Find the top rated hiking trails in Newton, whether you're looking for an easy short hiking trail or a long hiking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hiking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
We started at Mile Zero and rode out 15 miles and rode back. The trail is beautiful and well maintained but also has a rustic feeling to it. Most parts were crushed limestone and some parts were bigger gravel rock. Be prepared for no restrooms or official rest areas on this segment. We will definitely ride this trail again!
I rode the entire trail in June 2025 from Osawatomie to Council Grove and back, detouring through Lyndon to avoid construction. I had planned to ride to Herrington, but found that section closed. I say don't advertise that it's 118 miles long until it is! (I see it was just inducted into the Conservancy Hall of Fame touting its 118 mile length.) I travel the country to do multi-day rides on rail trails over a 100 miles long. Came up short on this one.
That said, I had an excellent ride. Had no issues with trail surfaces. On all my rail trail tours, I like to support the local economy and found several good restaurant stops along the way. I highly recommend the ride. Just don't expect it to be 118 miles long.
Good little ride. Enjoyed a couple of innings of a community college baseball game once we hit the park.
Trail is closed at rainbow road going south from Lindborg
I ride this trail 3-4 times a week round trip. You’ll get to see Wichita’s homeless problem firsthand. Lots of tents. Watch out for broken glass and sand on the path once you get beyond Douglas going south. Downtown area a pretty. North and south of downtown… not so much. Once you get near the Harry Street overpass there is an area with gnats you need to watch out for. Duck your head or they’ll get in your eyes/nose/mouth. I did the entire trail round trip today in an hour and 39 mins. It’s usually about two hours though.
I rode an electric bike with 4" tires on three separate rides. All of them were about 10 miles out and back (in 2 days):
Council Grove heading East,
Allen heading West, and
Ottawa heading East.
I drove from Texas to ride them and they did not disappoint! I came for the solitude and the scenery. The western end was reminiscent of scenes from Dances With Wolves. The eastern end was more wooded and shaded. I hope to return to ride other parts too.
I parked in Goddard after reading the previous reviews since it sounded like it had the most to offer. Beautiful park with real bathrooms and a pavilion to relax afterwards. I loved the crushed limestone, it’s easier on the joints. There were a lot of trees for shade earlier in the morning. But later in the day less canopy I’d suspect gets worse. There were so many friendly folks riding, running, walking dogs etc. I highly recommend this one.
I’m a runner not cyclist so my perspective might be different than others. I’ve run most of this trail and different times and find it a great place in most cases. Yes a couple bumps here and there and mix of surfaces but easy enough to handle. It’s very well maintained overall though. There are some homeless shelters along the way but I’ve been left alone. I tried parking across from the Witchita street dept to find that lot is taken over by homeless vehicles and trash. So on I went.
This was a fun trail, safe and chill, but the steady hills are still challenging. I ended up taking the trail all the way to the north end of the lake, pretty area.
We went with some friends and kiddos. Perfect for toddlers and pushing an all terrain wagon. The benches and gazebo are nice. The kids loved waving at a passing train. We live only a few miles away. Will do this one often. It’s very well maintained. Although, it’s clear some people walk dogs and don’t clean up behind them. There was a lot of poop piles.
Very nice park easy to access! Plan to ride again when down from South Dakota!
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