/
Buildering in Indiana
We're doing some clean-up work on Indiana’s Mountain Project page as we gear up for some exciting developments in the state’s climbing scene over the next few years.
- Historically, Indiana has not had a dedicated climbing admin team. This meant all submissions were defacto approved, and left up for years, leaving an impression that buildering was okay.
- Per Mountain Project policy (last revision: Oct 30, 2025), buildering submissions aren’t allowed unless explicit, documented permission from the private property owner is provided. For nearly all submissions, this was obviously not available.
- To keep Indiana’s page focused on compliant climbing areas, buildering submissions are removed by the admin team. This keeps us well-perceived under Mountain Project's motherly gaze.
For a bit of trivia, both Purdue and Indiana University climbing clubs / outdoor programs have internal documents that capture campus climbs, some going back to the ’80s!
You might be surprised how many classic routes at the Red were bolted by strong Indiana climbers escaping a historically climbing-adverse state. Anything tall and even vaguely rock-like in our state has likely been climbed by them already, quietly and under the radar.
Classic Climbing Routes at Indiana
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