Find the top rated mountain biking trails in Kansas, whether you're looking for an easy short mountain biking trail or a long mountain biking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a mountain biking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
What a wonderful trail ride! Very well maintained! On a Friday, I started at north trailhead, Mill Creek Streamway Park, named after the original mill built for the Shawnee. Explored Nelson Island before heading south to the southern terminus at Woodland and Northgate. A great ride with ups and downs, switchbacks, and a good number of nice bridges. A fair number of riders, walkers and runners. The trail had a centerline so everyone stayed in their lane. A great Johnson County Kansas trail that I will ride again!
We rode bikes on Indian Creek Trail between State Line all the way to the Blue River Trail and thought it was really beautiful.
We rode from Iola to Ottawa, using a bike shuttle out of Ottawa. The trail was in great condition with the exception of some large center cracks closer to Iola which are easy to avoid but you need to be aware of them. Also the bathrooms we used were clean.
On the downside, we felt very walled in by all the brush along both sides of the trail. We really wanted to enjoy and see the countryside but only got limited peeks. Even the benches along the way were boxed in by brush and all a person would see is brush.
This trail needs to be opened up. Even periodic view sheds along the way would be a huge improvement .
0n 9/20/24, we rode on mostly crushed stone for a round trip distance of 20 miles. 32 c tires would be suitable. Need to be careful of the many deep ruts in the direction of travel. They will surely ruin your day. The trail was mostly shady. We encountered many branches across the trail. There must have been a severe storm the day before. There were also numerous spider webs across the trail. In the 20 mile trip, we never encountered another person on the trail. Restrooms at Caryle and Colony trailheads. Water at Colony and Iola trailheads.
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.
The town of Council Grove has built a very attractive Riverwalk that is particularly well suited for low speed bike riding, walking, running, and dog walking. It’s scenic, well lit, and has easy access to restaurants and historical attractions. At the time of this review, Council Grove is the westernmost trailhead for the Flint Hill Trail.
I was traveling in the area and needed to kill a little time and found the Prairie Spirit Trail. I parked in Ottawa and rode south a few miles. I normally don’t ride gravel but this was superb. I turned around and rode back north on the paved trail in town to the end. I was not able to enjoy the entire trail but I will return here now that I’ve discovered it. I give this one five stars! Traveling cyclist Facebook
I biked the streets of KC which are all under construction. I did 21.5 miles. Never really found the trail & I looked. If you stay in town you can bike from a hotel.
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.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!