Hoosier Hill - Indiana's High Point

Order of Visit: High Point #31

Date Visited: March 26, 2021

Route Taken: Short walk from the dirt parking area (200 feet roundtrip)

Type of Terrain: Flat, open farmland surrounds this high point, but the actual marker rests in a small copse of trees.

Elevation: 1,257 feet

Ancestral Lands: Kickapoo, Kaskaskia, Shawnee, Myaamia

What’s in a name?

What do you name a flat spot in the middle of Indiana with no noticeable prominence or distinguishing features? If it’s the state highest natural point, you really only have one choice. You have to call it Hoosier Hill.

Similar to Mt. Sunflower (Kansas’ high point) and Hawkeye Point (Iowa’s high point), Hoosier Hill is sits on private farmland in an obscure part of the state. And just like those other flat high points, the landowners opted to incorporate the state’s nickname into its official name.

But the remaining question we’re left with is: What the heck is a hoosier?

For nearly 200 years, the citizens of Indiana have proudly adopted the nickname “hoosier,” a term which was popularized by John Finley’s poem, The Hoosier’s Nest, in 1833. However, the author didn’t invent the word, and various theories about the word’s origin and meaning abound.

A few of these folktales include:

The term “hoosiers” was derived from the indigenous word hoosa meaning “corn,” and Indiana floatmen taking crops down to New Orleans came to be known as “hoosa men” or Hoosiers. (However, none of the native North American languages actually used the word ‘hoosa’ for corn or maize, so this theory is almost certainly bogus).

Whenever a someone came to visit a pioneer cabin in Indiana, the settler would usually respond to the knock with the phrase, “Who’s yere?” and soon the reply morphed into a single word. (Though why this rural slang would be confined to just Indiana is completely unclear.)

There was a contractor with the surname Hoosier who employed men on the Louisville and Portland Canal on the Ohio River on the state’s southern border. He preferred to hire laborers from Indiana side of the river instead of from Kentucky, so these workers became known as Hoosier’s men. Then, the nickname eventually expanded to all Indianans.

Despite its uncertain and dubious origins, the term ‘hoosier’ is now a uniquely American word that the people of Indiana have embraced with pride. And, so it’s only natural that the state’s high point would adopt the moniker too.

TRIP SUMMARY

Our family visit to Hoosier Hill was the second stop on our 2021 road trip from Kansas City, Missouri to New Jersey for Easter. Since we were already driving I-70 across the midwest, the 11-mile detour off the interstate to see Indiana’s highest natural point was a no-brainer.

We successfully visited Taum Sauk Mountain (Missouri’s high point) in the pouring rain yesterday, then spent the night in a hotel near St. Louis, Missouri, before continuing our journey east. It was close to 325 miles to our next high point, Hoosier Hill, which meant we didn’t plan on arriving until sometime in the early-mid afternoon.

Hoosier Hill is a simple, drive-up high point hidden in a small grouping of trees on some rural farmland. I’m sure it’s more scenic during the summer, but it was still early enough in the planting season that the fields were dull looking on this gray, gloomy day. Yet, as we turned off the road toward the high point, there was at least one small green patch with a small pond.

This high point reminded me a bit of Jerimoth Hill (Rhode Island) in that it took absolutely no effort to find, yet it was also subtly hidden in the shade of a wooded area.

There isn’t a dedicated parking area beside the high point. It’s just a short dirt driveway that heads away from Elliott Road. Once we arrived, we just hopped out and walked over to the boulder announcing we’d found Hoosier Hill and all the relevant data.

Finn & I standing on Indiana’s High Point – Hoosier Hill

In the past, this state high point didn’t have much adornment. It was just a pile of rocks with a wooden post stuck in it on private land. This all changed in 2005, when a young man from Kentucky named Kyle Cummins turned Hoosier Hill into his Eagle Scout service project.

He worked with the landowner to built a short trail, a sign, and picnic area on the high point so visitors could enjoy the spot a bit more. Unfortunately, the original wooden sign that stood on the high point was stolen (more than a few times), so an engraved boulder replaced it in 2016.

After grabbing a few photos and signing the visitor log, we were done with Hoosier Hill. There was no reason to hang around much longer and we wanted to see about potentially nabbing Ohio’s high point before it got dark. So off we went bidding goodbye to the Hoosier state.

DETAILS

When to Visit: This hike is open year-round.

Getting There: Hoosier Hill is only a mile from the Indiana-Ohio border. It’s located approximately 80 miles east of Indianapolis, IN and 55 miles west of Dayton, OH. If you are traveling on I-70 across the midwest it’s a mere 11-mile detour from the interstate (exit 153).

Entrance Fees: None. This state high point is located on private farmland and the owners simply ask that visitors treat the area with respect and clean up after themselves.

Parking: There is a dirt parking area just off Elliot Road, but not restrooms.

Accessibility: Easy for all.

Bonus: Indiana’s high point is 80 miles from Ohio’s high point (Campbell Hill). As such, many high pointers nab both these meager summits in a single trip.