Indiana's Historic Pathways
Indiana's Historic Pathways is a National Scenic Byway in Indiana. Within Indiana it covers roughly 240 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Indiana's Historic Pathways with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Indiana's Historic Pathways is a 250-mile National Scenic Byway combining US 150 and US 50 across southern Indiana. US 150 follows much of the ancient Buffalo Trace, while US 50 runs from Lawrenceburg on the Ohio River to Vincennes near Illinois. The Buffalo Trace began as a path worn by bison herds migrating to the salt licks at the Falls of the Ohio, used by Native Americans as early as 8000 BC and later known variously as the Vincennes Trace, Clarksville Trace, Harrison Road, and Kentucky Road, making US 150 one of the oldest roads in the Midwest. French fur traders followed the same route to found a trading post at Vincennes in the early 1700s. The byway, designated a National Scenic Byway in October 2009, mixes rolling farmland and river bluffs with small-town main streets and riverfront architecture, including the Howard Steamboat Museum, the Hillforest Victorian House Museum, and the Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site.
- Buffalo Trace
- US 150 and US 50
- 250 miles
- Vincennes
- 2009 National Scenic Byway
- Howard Steamboat Museum
- 8000 BC Native American path
Designated for its historic qualities
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Places to stop along Indiana's Historic Pathways
Lesko Park
A riverfront park in Aurora with picnic shelters and views up and down the Ohio.
Hillforest Victorian House Museum
An 1855 Italian Renaissance mansion built for a steamboat magnate, perched on a hillside above Aurora's riverfront.
Medora Covered Bridge
An 1875 Burr-arch bridge over the East Fork of the White River, at more than 430 feet among the longest historic covered bridges in the U.S.
French Lick Scenic Railway
Excursion trains through the hills and a 2,200-foot tunnel from the old resort town of French Lick, with themed rides on weekends.
West Baden Springs Hotel
A 1902 resort hotel whose huge free-span dome over the atrium was once billed as the eighth wonder of the world, now restored.
Overlook Park
A shelter house on a bluff with sweeping views over the winding White River and its farms.
George Rogers Clark National Historical Park
A granite memorial in Vincennes, Indiana's oldest city, honoring Clark's 1779 capture of the British fort here, with murals inside the rotunda.
WebsiteFalls of the Ohio State Park
One of the world's largest exposed Devonian fossil beds, about 390 million years old, walkable when the river is low.
WebsiteCulbertson Mansion State Historic Site
A New Albany mansion from the 1860s with painted ceilings and marble fireplaces, built by one of Indiana's richest men.
Where to Stay along Indiana's Historic Pathways
2 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Indiana's Historic Pathways.
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Photos of Indiana's Historic Pathways
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.