First time on any section of this trail, and rode from Ottawa to Richmond and back. The trail is in good shape - no vegetation overgrowth, no trees blocking the path. Care should be taken when crossing roads, as there are some significant bumps at the intersection - if you don't stop or slow down significantly it could be problematic. The trailheads at Ottawa, Princeton, and Richmond all had working restrooms and maps. The only challenge with this trail is that it's not particularly scenic, however that's the nature of my home state and not on the folks who created and maintain the trail. It's flat, straight, and a great option for a safe and pleasant ride.

I love this trail. I walk it often in multiple locations. I’ll drive to a different section just to try a new route. So many nice views and the trail is in pretty good shape. I bike it occasionally as well. Highly recommend.

I have taken the whole family here multiple times. Very few road crossings, and wide open rides. Easy parking near the mountain bike trails. This is basically a levee ride, so flat, and smooth gravel riding.

Well used. I have run on the majority of this trail. Would be fine for Cycling with a hybrid, Gravel or mountain bike. The Levee portions of this trail has nice views of the river.

I ride this trail often, and find it to be a great location, and enjoyable to ride for a casual ride. Can get congested with walkers and the riders.

I ride portions of this trail often.

This trail has a wide variety in its current iteration. Chipped gravel, concrete, asphalt, dirt, and making its way south with original scree. Several parts, especially as you progress south are low travelled, and once you get closer to 89th, it becomes more overgrown and rugged. Would love to see this developed fully all the way down to the junction at the Flint Hills Nature Trail.

Simple, easy trail. Not terribly wide, but smooth.

Path is 3/4th crushed stone when you do come across paved sections it makes you thankful. There are multiple points of entry and exit along the road. Path isn’t very scenic but still a worth while trail to explore.

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!