Prairie Spirit Rail-Trail Reviews    

By algermann in September, 2012

What a joy to be cycling without traffic. Rest areas were clean and well maintained. We went from Ottawa to Welda and overnighted at Garnett. The grade varied from high to low about 200 ft. but I would not have known for sure without a GPS. Many cracks in the trail due to hot dry weather. Some of the cracks had been filled and some identified which was a help. It required a lot of attention to the trail while riding. If the cracks were still there in fall I would worry about leaves covering them up. It was 100 degrees the day we rode, If I were to go again I would check and see what services are available in the small towns. Ice and a place to cool down would have been very nice.

Nice trail July 7, 2012

By joprieto in July, 2012

We accessed this trail at Scipio looking for something shady and flat. The three of us are training for a marathon and drove down from KC. The trail gave us everything we hoped for. We got there about 6:15am and headed toward Garnett. It was a shaded 5 miles there, still shaded on the way back to Scipio. No water or bathrooms on this stretch, but we had brought a cooler in anticipation of this. We headed towards Richmond for the last of our 17 miles but by then it was too hot and sunny along that stretch, so we turned back around and headed towards Garnett again. The temp was 102 when we got back to the truck, but this trail was great, soft on the feet, flat, not a lot of traffic. Just a gem! Just make sure to carry your water.

Great Ride

By milsuplvr in April, 2011

My son and I have done the run from Garnet to Ottawa, beautiful ride lots of wildlife and scenery, beautiful bridges over rivers and streams, great bathrooms and rest areas with camping spots and running water, nice clean bathrooms, although and I don't understand why there are no facilities on the Ottawa Trailhead, friends and I have ridden Ottawa to Richmond and back in preparation for the Katy Trail, this is good practice for anyone preparing for this trip as conditions are very similar to those found on the Katy Trail, have not ridden all the way to Iola but am looking forwards to it.

Excellent trail

By bisongwen in October, 2010

My friends and I rode the trail from Garnett to Ottawa and back. It was completely enjoyable. The surface was in great condition, though you have to keep your eyes open to avoid a few spots of erosion and deep gravel. I recommend this to anyone who wants scenic, but not too hilly terrain. Thank you for this trail! I expect to return many times.

Ottawa to Richmond

By webdad in May, 2010

To prepare for the Katy this summer, my wife and did a ride from Ottawa to Richmond and back with our BOB trailer. Trail is petty nice. I did notice at the self-pay station that a sign stated that the bridge north of Garnett is now repaired so you don't have to do the detour to get to Garnett. Another sign and map did show a new detour between Welda and Colony due to bridge construction. It is promising that the detour is due to construction at least.

Here is the route we took: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/34568402 (32 miles)

Prairie Spirit Trail

By twirlymaker in September, 2009

Pedaled 5.5 miles south of Welda on excellent limestone surface. Sign at Princeton indicates Bridge out between Richmond & Garnett.
Noel Keller 3 Sep 09

Fun Trail

By jayedee in October, 2008

I did this 51-mile, flat, crushed-limestone trail from Ottawa to Inola in early October. It offers several scenic views, from close-in and afar. Both sides of the trail have 30-50-ft-wide tree/hedge rows stuffed with numerous plants and wildflowers and its fair share of the sumac and cedar-type evergreens. Certain sections are crowded with vegetation and partial canopies, while others open up into prairie and farm views, i.e., cattle grazing next to fields of hay, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers, and tall grass. The trail is spotted with creeks, streams, bridges, lagoons, ponds, and small lakes. It also has a few steep side-slopes to stay mindful of.

In the sections where the corridor borders wooded or undeveloped land with watering holes, wildlife can be seen, like, bobcats, turkeys, and white-tail deer in addition to the plentiful rabbits, squirrels, racers, and tiny lizards. Some of this wildlife leaves its own trail on the trail. :) An abundance of blue jays, doves, flickers, hawks, and small birds can also be seen all along the trail.

Most of its eight well-constructed trailheads have roof-covered picnic tables, but not all of them have running water, yet. In Iola, I used a fast-food outlet for restroom and water. The only thing missing from its self-paying benches ($3.50/day) is a bulletin-board map showing the locations of the towns and trailheads together with the mileages and the availability of food and water along the way. I enjoyed this trail much.

