Explore the best rated trails in Lawrence, KS. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Burroughs Creek Trail and Linear Park and Rock Creek Trail (KS). With more than 76 trails covering 530 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
_0_st.jpg)
Located outside of bustling Kansas City, this beautiful, partially paved, 15-mile riverside pathway is a favorite for locals and visitors alike. Unlike many of the rural trails that you find in...
The Shawnee Mission Parkway Trail runs for 2 miles along the south side of the roadway. While not scenic, the paved route offers connections to restaurants, shops, and offices in Merriam, a...
The Eastbrooke Trail forms a useful link between the city of Olathe's 133rd Street Path and the lengthy regional backbone, the Indian Creek Bike/Hike Trail. This paved, short trail serves as a nice...
The Gary L. Haller Trail lies within scenic Mill Creek Streamway Park. Although the trail was not built on a former railroad, it parallels an active rail line for about 6 miles of its length at its...
The Clinton Parkway Trail parallels Clinton Parkway on the southwest side of Lawrence, Kansas. The trail provides access for nearby residents to a number of community facilities and commercial...
Nestled within the suburban landscape outside Platte City, the Prairie Creek Greenway offers an escape into nature as it runs through fields and forests and across the titular creek. The trail gives...
Running from the small town of Weston to the nearby Weston Bend State Park, the Weston Bluffs Trail provides a safe and scenic means for park visitors to visit the quaint town, and for town residents...
Running parallel to Northwood Road is a 10-foot asphalt hike and bike path. The trail travels between residential developments on the northwest side of Riverside, Missouri, well-placed for an easy...
Paralleling W. Madison Street, the Madison Street Trail is a sidepath that provides access between nearby residences and public facilities. Gardner Edgerton High School is located near the western end...
Paralleling Blackbob Road through the community of Olathe, just outside of Kansas City, the Blackbob Road Trail is a great opportunity for local trail users. The path connects nearby homes to schools,...
Situated within Shawnee Mission Park in Lenexa, the SMP Paved Trail offers a pleasant way for park visitors to experience the surrounding beauty without their car. The trail provides access to many of...
The Rock Island Spur of Katy Trail State Park totals just over 52 miles (in two disconnected sections) through woodlands, wetlands, and bucolic fields nestled in the foothills of the Ozarks. The trail...
Note: A portion of the trail between Troost and Woodland Avenues has been closed since 2012 due to the presence of a small sinkhole. Trail users should take 85th Street as a detour. Refer to the...
The Little Mill Creek Trail offers a pleasant, woodsy route through Lenexa, about 14 miles southwest of Kansas City. The trail begins at Blackfish Parkway (along which you can hop on the Blackfish...
The Blue River Parkway Trail winds along both banks of its namesake river on the southern outskirts of Kansas City. The paved route begins in Minor Park and heads north, passing Alex George Lake and...
The Riverfront Heritage Trail is located in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri. This downtown trail showcases the city’s heritage, as well as its continuously redeveloping downtown areas. The trail...
_0_sc.jpg)
The Highline Trail is only 0.7 miles, running from State Route YY southwest to Main Street. This short and easy walk, ride or roll was built on a former railroad bed, likely that of the Frisco...
As a side path to a busy thoroughfare, the 20th Street Trafficway Path provides both an excellent recreational opportunity for the surrounding communities and a safe commuting alternative for...
The Gardner Greenway Corridor is a paved trail connecting Winwood Park and Brookside Park in Gardner, Kansas. The trail runs through open space alongside dense woodlands within the two parks. The...
The Kill Creek Streamway Trail exists in 2 segments: the northern segment begins near Lexington Avenue in De Sort and winds south of 95th along Kill Creek. The southern segment picks up in Kill Creek...
Topeka's Deer Creek Trail follows the eponymous waterway for more than a mile through the eastern part of the city. Just south of where Deer Creek meets Shunganunga Creek, the trail turns west,...
The Linear Trail is a mile long trail which travels between Riverside and Briarcliff in Missouri. The trail provides a natural escape, shrouded in trees cover as it travels parallel to Platte Drive....
The 159th Street Path unsurprisingly parallels W. 159th St. in Olathe. The trail provides access to commercial, industrial and residential facilities, as well as Chisholm Trail Middle School and the...
Inside of Lee's Summit's Community Park, the Legacy Park Trail is a family oriented destination with an abundance of activities available. Sitting on 692 acres, the park host many youth sports games,...
This is a shared use path adjacent to one of Kansas City's major east-west conduits. The concrete path sits on the wide grassy verge of the boulevard, which is named for a former mayor. On the...
The Line Creek Trail is about all you can ask for as a trail lover. This beautifully paved 8-mile trail winds serenely through Platte County and has a little bit of everything for everyone. Traveling...
