Indiana may be known as the flattest state, but it still has some rolling hills and rugged terrain. Test your knowledge of Indiana’s tallest peaks and most scenic vistas with these 55 riddles about mountains in the Hoosier State.
Riddles about Hoosier Highpoints
What is the highest point in Indiana? Here are some clues to get you thinking about the state’s loftiest summits:
1. I am the highest natural point in Indiana at 1,257 feet. Abraham Lincoln once visited me.
Answer: Hoosier Hill
2. I am a 1,235-foot knob in Franklin County, the second highest point in Indiana after Hoosier Hill.
Answer: Charles C. Deam Wilderness Area
3. Located in Wayne County, I am a 1,100-foot scenic overlook with panoramic views. A stone fire tower stands on my summit.
Answer: Hawthorn Hill
Riddles about State Parks
From rolling sand dunes to rugged canyon walls, Indiana’s state parks protect some of its most scenic landscapes. Puzzle out these natural wonders:
4. Over 200 feet tall in some places, I am a sandstone gorge with scenic trails along my rim and valley floor.
Answer: Turkey Run State Park
5. Located in Warren County, I am a state park featuring forested ravines, sandstone cliffs, and pioneer village recreations.
Answer: Shades State Park
6. I am a state park in Vigo County protecting the world’s oldest exposed bedrock, precambrian sandstone formed over 1 billion years ago.
Answer: Pinnacle Rock State Park
Riddles about Waterfalls
Cascading over sandstone cliffs, waterfalls are some of Indiana’s most spectacular mountain scenery. Name these tumbling cataracts:
7. Located in Turkey Run State Park, I am a canyon waterfall plunging over bedrock into a rocky gorge.
Answer: Trail 3 Falls
8. Also found in Turkey Run State Park, I am one of the most popular waterfalls, wider than I am tall.
Answer: Cascade Falls
9. Spilling over a mossy sandstone overhang, I am a gentle waterfall located a short hike from the Nature Center at Shades State Park.
Answer: Devil’s Punchbowl Falls
Riddles about Scenic Overlooks
In addition to lofty lookout towers, Indiana has many bluffs and ridges offering panoramic vistas. Name these mountain viewpoints:
10. Known as “Indiana’s Sunset Spot,” I am a scenic ridge in the Hoosier National Forest overlooking Monroe Lake.
Answer: Hesitation Point
11. With views across the Ohio River valley, I am a Jefferson County park located atop a 793-foot limestone bluff.
Answer: Clifty Falls State Park Overlook
12. Located along the Ohio River Scenic Byway, I am an overlook in Dearborn County rising 600 feet above the river.
Answer: Hogback Overlook
Riddles about Famous Visitors
Many famous figures have traveled through Indiana’s highlands over the years. Do you recognize these notable visitors?
13. In 1816, I documented my expedition along the bluffs of the White River near present-day Muncie.
Answer: General Lew Wallace
14. As a young man in 1830, I led a flatboat crew down the White River, nearly losing the boat over rapids near Petersburg.
Answer: Abraham Lincoln
15. In 1940, I visited Turkey Run State Park while campaigning for my first term as Indiana governor.
Answer: Henry F. Schricker
Riddles about Caves and Sinkholes
Beneath Indiana’s surface lies a world of subterranean rivers, dramatic overhangs, and yawning pits. Identify these underground features:
16. Located near Leipsic, I am one of the largest underground river systems in Indiana stretching over 5 miles.
Answer: Blue Springs Caverns
17. I am an enormous sinkhole in Harrison County measuring over 400 feet across and 120 feet deep.
Answer: Squire Boone Caverns
18. Located in Orange County, I am a sandstone rock shelter featuring Native American petroglyphs and historic inscriptions.
Answer: Beehunter Rock Shelter
Riddles about Strange Place Names
Indiana’s hilly regions have some curiously-named features. Can you identify the stories and sites behind these titles?
19. I am a Jefferson County community once home to a distillery known for making strong whiskey that “knocked the socks off” customer’s feet.
Answer: Sockum Ridge
20. Located in Orange County, I am whimsically named for the unusual echoes created by the shape of my canyon walls.
Answer: Echo Valley
21. Found near Leopold, I am a hill where according to legend a homesick Swiss immigrant planted a pine tree.
Answer: Switzerland County
Riddles about Early Industry
Indiana’s hills and hollows supported various enterprises over the years. Identify these early regional industries:
22. Perched atop sandstone cliffs in Perry County, we were mining operations active in the 19th century.
Answer: Cliff Mine and Stockton Mine
23. Located near Paoli, I was a 19th century limestone quarry that supplied stone for iconic Indianapolis landmarks.
Answer: Romona Oolitic Stone Company quarry
24. I am an 1816 gunpowder mill located along Little Blue River north of Salem.
Answer: Great Western Gunpowder Mills
Riddles about Screaming Legends
Some spooky stories are connected to Indiana’s high places. Solve the mysteries behind these eerie tales:
25. In Brown County, visitors report hearing a woman’s screams near my forested ridge after dark.
Answer: Screaming Hill
26. Located south of Corydon, I am a scream-shrouded railroad trestle over blue River nicknamed “Hell’s Gate.”
Answer: Bluesprings Caverns
27. Screams have also been heard near my stone tunnel along an abandoned rail line in Putnam County.
Answer: Banner Mills Tunnel
Riddles about Strange Creatures
From mythical monsters to mysterious animals, Indiana’s backcountry has accrued many curious tales. Identify these elusive creatures:
28. Sightings of my white furry form have been reported for decades along SR 337 near Medora.
Answer: Medora Wolfman
29. I am a Harrison County lake creature nicknamed “Bessie” first spotted in the 1960s.
Answer: Lake Monster of Freeman Lake
30. Cryptozoologists search for me, a giant tunnel-dwelling worm said to inhabit old mines near Markle.
Answer: Markle Tunnel Monster
Riddles about Haunted Hills
From ghost towns to phantom graveyards, Indiana’s heights harbor many haunting tales. Name these spooky sites:
31. Located near Tunnelton, I am a long-abandoned mining town said to be inhabited by the ghosts of dead miners.
Answer: Hog Hollow Ghost Town
32. Apparitions have been seen wandering among my vandalized 19th century gravestones near Paoli.
Answer: Willard Cemetery
33. Strange lights and sounds have been reported emanating from my hilltop tuberculosis hospital, vacant since the 1950s.
Answer: Old Indiana Asylum for the Insane
Riddles about Historic Battles
From frontier skirmishes to Civil War campaigns, Indiana’s rugged terrain saw military action over the years. Identify these battle sites:
34. I was the site of a major 1811 frontier battle in which Indiana forces defeated native warriors near present-day Battle Ground.
Answer: Battle of Tippecanoe
35. Confederate general John Hunt Morgan crossed me during his 1863 raid into southern Indiana.
Answer: Ohio River
36. Over 10,000 men fought at me, an 1862 battle in Perry County won by Union troops.
Answer: Battle of Pigeon Roost
Riddles about Presidential Links
From log cabin birthplaces to campaign whistlestops, Indiana’s hills have connections to US presidents. Identify these presidential places:
37. Located near Little York, I am the 19th century homestead of Benjamin Harrison, 23rd president.
Answer: Harrison Homestead State Historic Site
38. President Theodore Roosevelt spoke at me in 1902, a scenic Brown County ridge with views across Jackson Creek valley.
Answer: Hesitation Point
39. President William Henry Harrison once operated a grist mill along my banks near Vincennes.
Answer: White River
Riddles about Geologic Formations
From fossil beds to mineral Springs, Indiana’s hills reveal insights into natural history. Identify these geologic features:
40. Located near Paoli, I am an Ordovician fossil site known as Indiana’s “coral graveyard.”
Answer: Harrison Lake fossil beds
41. I am a mineral spring once known as a “Lourdes of America,” attracting thousands of pilgrims seeking my purported healing waters.
Answer: Angel Spring near Ferdinand
42. Located near Leavenworth, I am the site of an 1880 meteor impact leaving behind shatter cone formations.
Answer: Kentland Crater
Riddles about Natural Landmarks
Glacial erratics, odd rock formations, even a natural gas flare – Indiana’s landscape holds many curiosities. Identify these unusual sites:
43. Located in Martin County, I am a large glacial erratic boulder transported over 700 miles by an ancient glacier.
Answer: Lonely Boulder
44. In Owen County, flames flare mysteriously from gaps in my sandstone outcropping known as the “burning rocks.”
Answer: Burns City Burning Rock
45. Nestled into a west central Indiana hillside, I am a strange sandstone formation nicknamed the “Devil’s Tea Table.”
Answer: Rock Creek Natural Landmark
Riddles about Scenic Byways
Winding routes through forests and river valleys, scenic byways offer spectacular vistas. Identify these drives:
46. Traversing brown and Morgan counties, I am a national scenic byway offering stunning overlooks and fall colors.
Answer: Brown County Hills Scenic Byway
47. I am a state scenic byway skirting the Ohio River through hills and hollows from Rising Sun to Madison.
Answer: Ohio River Scenic Byway
48. Located in southwestern Indiana, I am a backcountry byway winding past Amish homesteads and hilltop views.
Answer: Southwestern Indiana Backcountry Byway
Riddles about Covered Bridges
Spanning gorges and hollers, covered bridges add old-world charm to Indiana’s hills. Identify these romantic crossings:
49. I am the last remaining Parke County covered bridge, crossing little Raccoon Creek east of Bridgeton.
Answer: Bridgeton Covered Bridge
50. Located near Metamora, I am a historic covered bridge traversing the whitewater River.
Answer: Metamora Covered Bridge
51. Also found near Metamora, I am the state’s longest single-span covered bridge at 228 feet.
Answer: Grange Hall Road Covered Bridge
Riddles about Scenic Towns
From quaint villages to alpine hamlets, charming small towns dot Indiana’s uplands. Identify these picturesque places:
52. Known as the “Covered Bridge Capital of the Midwest,” I am an Franklin County art colony famed for my restored Victorian spans.
Answer: Metamora
53. Nestled amid Brown County hills, I am an artsy village famed for fall foliage, galleries, and rustic inns.
Answer: Nashville
54. Dubbed “Little Switzerland,” I am a berg high atop Ohio County’s hills preserving Swiss cultural heritage.
Answer: Vevay
Conclusion
55. Known as the “Gentle Giant,” at over 12 feet tall I am one of the largest trees east of the Mississippi River, found in Harrison State Forest.
Answer: Laughery Creek Giant Sycamore Tree
How many of these Indiana mountain riddles could you solve? Though small in stature, Indiana’s hills and hollows hold many surprises – soaring sandstone cliffs, secluded waterfalls, haunted hollows, and more. From the Ohio River valley to the rolling moraine lakes region, scenic vistas and geologic curiosities await discovery across Indiana’s diverse landscapes.
