Explore the best rated trails in Salina, KS. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Flint Hills Trail State Park and Marquette Pioneer Trail. With more than 7 trails covering 141 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.
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The Salina Levee Trail traverses the flood control levee along the west bank of the Smoky Hill River in Salina. The trail connects to parks, including the sprawling Bill Burke Sports Complex, as well...
The Valkommen Trail runs for 2.5 miles along an abandoned section of the old Missouri-Pacific and Union Pacific rail beds. The trail features a renovated railroad bridge and is a popular trail for...
The Meadowlark Trail in Kansas is a work in progress along a former Union Pacific railroad corridor stretching for 12.6 miles between the cities of McPherson and Lindsborg. The corridor was railbanked...
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Located in Junction City (about two hours west of Kansas City), the Riverwalk Trail winds along the north bank of the Republican River for nearly five miles between Fort Riley and Milford Dam. The...
The Marquette Pioneer Trail in tiny Marquette, Kansas, opened for use in 2013. The trail, which is surfaced with asphalt millings, primarily occupies a former railroad corridor spanning the town’s...
The Meadowlark Trail in Kansas is a work in progress along a former Union Pacific railroad corridor stretching for 12.6 miles between the cities of McPherson and Lindsborg. The corridor was railbanked...
In 2018, this 117-mile rail-trail across northeast Kansas officially became a state park. Formally known as the Flint Hills Nature Trail, the trail's new name is Flint Hills Trail State Park. It links...
The Marquette Pioneer Trail in tiny Marquette, Kansas, opened for use in 2013. The trail, which is surfaced with asphalt millings, primarily occupies a former railroad corridor spanning the town’s...
Located in Junction City (about two hours west of Kansas City), the Riverwalk Trail winds along the north bank of the Republican River for nearly five miles between Fort Riley and Milford Dam. The...
The Salina Levee Trail traverses the flood control levee along the west bank of the Smoky Hill River in Salina. The trail connects to parks, including the sprawling Bill Burke Sports Complex, as well...
The Valkommen Trail runs for 2.5 miles along an abandoned section of the old Missouri-Pacific and Union Pacific rail beds. The trail features a renovated railroad bridge and is a popular trail for...
The vision for the Sunflower Santa Fe Trail is a grand one: 33 miles across a scattering of small cities on the windswept prairie of central Kansas. The heart of the trail lies in Galva, just an hour...
In 2018, this 117-mile rail-trail across northeast Kansas officially became a state park. Formally known as the Flint Hills Nature Trail, the trail's new name is Flint Hills Trail State Park. It links...
The Marquette Pioneer Trail in tiny Marquette, Kansas, opened for use in 2013. The trail, which is surfaced with asphalt millings, primarily occupies a former railroad corridor spanning the town’s...
The Meadowlark Trail in Kansas is a work in progress along a former Union Pacific railroad corridor stretching for 12.6 miles between the cities of McPherson and Lindsborg. The corridor was railbanked...
The Salina Levee Trail traverses the flood control levee along the west bank of the Smoky Hill River in Salina. The trail connects to parks, including the sprawling Bill Burke Sports Complex, as well...
Located in Junction City (about two hours west of Kansas City), the Riverwalk Trail winds along the north bank of the Republican River for nearly five miles between Fort Riley and Milford Dam. The...
The Valkommen Trail runs for 2.5 miles along an abandoned section of the old Missouri-Pacific and Union Pacific rail beds. The trail features a renovated railroad bridge and is a popular trail for...
The vision for the Sunflower Santa Fe Trail is a grand one: 33 miles across a scattering of small cities on the windswept prairie of central Kansas. The heart of the trail lies in Galva, just an hour...
Today we rode the Flint Hills Trail from Osawatomie to Ottawa and back. We had a great time and this trail is highly recommended! The trail is a "Rails to Trails" route that follows the Marais des Cygnes river, so it is predominately flat. The gravel surface is packed very light chip, so almost any type of bike will work (we rode gravel bikes). In a few places, the recent heavy rains washed away the light chip top coat and exposed the more coarse RR bed gravel below, but it is not a problem. We did not see any of the thorns etc. mentioned above in posts from previous years. The trail head is a little hard to find, and Google maps did not help. If you find the Osawatomie elementary school and then proceed down that same road about 3/4 mile further, the trail head (with some parking) is on your right. Leaving on the trail from Osawatomie, the first 6 miles are completely shaded by trees arching over the trail. After that the trail is about 1/2 shaded and 1/2 open meadows - so this is a great trail for warm summer days (and should be beautiful in the fall). There are many bridges, views of the river and wide open farmland to see along the way. Today, at 9 miles in, there was about 200 yd where water covered the trail from the big overnight thunderstorms, but this is not normal. There are no drinking water stops along the way - so bring at least 2 good sized bottles per person. There are however farm houses all along, so if you really needed help in an emergency, it is not far away. Ottawa is about 18 miles from Osawatomie and you will know that you are close when you pass under the I-35 bridge (about 2 miles to go). If you want lunch, turn left off the trail at 7th street (it is well marked), go ~1 mile south on 7th and you will hit Main street. Subway is 2 blocks to your left (9th street) on Main, or you can go to downtown and have a variety of food choices. We had a really nice ride today and hope that you can ride this trail soon too!
