Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center Perimeter Defense Road

The Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center’s outer perimeter roads offer a rare glimpse into Cold War military infrastructure where the Navy stored and tested ordnance in the Indiana hills. This 18-mile circuit follows the installation’s boundary fence through second-growth forest punctuated by concrete ammunition bunkers, now mostly abandoned but still imposing in their utilitarian design. The route passes the old Nike missile site at mile 7.3 and skirts the edge of active weapons testing areas where distant explosions occasionally punctuate the forest quiet.

Access requires advance coordination with base security and is typically limited to organized groups or military history enthusiasts. The gravel roads are well-maintained but narrow, suitable for stock high-clearance vehicles. Spring through fall offers the best access when base operations allow civilian tours. This isn’t recreational wheeling—it’s a controlled opportunity to see how the military carved infrastructure into rural Indiana during the nuclear age. The payoff is understanding a hidden chapter of Hoosier history most overlanders never glimpse.