48 official trails lie within 25 miles of Madison — 127 miles in total, 39 rated easy and 2 hard or expert. Every distance and elevation figure below is computed from the agency centerline and a 10 m elevation model, not crowd-sourced.
The biggest climb nearby gains 368 ft; the median trail gains 84 ft.
| Trail | Miles | Climb | Difficulty | Drive from town |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Versailles Mountain Bike Trails | 19.4 | 180 ft | Expert | 53 min · 29 mi |
| Daryl R. Karns Natural History Trails | 2.6 | 297 ft | Moderate | 13 min · 7 mi |
| Trail1 | 2.8 | 190 ft | Moderate | 42 min · 26 mi |
| Potato Peeler | 4.4 | 174 ft | Moderate | 53 min · 29 mi |
| Scottsburg Multiuse Trails | 7.6 | 47 ft | Easy | 37 min · 24 mi |
| Madison Connector | 2.0 | 368 ft | Easy | 3 min · 2 mi |
| Muscatuck Park River Trail | 2.6 | 146 ft | Easy | 33 min · 21 mi |
| Scottsburg to Pigeon Roost Trail | 3.9 | 89 ft | Easy | 41 min · 25 mi |
| Tripton Park Trails | 2.6 | 44 ft | Easy | 34 min · 22 mi |
| Hiking Trails (multiple) | 3.1 | 71 ft | Easy | 50 min · 28 mi |
| Charles & Nan Hurley Interpretive Trail | 2.0 | 123 ft | Easy | 38 min · 24 mi |
| Nine Penny Branch Nature Preserve Trail | 1.6 | 105 ft | Easy | 49 min · 30 mi |
| Muscatatuck Park Ridge Trail | 1.7 | 97 ft | Easy | 34 min · 22 mi |
| Office Site Trail | 2.1 | 51 ft | Easy | 22 min · 12 mi |
| Black Trail (Muscatatuck County Park) | 1.1 | 84 ft | Easy | 33 min · 21 mi |
| Green Trail (Muscatatuck County Park) | 2.0 | 66 ft | Easy | 35 min · 22 mi |
| White Oak Nature Preserve Trail | 1.0 | 61 ft | Easy | 54 min · 33 mi |
| Outward Bound Trail | 1.5 | 51 ft | Easy | 44 min · 22 mi |
| Forest Resource Trail | 1.2 | 76 ft | Easy | 51 min · 33 mi |
| Island Trail | 1.3 | 51 ft | Easy | 44 min · 22 mi |
| Muscatatuck Park Miscellaneous Trails | 1.4 | 25 ft | Easy | 35 min · 22 mi |
| Iola Lake Trails | 1.1 | 13 ft | Easy | 40 min · 25 mi |
| Madison Riverwalk | 1.3 | 5 ft | Easy | 6 min · 3 mi |
Waterfalls: Daryl R. Karns Natural History Trails to Horseshoe Falls
Summits: Versailles Mountain Bike Trails to Hassmer Hill
Lakes: Scottsburg Multiuse Trails to Scottsburg Reservoir; Forest Resource Trail to Oak Lake; Iola Lake Trails to Iola Lake
Viewpoints: Charles & Nan Hurley Interpretive Trail to Sam Calli/Rosemary Calli Memorial Overlook
Nearby towns: Scottsburg (21 mi) · North Vernon (22 mi) · La Grange (25 mi) · Batesville (38 mi)
All Indiana trail guides · Hiking by city · Dispersed camping rules