We stopped off in Topeka while on our quest to ride ride our bikes in ten different states in sixteen days. Our hotel was right on the trail at Fairlawn, so we jumped on the trail shortly after dawn on a crisp fall morning in October for an out and back ride.

We absolutely loved the first half of the ride through the greenway and parks to Shunga Glen Park and its colorful Rip On skate park. It was serene, peaceful, heavily wooded, and the air was filled with the songs and calls of birds as we passed through parks, nature areas, and charming neighborhoods with more bushy tailed squirrels than I have ever seen before!

The trail is smooth, and the curvy twists and turns add to the enjoyment! It is certainly a trail to be taken slowly, not only to enjoy its beauty, but because of all the locals walking and jogging. They most definitely know what a treasure this first portion is!
FIVE STARS!!

Unfortunately, the trail continues beyond Shunga Glen Park. We forged on past Fillmore at 21st into a business area, crossed Landon Path circle interchange, and into a heavily wooded area which smelled of camp fire smoke. It was at that moment we realized we had not been seeing the walkers or joggers like we had before. Where had all the fine citizens of Topeka out for their morning exercise go? Homeless then began materializing out of the woods, loud arguing could be heard within the trees, articles of clothing and trash were strewn alongside the trail, and a camp full of garbage appeared. It was at that point we didn't feel safe, so we threw in the towel a couple miles from the endpoint and turned around to enjoy the first half a second time!.
ZERO STARS.

It's one trail, but after Fillmore street it might as well be given different names such as:
Shunga Jekyll ~ Beautiful, serene, and a community treasure
Shunga Hyde ~ Scary, sketchy, and makes senior citizens feel unsafe

I was able to ride from Pleasant Hill to Windsor back in June 2019 with my wife. Kim of Kim's Cabin's helped out with a shuttle so we could then go up and ride in KC on Little Blue Trace, Gary Haller and Indian Creek Trails. A storm blew in so we moved our starting point out to the Purvis Road trailhead and stayed dry and just ahead of that storm!

We came back in May 20201 and got to ride from Hartman Park in Lee's Summit through Vale Tunnel northbound on an 18 mile loop for a fantastic day. Hoping to get back up there once the trail is finished up to the sports park and when weather allows! Highly recommend this trail!!

prai-rie n. 1. A large open area of grassland.

Prairie Creek Greenway astounded me! Visiting from Southern California, I envisioned a flat ride along a meandering stream on a grass covered prairie. However, to my surprise, Platte City and Prairie Creek Greenway are within rolling, tree covered, scenic hills, and once away from the creek, the path is anything but flat. There are lots of hills, many of them steep, to get your heart pumping. Thank goodness these two senior citizens were able to activate their Swytch pedal assists as needed!

The ride through the greenway is hilly where it leaves the creek, but it is mostly enclosed within the shade of woodlands which kept us cool on an eighty degree afternoon in early October. The sound of birds, squirrels, crickets, and the creek add to the joy of this ride. Lots of curves, bridges, and a park-like setting make it fun to bicycle.

Be sure to discover the waterfall at a U-shaped pullout, most definitely the highlight of the ride for me! (That and seeing my first beautiful red cardinal in the wild! We don't have those in California)

The trail was especially popular with locals who, for the most part, were walking it. We encountered only two other bicyclists.

A couple of spurs take you along main roads and into upscale neighborhoods which the local residents must surely appreciate, but don't bother with them if you're there for the solitude of the greenway. Speaking of spurs, first timers will certainly want to utilize the Trail Link app to stay on course.

Also, be alert for a couple of spots where the trees have done a number on the asphalt with their roots. My wife was actually sent off the trail by protruding roots!

All in all, I'm confident the fine citizens of Platte City know what a gem of a greenway trail system they have, and it's certainly worth spending an hour or two for a couple of out-of-towners or out-of-state explorers like us!

Started the trail at Riverside Park in Iola on the south end of the trail where the Southwind Railtrail begins. We rode north for a few miles. The trail surface was mostly paved while in town. At the edge of town the surface changes to the compacted finely crushed stone surface that isn’t much different than the paved surface. This is a wide surface with lots of room to ride two abreast. Nicely done trail. Time permitting worthy of further exploration. Noted all the trail are some mileage markers, in this section they are numbered in the low 100’s. Not sure the origin point in the north for the mileages.

Started the trail at Vasar and rode 11 miles west. The first seven miles were on mostly crushed stone that has been in use for many years. It was nice riding but did have some soft spots from recent rains. The final four miles were on a new trail surface of finely crushed stone, nearly like sand but well compacted making for a very smooth ride. Not exactly like a paved surface but close to it. This portion of trail had many trees along side and is mostly straight with some grade but very little. We enjoyed the ride through the countryside.

This is a good bike ride for us but as you can see on the trial map it’s in 4 parts and that necessitates street riding between the 4 parts. We’ve only used the 3 east most parts but will ride the other part before winter. I’d recommend but maybe not with kids as the places between paths are on busy streets

Have taken this trail both on foot and via bike. Great trail with views of the creek but is really busy on weekends. Rode most recently on a Sunday morning and needed to slow down a lot to pass walkers. Would recommend especially during the week

Rode this and much of the Leawood south loop. The trail along the creek is pretty but on a Sunday morning was really busy. Lots of walkers, dogs, and other bikers. That said it’s close to the house and has some pretty bridges and creek views

We have electric bikes and enjoy checking out all the nearby trails. The Urban Trail in St Jo was great. It is very different from many others we have done. As in previous reviews this trail has a lot of hills so this gave us the opportunity to use lots of gears and PAS options. We enjoyed looking at all the different scenery along the way as we went through park, residential, older and newer areas and lots of squirrels. The whole trail is paved which was nice. The main trail is about 10 miles but there is a side trail to 29 that will add a few more miles to get a longer ride.