The Clinton Parkway Trail parallels Clinton Parkway on the southwest side of Lawrence, Kansas. The trail provides access for nearby residents to a number of community facilities and commercial...
Nestled within the suburban landscape outside Platte City, the Prairie Creek Greenway offers an escape into nature as it runs through fields and forests and across the titular creek. The trail gives...
Maurer Road Path parallels its namesake roadway for just over a mile in the city of Shawnee on the outskirts of Kansas City. The north-south route connects residential and shopping areas and, at its...
Not to be confused with the nearby unpaved Haskell Rail Trail, this shared-use path runs along the west side of Haskell Avenue. The trail picks up from the S. Lawrence Trafficway Trail and heads north...
Blackfish Parkway Trail lies in the southwestern corner of Shawnee, a suburb of Kansas City. Although the trail follows a major roadway, much of the route is lined with mature trees and nice homes....
Note: The eastern third of the trail, from the access point at Horizons Parkway to the end of the trail, is currently closed (as of June 2016) due to bridge construction. Check the City of Riverside's...
The 95th Street Path is a paved, half-mile route through Lenexa, part of the Kansas City metro area. The trail is separated from the roadway by a wide grassy median and is surrounded by residences on...
_209851_sc.jpg)
This multiuse trail invites lake visitors to walk, run or ride along Longview Lake. The reservoir was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers for the triple purposes of flood control, conservation...
The Blue River Parkway Trail winds along both banks of its namesake river on the southern outskirts of Kansas City. The paved route begins in Minor Park and heads north, passing Alex George Lake and...
Lake Shawnee opened in 1939 as a project of the Works Progress Administration and has been providing the residents and visitors of Topeka with a host of recreational opportunities since that time. A...
The Gardner Greenway Corridor is a paved trail connecting Winwood Park and Brookside Park in Gardner, Kansas. The trail runs through open space alongside dense woodlands within the two parks. The...
Although short, this paved half-mile trail provides connections to three parks, as well as a unique attraction in northern Independence. On the northern end of the trail sits Mill Creek Park, which...
This gravel hike-and-bike trail sits atop the levy that runs along Independence Creek. At its northern end, the trail is connected to the Lewis and Clark Independence Creek Historic Site by a...
Soldier Creek Trail is a hiking and biking trail in Topeka, Kansas. The concrete trail mimics the course of the stream, winding for 1.8 miles through residential and recreational areas. The eastern...
The Kill Creek Streamway Trail exists in 2 segments: the northern segment begins near Lexington Avenue in De Sort and winds south of 95th along Kill Creek. The southern segment picks up in Kill Creek...
The Linear Trail is a mile long trail which travels between Riverside and Briarcliff in Missouri. The trail provides a natural escape, shrouded in trees cover as it travels parallel to Platte Drive....
_103731_sc.jpg)
The Rock Creek Trail links Country Club Park and Rotary Park on the west side of Independence. It offers nice views of the tree-lined creek that it follows and crosses several times. Between the...
Although short, this paved half-mile trail provides connections to three parks, as well as a unique attraction in northern Independence. On the northern end of the trail sits Mill Creek Park, which...
The Center Street Trail is little more than a sidepath paralleling N. Center Street in the community of Gardner. The trail provides recreation and transportation opportunities to the residents of...
Closures: The trail section from the Western Terminus in Herrington to Council Grove (roughly 25 miles) is currently closed. A section of the trail in Osage City is closed as well. It is possible...
The Clinton Parkway Trail parallels Clinton Parkway on the southwest side of Lawrence, Kansas. The trail provides access for nearby residents to a number of community facilities and commercial...
Soldier Creek Trail is a hiking and biking trail in Topeka, Kansas. The concrete trail mimics the course of the stream, winding for 1.8 miles through residential and recreational areas. The eastern...
The Rolling Ridge Trail winds through the city of Olathe on the southwestern outskirts of Kansas City. At its northern end, the paved route provides access to Prairie Center Park, a 75-acre...
The four disconnected sections of the 133rd Street Path run though the communities of Olathe, Overland Park and Leawood outside Kansas City. The trail parallels sections of 133rd and 132nd Streets,...
Note: The eastern third of the trail, from the access point at Horizons Parkway to the end of the trail, is currently closed (as of June 2016) due to bridge construction. Check the City of Riverside's...
Located in Shawnee, a suburb of Kansas City, the Midland Drive Path offers a paved mile-long east-west route paralleling the southern side of its namesake roadway through the city. Views are a mix of...
Paralleling Turkey Creek from the Waterfall Park north of Kansas City for nearly four miles south to downtown Kansas City, the Turkey Creek Streamway Trail provides useful connections to a number of...
