I'm trying to plan a weekend backpacking trip with my sons and we are looking for a new location. We've already spent plenty of time in Hoosier National Forest and the backcountry area of the Morgan-Monroe State Forest. We are looking to travel to a new area and see some new sights.

I've been to Red River Gorge before and thinking about giving that a try.

Any other suggestions - say within a six hour drive of central Indiana - so Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio... (possibly Illinoyze, )?

Hocking Hills in Ohio

El-annoy has some really great country in the south part of the state. Check out an area called "Giant City ", or anywhere in the Southern half of Mo on the Ozark Trail, too many great places to try to name.

I looked into that a little bit but it looks like that is a state park where you are supposed to stay on marked trails and only camp in the official campground.

We like to do our backpacking in a little more "free" environment where we can just go to a wilderness area and camp and hike wherever we want.

Rock Island State Park in Wisconsin might be 8hr drive- you take a ferry to Washington Island and then a ferry to Rock Island, very secluded and nice hiking.

All I can find about Giant City is a state park there - again - camping by reservation in a campground.
Giant City State Park

Is there more to the Giant City area than just the state park?

I know there's some really cool stuff in the Ozarks/southern Missouri. I've explored there a little and want to see more. But that's a little beyond the 6 hour distance from my home. Although, I do have (almost) a "second home" in West County, St. Louis which could make the Ozarks work if we add additional days off work to the trip. Hate to do that, though. The North Country Trail or Jordan River Pathway in northern Michigan would be cool, too, but again, a little too far from Central Indiana for just a quick weekend backpack trip.

at the six hour limit, that puts you up in the Grayling and Gaylord area of MI on the main north/south route. Fairly big chunks of federal and state ground. Pretty highly thought of as trout fishing area if that is on list of activities. Summer is winding down so less general tourists but you'll see more folks camped and hunting now.

Jordan River country is pretty too. I sorta prefer it over the other two but it would be a little outside of your driving parameter

Depending on where you are starting in Indiana, you could run up the west side of Michigan also. There are tons of beach related things to see on that side of the state if you like that and also tracts of public ground. I tend to go that way to fish more than anything so my focus is pretty narrow lol. Baldwin area is not bad from my stand point

Camp anywhere public land is hard to find depending on where you live. I would think most will be federal owned.

I would suggest Grayson Highlands in Virginia but it is a 7-8 hour drive. It is definitely worth it with views and wild ponies.

Yeah, that's one thing that really stinks about living in Central Indiana. Not exactly a hotspot for outdoor adventure stuff - unless you can do it in a corn field.

We'll probably just end up going back to the Hoosier National Forest somewhere. Or, maybe we can find something new to see in the Daniel Boone National Forest in ol' Kaintuck.

Ever been in the Big South Fork between TN and KY?

Knob stone trail

Wayne National Forest takes up sizable chunks of 12 counties in Ohio. I believe you can go and camp anywhere you want in it. We used to hunt wild boar, grouse, woodcock and deer in the Symmes Creek portion of Wayne National Forest.

Keith

It's in the middle of the Shawnee National Forest, Far as I know you can camp anywhere,
Mo has Millions of acres in the Mark Twain National Forest with several designated Wilderness areas, and many miles of hiking on the Ozark Trails. Maps can be had from the Sierra Club, Missouri Dept of Conservation, the National Forest Service and most outdoor gear shops, like: REI, .