This past weekend we rode the section of trail between Osawatamie and Rantoul, KS (didn't have time for a longer ride). We first tried to park at the school and ride from there, but the railroad tracks still haven't been removed from that section and it's overgrown with weeds, so we got onto the trail about a mile west of town, where it crosses over the road. Within the first mile or so, there was a road crossing that was a little steep and rocky, but I took my mountain bike this time instead of my cyclocross bike, and the crossing was no problem on the mountain bike. I would have probably needed to walk the cyclocross bike across if I had that, but it's only about 50 feet from one side to the other, so no biggy. After that it was just hard packed gravel the rest of the way, and although this section isn't in the Flint Hills, there was still some really great scenery, especially along the river section. This section of trail also has alot more trees, so we were riding in a shaded canopy for a good portion of the ride. Sure this trail might not be as maintained as other rail trails, but I think it's a great trail regardless. The Katy is a state park trail, so it is maintained with state money, and has ammenities along the way. This is a nature trail, so it's not going to have all the ammenities, or be as well maintained, but I think that's part of what makes it more appealing....to me anyway

Rob

We rode the 21 mile section of the trail starting in Allen, KS and riding to Council Grove, KS. About 7 miles into the ride west of Allen the trail opned up into the Flint Hills with incredible views. I don't know what the rest of the trail is like, but the section we rode was awsome! Here's a link to a bunch of photos I took along the way. I also recommend lunch at the Hays House in Council Grove. We fueled up there for the 21 mile ride back to the vehicle.

https://picasaweb.google.com/115546008325983184888/FlintHillsNatureTrailRide#

Started on the trail in Herrington heading east. In the first 2.5 miles we had to cross 3 barbed wire fences or gates. Do the local farmers know that this is a rail-trail and not their property? The railbed is the same large railroad rock that has always been there, overgrown with trees and weeds. We gave up after our 2.5 miles and hopped on to a dirt road and took highway 56. Has great potential but almost impassible at this point.

I tried to ride the section from Ottawa west toward Vassar I figured it would be scenic since it travels through the Flint Hills.

Let me start off by telling you how to find it so you don't have to spend over an hour trying to find it like I did. You can get on the trail west of town if you follow 2nd street west, go under 68, turn left and follow that until you get to some ball fields. There is a cemetery there. The ball fields are not on the map. If you head north through the woods from there you will hit the trail.

The surface of the trail is still the rock left over when it had railroad ties, so it is rough. The trail is VERY rough and over grown. You will need a MTB bike or at least a cyclocross bike. Bring plenty of inner tubes. I rode through something with lots of tiny thorns and could not find them all, went through all my tubes so I had to give up and leave.

In all fairness, it did look interesting but only if you are looking for a rough adventurous trail. This is not like the Prairie Spirit on the other end of town. This trail is unimproved. I do however plan on trying it again, but only after I get some Stan's No Tubes. I will probably head east this time towards Ossawatomie.

If you are NOT looking for an adventure, find a nice gravel road somewhere else and save yourself the time it takes to get there.
Also, keep in mind, if you need something for your bike the closest bike shop is in Lawrence 20 miles north.

Rode the section of the trail from Osawatomie to Ottawa and back on June 9, 2011. That stretch of trail does offer some nice scenery. Other than that, I'd not recommend it for the faint of heart.

Good luck trying to get on the trail in Osawatomie. Just drive west of town on the John Brown highway and park on the north side of the highway where the trail crosses - about a mile west of the Trojan Elementary School. The first couple of miles from there will be discouraging. Rough surface, very poor crossing of a roadway just as the ride is starting, and evidence you will be sharing the trail with horses. Be prepared to dodge the droppings.

The trail winds through some beautiful, secluded woods running along the river. Large rocks litter the surface, and rough spots abound so keep your eyes on the trail. Carry enough water to get you to Ottawa. If you're used to nice rest areas like the Katy or Raccoon River Valley or Prairie Spirit offer, don't plan on them here. This is a rough trail. And if you're thinking of taking a road bike on this section, it doesn't seem like a good idea.

Once in Ottawa get off the trail and ride surface streets. The section of gravel road from the trail to the paved roadways is a challenge. Go slow. I found myself wondering who in the neighborhood must have ticked off the city council to have such bad road surface! :)

It is obvious that the State of Kansas isn't using any money to maintain or develop this beautiful resource. How sad. I've ridden trails in Iowa and Missouri, and those that are maintained attract users. And users spend money. The scenery of this trail is as attractive as any in the neighboring states. Unfortunately there will probably not be many people use the trail unless it is improved a bit and regularly maintained. Right now the volunteers that are committed to the task do as well as can be expected with the limited resources they have.

