Redbird State Recreation Area

Redbird State Recreation Area is an Indiana DNR-managed 1,400-acre off-road vehicle park in Sullivan County, western Indiana, near the community of Dugger approximately 25 miles southeast of Terre Haute. The property occupies reclaimed coal mining land that was actively strip-mined through the mid-20th century before being transferred to the Indiana DNR and developed into one of the state's two primary public-land OHV recreation destinations. The reclaimed mining terrain is the defining feature of Redbird's riding experience: the overburden piles, pit lakes, and highly varied topography produced by decades of surface mining give the park a landscape character completely unlike the flat glaciated farmland that surrounds the area. Steep hills, rocky gullies, open play areas on reclaimed flats, and the small pit lakes scattered across the property combine to create what is effectively a purpose-built OHV landscape, the mining operation inadvertently engineered the terrain that riders now use. The trail network covers approximately 85 miles of designated routes for ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, and 4x4 trucks, with rated difficulty levels spanning beginner loops through advanced technical hill-climb terrain. The Indiana DNR operates Redbird under the state's OHV permit program, all riders need a valid Indiana OHV permit (or out-of-state equivalent), with additional day-use fees charged at the entrance station. Primitive and RV camping are available on-site. Redbird is one of the most visited public OHV parks in the Midwest by user count given its position serving the Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Evansville, and Illinois border markets. Indiana DNR Redbird SRA office (812-648-2810) manages current conditions and fee structure.