Find the top rated walking trails in Rich Hill, whether you're looking for an easy short walking trail or a long walking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a walking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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It was a warm (82 degrees) March day with light winds when we rode from Osage City to Vassar and back, a total of 25 miles. We parked at the 5th Street trailhead in Osage City. Be sure to park on the north side of this little city park so that you have direct access to the wide, paved trail that takes you east. Bathrooms with flush toilets were available. Once out of town, the trail is wide (we rode two abreast) with a firm base and fine gravel. Sticks littered some areas of the trail. We picked up several goat head thorns but suffered no flats. This section of the trail mostly cuts through pasture and broke ground typical of the eastern edge of the Flint Hills. We enjoyed the scenery. The trailhead at Vassar offers only parking; there are no bathrooms, no water, no picnic tables, etc. Smoke from a number of prescribed burns was visible in the distance but none was near enough to the trail to affect us. This activity is something to be aware of in early spring; the smoke from one of these burns can be quite thick so you probably wouldn’t want ride through it. Overall, a great section of trail to ride; five stars!
Just took the family (with two kids, a 3yo who I pulled in a trailer behind my bike, and a 9yo who had negligible experience off pavement) to ride a portion in mid March 2026. I wasn't sure how flat it was so I was concerned for how my 9yo would handle it. We explored about 18 miles east and west of Augusta and also went west from Marthasville about halfway to Treloar. Trail was really flat, pretty smooth, and a good introduction to a different trail surface for our 9yo. We had some issues with the wind and not being there during tourist season, but still had a good time and I hope we can make it back when our 3yo is big enough to pedal it.
Flint Hills Park Trail. It was a beautiful February day; 68 degrees! Started @ Orlis Cox Sports Complex in Ottawa. Rode to Pomona and back; 21 miles round trip. This section of the trail passes through farmland (broke ground) and treed areas, alternately. Some of the trail is next to an active rail line. One safety-engineered highway crossing. Well-maintained trail; kudos to the maintenance team. Wide trail; rode side-by-side, which we enjoy. Fine gravel surface. Some leaves and sticks on the trail in spots. Rail trail; no steep grades. Fantastic bridges; new, clean, wide, perfect surface! Trail head in Pomona had lots of parking and a unisex outhouse in excellent condition. To the people who rode bikes or horses on the trail when it was wet/soft - shame on you. In summary, a great ride; We will definitely ride this section again in the future! 5 stars.
We rode from Clinton out 15 miles and returned to Clinton. Trail was covered with so many leaves and they made the ride very interesting - they crackled- and the surface was hidden - but the surface was fine. We were on our gravel bikes and had a great time. Temperatures were pleasant- in the 60s. Most of this stretch would be shaded. Restrooms in Clinton were closed for winter. We loved it and want to come back and do the complete trail.
I rode the Katy Trail the first week of October, 2025. I rode west to east, starting in Clinton and ending in St. Charles. My trip took 5 days. I was supported by my wife from our vehicle, so I didn't camp. We stayed in hotels each night. Here are my observations:
1. The trail is clearly the "crown jewel" of rail trails due to it's length. While the trail was in great shape with no detours (wonderful!), your view is either one of riding in a wooded area, with stone rock walls on one side for a good portion which gives you a great visual, or riding next to cornfields or soybean fields and Highway 94 traffic noise. In preparing for the ride, I was left with the impression that the Katy "followed the Missouri river". While it might follow it on a map, it was visible from the trail for less than 10% of the ride from Clinton to St. Charles.
2. One of several reasons I kept reading about why to ride west to east was the prevailing westerly winds. I didn't get those winds until the last day. The first four days had winds coming in from the east, or northeast. Although the wind speed was only noticeable on two of the days, don't expect that you'll have the wind at your back. You might....you might not.
3. Another reason I kept reading on why to ride west to east was the "high point" of the trail was approximately 25 miles west of Clinton near Green Ridge. While that is true, don't get fooled by thinking "its all downhill from there". My second day I rode 57 miles from Windsor to Boonville (my first day was just 17 miles from Clinton to Windsor because we didn't arrive in Clinton from Chicago until almost 5pm). I use the the All Trails app, and the second day, despite reaching the "high point" early in the ride that day with very little noticeable climb, my app showed 1,476 feet of total elevation climb at the end of the second day! I could tell the ride from Sedalia to Pilot Grove was a good climb that stretched for over 23 miles. Once you pass Pilot Grove, the trail mostly feels either flat or slightly downhill.
4. The mileage markers run from east to west in ascending order. So if you start from the west, the mile markers will be in descending order. They are well marked every 1 mile. I found it very useful to bring a paper map with me that showed the mileage to the next trailhead, which usually had at least a place to stop and rest. Not all trailheads have bathrooms or water, so check ahead if you're depending on the trail to provide you water. There isn't cell phone coverage on 100% of the trail, so a paper milage map is a must!
5. Unlike the GAP trail (which I HIGHLY recommend riding!), the towns right on the Katy don't have a lot of services/food with the exception of Sedalia. You can access downtown Sedalia easily from the Katy Depot trailhead. There are some GREAT towns, like Hermann, but to access them you have to ride off the trail for several miles or more on winding or busy roads with cars. Dutzow, Rocheport, Augusta (and a few others) have one or more coffee/sandwich shops on or close to the trails, but they aren't open every day of the week, so check ahead on hours of operation for where you think you will find food/drink. If you have a vehicle supporting you, I highly recommend staying at Hermann Hill Hotel and Spa (a 10 minute drive from the McKittrick trailhead). Hermann is a really remarkable town surrounded by great wineries. We had breakfast the next day at Stomp'n Grounds Expresso Cafe. A MUST stop!! The food, coffee and staff were excellent!
The Augusta trailhead has a great winery called, ironically, Augusta Winery! It's only .25 miles from the trailhead and well worth the stop! Be aware that you have a short but steep hill to climb to get to the winery from the trailhead.
All in all, I found riding the Katy from Clinton to St. Charles to be a great accomplishment for me. I had a Trek gravel bike with 35mm tubeless tires. I found the 35mm tires to be just fine on the Katy. I had no mechanical or tire issues. I witnessed a number of road bikes with what looked to be tires in the 20-something mm range. Now, I don't think they were doing the entire trail because they didn't have any gear on them, but using a narrower tire on a gravel bike is just fine for the riding the entire trail. The trail had not gotten any rain the previous week, so IT WAS VERY DUSTY!!! Plan on cleaning your chain at least once or twice to keep it performing well. Good luck and be safe!
This trail was absolutely a delight to ride. We stayed in Council Cove in an rv park by the trail. We rode 18 miles out and back. We rode past Bushong and almost to Allen. I wish we would have had more time to do more of the trail. Fall is my favorite season and the countryside was beautiful!!
The blazing star were blooming profusely! Lots of butterflies and dragonflies. The trail was in good shape from Council Grove to the Rock Creek Bridge.
The trail is in good shape from Council Grove to the Rick Creek Bridge. Blazing Star is profuse and there were lots of butterflies and dragonflies.
This Art installation is on the Katy trail just west of Matson. They are spectacular!
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.
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