Find the top rated horseback riding trails in Shawnee, whether you're looking for an easy short horseback riding trail or a long horseback riding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a horseback riding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Attempted a two day ride. First day ride from Ottawa to Osawatomie and back. Trail was muddy in spots . Lots of sticks and small branches. Trail is just two tracks in most places with loose material in middle. Rained on way back. Songbirds were incredible. Especially cardinals!! This section is tree lined. Then ride west from Ottawa to Pomona and back. Trail is much better condition and a bit more open. Second goal was to ride from Osage City west to Bushong and back. Delayed start due to thunderstorms. Trail west from Osage City was pretty good but littered with sticks and leaves from recent storm. A Moved a couple of trees off the trail At the third tree that was too big to move I turned around and went back. Only made it 5 miles.
My wife and I rode this trail! It was beautiful!
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!
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 the North Lawrence parking area (which is tricky to find) to the east end of the levee trail. Then from there we rode to the River Front parking area before returning to our starting point. There were porta potties at each trailhead. The trail surface is compacted gravel. The wide trail is elevated above the surrounding area which enhances the view but which also gives you more exposure to the wind. The trail crosses under the Massachusetts street bridge. We enjoyed the east portion of the trail in particular because we had river forest on one side and farm fields on the other. We plan to ride this trail again in the future.
We rode from 119th St trailhead to the 135th St trailhead and back. There are excellent parking areas at each trailhead. Porta-potties were available at trailheads. The paved trail surface was excellent. There were some steep punchy climbs as the trail went from one side of the cedar creek valley to the other. At the time we rode the trail ( December 2025) there was a pipeline construction project underway. The construction crossed the trail in 2 spots but the temporary gravel surface was passable. The trail had us feeling that we were out in the wilderness..
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!!
Nice wide path for both biking & walking. Starting at the tennis courts for easy secure parking works great. Very clean, no issues with feeling unsafe or homelessness. Connects with Indian creek trail so can ride or walk for a long ways.
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.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Scan the QR code to get TrailLink on your phone
Map Search