August Ride

By twirlymaker in October, 2006

"Enjoyed the trail, Ottawa to past I-35 and the Princton to Richmond, both directions.
Dry and not Hot, looking to finish this Trail on my next trip to Kansas. No obstacles to my 41"" wide Tadpole Tri-Cruiser."

Enjoyed It

By Kinney500 in September, 2006

"Our family had a good time riding this trail. The trail was well maintained and the scenery was great. Of course, we are from Kansas and we are used to the wide open spaces and rolling prairies. There are plenty of wooded areas along this trail, though. The trailheads are nice, clean, and inviting places to stop and rest. Take plenty of water with you, because there aren't many places to buy anything once you leave Ottawa or Garnett. I do agree with the last reviewer about the crossing of the I-35 ramps in Ottawa. This part is not good and not well marked. We kind of had to guess where to go next. But that's only a minor flaw on an otherwise enjoyable trail."

Disappointed

By mjerabek in August, 2006

"We were disappointed for a number of reasons. To begin with, the directions were poor. The directions in the R-T magazine directed us to the 17th street area in Ottawa. There is a park with parking, but the trailhead is next to the old RR museum. The trail is paved in town and in good shape. As you leave town the trail takes you where you have to cross the entrance and exit from I-35, with no warnings and only one stop sign. Very dangerous. The trail outside of town has loose, soft gravel. It does not appear that the trail gets much use. On a pleasant Sunday afternoon, we encountered only one other couple riding. Finally, we never did find a location to pay our daily fee. Overall, it is just a very average trail and not worth making a special trip to ride."

05-Oct

By in October, 2005

"Beautifully groomed trail. We rode recumbents with 16"" front tires and had no problems with soft gravel. It can be overgrown in places but there are many stunning vistas. We loved it."

Welda to Richmond round-trip

By in March, 2005

The ride from Welda to Richmond and back was beautiful. It was picturesque and provided a nice constant pedal on a limestone surface without a break for a glide.

We had a great time. We rode 31 miles round-trip and had a great time. The only time we met up with anyone on the trail was in Garnett on the one-mile paved portion of the trail.

This trail made for a very nice ride.

A Slice of Kansas

By in October, 2004

"The name, ""Prairie Spirit,"" is appropriate for this trail, especially when it veers away from US 59. There's a rest stop with a bench 6.2 miles south of Garnett that marks a peaceful prairie scene. I peddled to it on a beautiful October weekend and took pleasure in the quiet serenity and fall color and caught the ""spirit"" of the landscape.

My compliments, too, to the Friends of the Prairie Spirit Trail for helping to maintain the train station at Garnett, probably the best trailhead and rest stop I've encountered on a bike trail."

Great Experience

By sonyamktr in July, 2004

"A friend of mine came over from Missouri and we decided to ride this trail from Princeton to Welba and back, which is about 54 miles. The heavy rains of June and July have encouraged a bright green landscape. The bushes were growing fruit like small crab apples and flowers of various colors.

We rode for awhile with two couples from Topeka who happened to be starting at Princeton at the same time. They were going to have lunch in Garnett and then return to Princeton. We encouraged them to go to the Trade Winds, which is a pub off the SW corner of Garnett's square. We ran into them there after we doubled back from Welba and compared notes on the ride.

The scenic views between Garnett and Welba might have been the best. There are a number of long vistas as the trail goes up into hills near Welba.

Along the way, we spooked a group of wild turkey who ran ahead of us along the trail. We were amazed that the big birds could run as fast as we were riding. They finally dove into the deep vegatation and disappeared.

Garnett has several places to eat and get a beer. The trail is paved and lit in Garnett and goes right past its very scenic town square and restored depot. The other towns along the way had fewer services, but the trail managers have well spaced toilet and water factilities. I could see the businesses in these towns generating a lot more business traffic if they attracted riders like they do along the Katy Trail in Missouri. That would entail posting ads on the bulletin boards at the trail heads and putting bike racks in front of their places.

Having ridden the trail several times before, I would suggest that the rider plan their ride to finish going north to take advantage of the winds that usually blow from the south.

This trail is a great experience for bike riders of all levels of experience. You should give it a try!"

Trail reflections

By in May, 2003

"A friend and I biked the portions from Ottawa to Princeton and Garnett to Welda. The brush has grown so high on either side of the trail that you can't see much of anything, especially around Ottawa and Garnett. The brush thins out some as you get close to Welda where there are some rolling hills and pasture on either side of the trail. But someone ought to get a bush cutter out and run it along most of the trail. "