Don
Olathe, KS

The trail out of Osawatomie is beautiful as it follows the river for quite some ways, the trail is in good condition and is easy to ride, the ride was in the fall and the scenery was breathtaking, we rode an approximate 25 mile round trip, issues we found is that the Osawatomie end does not go into town as the trail is occupied by semi trailers, we got on the trail by parking at the grade school and riding down John Brown highway till we could get on the trail, where the trail starts there is no parking and we now understand that people just pull off the highway and park on the trail, there is a section at the beginning where there is no bridge, it is a steep descent to the road and then back up to the trail, the bike needs to be walked there as this is not the safest of declines and ascents, overall the trip was very enjoyable and we are planning to take this trip all the way into Ottawa next time, we have investigated the Ottawa end and the trail just ends and there seems to be no signs on how to get back on the trail to continue going west, in time I believe this trail will be very nice as soon as all the work is finished

Recently rode approximately the last ten miles of the trail into Herrington.

It was a beautiful and isolated fall ride through the Kansas prairie.

I would highly recommend this section of the trail to someone wanting a “real” outdoor experience.
However, be aware of the conditions before you go.

The trail is unimproved and appears to be rarely ridden in this section. If you’re going to bike it you’ll need a mountain bike. The surface has been graded but that’s it. The surface is rough ballast and shifts a little underneath you.

Sections of the trail are overgrown with weeds up to 2 feet high. Long pants might not be a bad idea.
There is no signage however the trail in easy to find and follow.

We, a group of four fairly experienced bike riders,who have ridden rails-to-trails in Missouri and Iowa, were very excited about the 117 mile Flint Hills Nature Trail. We had read a few reviews and talked to a couple of people who stated that the trail was ridable. although rough, the entire distance. We planned to ride over Labor Day Weekend and made hotel reservations.

We started the trip in Ottawa and road to Osawatamie and were very pleased with the condition of the trail. It has obviously been taken care of and it was a wonderful ride. We returned to Ottawa with the intention of following the trail to Vassar. We were informed that the safest way to get to Pamona was not on Highway 68, a busy highway with minimal shoulder so we took the Prairie Spirit trail to 23rd street and then went 10 miles to the end of that road on nice pavement and some hills. (not rails to trails grade). We then went 2 miles north to Pamona and by then had put in 60+ miles so we ate dinner and asked about avoiding traffic to get to Vassar. As it was approaching dark, we were told that the best way would be to go on Highway 268, again hilly and no shoulder to 368 to the Lamont Hotel. We logged 73 miles that day of hard riding.

The next morning we went to the trailhead and rode back east approximately 2 1/2 miles then headed toward Osage City. The trail had a crushed rock surface with some overgrowth down the middle and on the sides. One stretch of that section was unkept. We arrived in Osage City, had some mechanical problems so got off the trail. After fixing the problem we headed out of town where we thought the trail would intersect but poor marking and no clear cut path in town resulted in us missing the trail so once again we were on the highway with hills and no shoulder. We rode on highway 56 to Allen where we ate lunch. The townspeople told us the trail was used quite a bit between Allen and Osage City and when we looked to the east, it appeared that the trail was well maintained. Going west towards Council Grove we were told that there would be a couple of cattle gates to open and close. As we left Allen the trail was ridable, with quite a bit of growth onto the trail, down the middle and overhead but there were two paths. The surface was crushed rock with occasional ballast. However, once we got to Bushong, the trail became almost unridable. There was no path and the weeds were mid-bike high. There was one stretch of large ballast rock that three of us walked our bikes over. The saving grace was that the flint hills were beautiful!!!!
We rode for about 8 miles in 1 1/2 hours and finally came to a dirt road crossing. We had a state map and saw a paved diagonal road, Dunlap Road that looked like it would end up in Council Grove. We rode another 6-7 miles to reach the town. As we went into town, we did not find the trail head entering town. That day we put in 63 miles of hard riding.

On the third day our original plan was to finish the trail by riding to Herrington and back (53 miles). We started the day by finding the trail head at the east of Council Grove. They have developed the route of about 4 miles to the Allegawaho Heritage Park which was a nice ride. We then returned to Council Grove and tried to find the trail going west. We did find the abandoned rail bed and followed a dirt road for 6-7 miles, checking at every intersection for the condition of the trail and then gave up. That stretch of trail had not been ridden on or hiked on period. We then road our bikes to the reservoir to finish up the mileage we had intended to ride.