Paralleling W. Madison Street, the Madison Street Trail is a sidepath that provides access between nearby residences and public facilities. Gardner Edgerton High School is located near the western end...
Paralleling Blackbob Road through the community of Olathe, just outside of Kansas City, the Blackbob Road Trail is a great opportunity for local trail users. The path connects nearby homes to schools,...
The Gardner Greenway Corridor is a paved trail connecting Winwood Park and Brookside Park in Gardner, Kansas. The trail runs through open space alongside dense woodlands within the two parks. The...
The Riverfront Heritage Trail is located in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri. This downtown trail showcases the city’s heritage, as well as its continuously redeveloping downtown areas. The trail...
Though it exists in three disconnected sections, the Prairie Star Parkway Path is an excellent resource for the western side of the suburban community of Lenexa. The asphalt trail is a sidepath to the...
The Indian Creek Bike/Hike Trail links two states, four communities and a multitude of parks along Indian Creek. The trail provides numerous connections to the surrounding areas, making it an...
The Shawnee Mission Parkway Trail runs for 2 miles along the south side of the roadway. While not scenic, the paved route offers connections to restaurants, shops, and offices in Merriam, a...
Excellent 5 k ride. Mostly flat and along a creek.
This is a great skating path for KC. Lots of great little hills and nice workout. There is one wood bridge that’s a little rough on the skates
This is a pretty good ride through some nice neighborhoods in Kansas City. Frequent traffic stops and moderate pedestrian activity make it somewhat tricky if you are looking to move quickly and without distraction, but still enjoyable overall.
My husband and I rode on the majority of this trail on a hot July day. It is a wide concrete trail that runs past residential and open space areas. There are lake views and other smaller bodies of water to see along with wildlife. Although there are good signs along the route, some painted markings on the pavement would be helpful to keep from getting off the trail.
Today was the first time I have ridden this trail. I have ridden trails all over Minnesota and Iowa. I was so disappointed in the part of the trail that goes east. The trail is very rough and narrow. The tree branches have not been trimmed. Part of the trail is under construction and part of the trail is gravel. There are no signs posted that shows curbed etc. Be prepared for a lot of homeless people that have built there camps by the trails. Very disappointed in KC lack of attention to this trail. On a positive note. The wildlife is great and so is the waterfall
Road east 5 miles from the bridge in downtown Lawrence. All gravel, well maintained, flat. Saw several deer, runs along the Kansas River, nice trail. Will ride west of the bridge next time.
Baker Wetlands to the Kansas River bridge in downtown Lawrence is about 7 miles. This is a great trail, some canopy, all concrete, really fun ride!
This is a fun trail to hike. The Flint Hills are beautiful. Prairie wild flowers were in full bloom. Great communities all along the trail.
One item of note that is not widely advertised especially for out of state riders is that the section of the Flint Hill Trails from the Western Terminus in Herrington to Council Grove {~25 miles} is closed and has been for a while. We arrived to start our Flint Hills adventure to find that section of the Trail in disrepair due to the lack of maintenance as there was 12” to 18” high grass and vegetation to include 5’ tall saplings. There are two more closures experienced on the trail – in Osage City, the trail abruptly ends without any detour signs and recommend just ride on the streets until you are out of the city limits and then rejoin the trail. Finally, the trail is closed headed East from Ottawa about a mile after going under I-35 but there is a marked detour that puts you on gravel roads and gets you back on the trail rapidly but beware of an aggressive dog of a pit bull mix.
We relocated to Council Grove in order to start our journey to the Western Terminus at Osawatomie. Overall, the trail was in great condition and was pleasantly amazed that a majority of the bridges on the trail were recently replaced. Another feature I have never seen before was that that the concrete surfaced bridges were covered in limestone which made for a smooth transition on and off the bridges.
There was tree canopy on some of the trail and a majority was tree lined to aid in blocking the Kansas winds as we experienced a steady 25 MPH gusting to 40 MPH crosswind on both days.
They are adding new restrooms at a majority of the trailheads and they looked to be 90% construction complete.
Finally, beware of branches that are actually snakes (Water Moccasins) and these were experienced between Ottawa and Osawatomie due to all the water features on both sides of the trail.
Watch out for poison hemlock! We found some on the side of the trail. This plant is deadly if ingested or inhaled. Stay out of the brush and you should be fine, but watch your dogs and kids! Other than that, the trail is beautiful. We come here often to ride our bikes.
This is a wonderful new trail that is scenic and well maintained. It’s also not currently overly populated with users but everyone is respectful on the trail. Hills are the biggest challenge!!! It is not for someone who is looking for a flat ride.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Map Search
_0_st.jpg)
_0_st.jpg)
_209851_st.jpg)
_0_st.jpg)
_103731_st.jpg)