I started in LIndsborg and biked all the way to the southern endpoint north of McPherson and then back again. A good way to see Kansas farmland from another perspective. You do have to do a jog leaving the trail at Shawnee, going east on paved roads to old 81 and then back over west on to Pawnee, again paved roads. There is an unfinished center portion. At Pawnee, you can see that work is being done on the trail heading north. Encountered volunteers maintaining the trail. This is a trail in evolution. Some benches/rest spots at the extreme north and south ends. An under-appreciated Central Kansas gem.
This is a lovely trail. I camped at Vassar Lake for a few nights and rode sections out and back each day between Council Grove and Osawatomie. Trail conditions were great for a gravel, mountain or touring bike. There are a few rough bridges, and a few patches of ballast or deep sand, but nothing that will ruin your day. My first morning I followed a coyote following a turkey for the better part of a mile. In Ottawa you can also connect to the Prairie Spirit trail, which is also nice.
This trail is not ready for prime-time.
Unlike the R-Ts that I've done (GAP, Katy, Mickelson), there are no dedicated services such as water (cisterns or pumps), bathrooms or portapotties, no mileage signage, not even signs identifying towns at crossroads. Essentially NO SERVICES. I did count four (I think) benches on the 103 miles we rode. Though I have been told this will change quickly since the State has recently taken over the trail, about a quarter of it is virtually impassable due to inappropriate maintenance, if any. That's from about five miles east of Council Grove on and off to Osage City. 2-4 inch ballast rocks are dumped on the trail without grading or filling, no gravel for miles (just dirt jeep trail), no side rails on unimproved bridges (dangerous), grading done in wet weather where the grader tread tracks have become miles of almost-highway rumble strips and, finally, trash heaps along side the trail.. A terrible riding experience. Add to that an approximate three mile detour just west of Ottawa on yucky gravel county roads (not marked on any - including TrailNet - maps, but clearly a long-term function of the trail).
Now, from Osage City east to Osawatomie is from passable to good enough, mostly on the positive side of that spectrum.
BUT, the people we met were all wonderful, great experiences at every interaction. The Cottage House in Council Grove and the Koch Guesthouse (AirBnB) in Osage City were delightful, and Jeff and Yon at the Ottawa Bike Shop were outstandingly - I mean really - helpful.
If you want to do the Flint Hills R-T, do the eastern half or wait till the state at least fixes the surface on the western side. Otherwise, it can be a miserable experience. Either way, once the trail is fixed, it's still a long way from the standards set by the nearby Katy.
Ron Gossen
I began running along this trail on Friday afternoon on 4/12/2019. The weather was about 52°, sunny, and a bit windy. I found the trail to be difficult to run along. The trail is gravel, but not maintained very well. There was a steady undergrowth about 8” high that blanketed the trail. I found myself dodging bushes and dead, fallen trees lying across the path. In the two miles i ran, there were about three gates. After the fourth, i met a herd of cattle, and that’s when I turned back. Otherwise, the trail is very peaceful. I recommend it for walking or mountain biking. If tou do bike it, be sure to bring an extra tire!
Felt like riding a cobblestone road. I have great shocks on my mountain bike too.
Rode on an unseasonably cool and overcast July day. Trail is in excellent condition. We rode our street bikes. This section is doable for the casual rider and for families. Take water, there are no services. Beautiful ride through the flint hills. Bushong is the high point in this section.
Great ride on a super nice spring day. The trails were in very good condition. The only problem that we encountered was the 2 mile (2.5 mile?) detour that is west of Ottawa. It is on gravel roads, which is no problem for gravel riders. There are also a lot of dogs, most are of no consequence... but be on the lookout for an Ill-tempered pit bull on the west end of the detour. The owner was there and able to contain him so we could pass. This is the only reason I couldn’t give our experience 5 stars. Next
Did a 25 mile out and back east of Council Grove. Overall good condition with a little loose stone. Quiet ride with beautiful views of the working and natural landscape.
This trail has lots of shade trees which is perfect on hot sunny days! Great distance for a group to bike. Scenic and well marked! Will bike there again !
I regularly do 40-50 on this trail. The best part is from Admire to Council Grove, both in terms of scenery and trail conditions. East of Admire has a lot of ballast that will slow you down. If you like solitude and scenery, it's the best trail in KS. If you like amenities, not so much. As for thorns, I use tire liners and have never had a single flat.
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