About
the HHC:
Trail Policy Issues:
Hoosier National Forest
The
HHC's Plan for 120 more miles of Hiking Trails in the
Hoosier
National Forest.
The HHC was organized in 1994 in part to help modify
the HNF's multiple-use trail policy that made the large
majority of its 200+ miles of trails into defacto
horse trails. Only one 6-mile single-use hiking trail
(Sycamore Branch loop in Deam Wilderness) is within
an hour's drive of the state's major population center,
Indianapolis. North of I-64, the total for multiple-use
trails is 97 miles, for hikers, 8 miles. The HHC has
been working since its inception to obtain a fair number
of HNF single-use footpaths for hikers.
The
Hoosier National Forest Plan - HHC endorsed elements:
-
Develop a single-use footpath system for hikers, backpackers,
hunters, and gatherers. Help to improve the Deam Wilderness
trails, which are reverted further from Wilderness
conditions.
-
Continue
to keep noisy, terrain-destroying Off-Road Vehicles
(ORVs) off trails.
-
Implement
Roadless Area protection for Mogan Ridge and Combs
Hollow.
-
Designate
Wilderness Area protection for Mogan Ridge/Shircliff
Hollow (12,000 acres); Nebo Ridge/Bad Hollow, Porter
Hollow/Panther Creek, Deckard Ridge/Hickory Ridge
(15,500 acres); Sam's Creek/Big Creek (3,500 acres),
and Lick Creek/Danner Cemetery (5,500 acres). Indiana's
sole site given this protection is Deam Wilderness
(13,000 acres); the HNF comprises more than 190,000
acres today.
For
more details of the history of HNF trail planning, see
the official proposal entitled HHC
FOOT-TRAILS PLAN FOR THE HOOSIER NATIONAL FOREST.
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