The next day as we were returning to our home we drove to Herrington and did see that the trail bed had been mowed but it did not look like it had seen much riding.

I realize that it takes great effort and time to establish a biking trail, and the parts that are maintained were very nice. The entire route should not be listed as a rails-to-trails route as the characteristics of rails-to trails is not developed on this 117 miles. People who chose to ride rails to trails in my opinion or looking for safe surfaces that allow for conversation and enjoyment of the countryside. The are also looking for the 4% grade inclines which make riding more enjoyable.

I would very highly recommend the first 20 miles of the ride and then hooking into the Prairie Spirit Trail.
I would hope that the area around Council Grove would be better developed to take advantage of the beautiful Flint Hills as the part we saw were something you can not appreciate from the highway. Kansas has an opportunity to develop a specatular biking/hiking experience.

We have rode from Osawatomie to the east side of Ottawa - not too bad. Can anyone tell me the conditions from Ottawa on west? How far does it run - is it connected or is there spots that require off trail = road travel? I cannot seem to get the info from the internet - any information would be greatly appreciated.

It is very upsetting that locals (mostly older) are against the trail and have circulated a petition saying the the trail is a bad thing. The opponents of the trail think it will allow criminals to enter our area. Once a trail is completed it is a felony trespass to operate a motorized vehicle. I don't think too many crooks ride bikes or wear back packs.

Years ago there was a tract of land out west the government wanted to preserve for future generations but local land owners filed lawsuits and raised all kinds of Hell saying it was their land and the timber was an important commodity. That section of land is now known as Yosemite National Park.

I shake my head in disgust at the local folks who actually think the trail is a bad thing. Apparently those people have never traveled on a completed "Rails to Trails".

I too once was a stanch opponent of the trail until I rode a bike a few miles on one. It is a great experience to allow your kids ride ahead or behind without the worry of a car smashing them.

Before you form a negative opinion, do as my family did and experience a completed trail. Its not too far, Admire, Ottawa, Princeton... take your pick.

I spoke to a 74 year old women who volunteered at the Ottawa trail head. We talked about trail development and she said in the beginning many locals were against the trail and even filed a lawsuit and circulated petitions (sounds familiar). The lady said all the worries the locals had never came to be true.

I should of videoed her and put it on Youtube for everyone to see. Her story was honest and made me smile.

Sincerely,
Rick Potter
Osage City, Kansas

What is remarkable about the Flint Hills Nature Trail is that it generally follows the Santa Fe National Historic Trail and forms a vital link in the southern route of the American Discovery Trail, the nation’s first coast-to-coast trail. This greenway traverses a wide variety of natural areas including the Chippewa Hills in the Osage Cuestas, the riparian forests of the Marais des Cygnes (Marsh of the Swans) and Neosho River valleys and the Flint Hills, which contain the largest expanse of tallgrass prairie remaining in the world. Significantly, the Flint Hills Nature Trail could be easily linked to the nearby 11,000-acre Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, the only natural park unit of the national park system in Kansas.

The Flint Hills Nature Trail links Council Grove, a national historic landmark and the last stop for wagon trails to get supplies on the Santa Fe Trail, with Osawatomie, the location of the restored 1850s Adair Cabin made famous by John Brown during Bleeding Kansas. The recreational trail also passes through the 160-acre Kaw Nation Heritage Park, which contains the stone ruins of the Kaw Indian Agency complex, Chief Wah-To-An-Gah’s village site, the Monument to the Unknown Kaw Indian and the ruins of three small stone houses built for the Kaw (or Kanza) people in 1862. Hiking trails have been built in the park and a visitors/interpretive center is planned.

Near the town of Pomona the Flint Hills Trail intersects with the scenic Landon Trail corridor which is also managed by the Conservancy. This rail-trail corridor stretches 38 miles north to the capital city of Topeka. The Flint Hills Trail also links up in Ottawa with the 50-mile Prairie Spirit Rail-Trail which is managed by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.

When the trail is complete, it will create an outstanding 200-mile interconnected trail system in the Sunflower State.

Short sections completed. Starting at Rantoul, KS, N38.55136 W095.10222 , 0.8 mile east trail was just a muddy track through field. West for 3.7 miles, nice trail with some low rough spots. One old steel RR Bridge. N38.56451 W95.12997. Bollards to close at N38.57164 W095.15490 Section from Vassar N38.64599 W95.61955 west to the end at Bridge over HWY-75, N38.64179 W95.68466 is good except for the last 0.5 miles with rough loose gravel ballast. Noel Keller 9& 11 Sep 09