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Print Friendly MapTraversing the city of Topeka through a stream valley, the Shunga Trail provides an important connection between residents and community features such as parks, medical facilities, government buildings, and commercial centers. The trail also connects to the growing Landon Nature Trail at a unique roundabout near its eastern end.
In the west, the trail traipses through Crestview Park, a sprawling green space that offers a community center, pool, playgrounds, tennis and sand volleyball courts, picnic tables and a softball diamond. At the trail’s eastern endpoint at SE Golden Avenue, a direct connection to the Deer Creek Trail allows for travel south to SE 10th Street.
Parking for the Shunga Trail is available at Crestview Park on SW Shunga Drive; Felker Park on SW Gage Boulevard; Big Shunga Park on SW Murrow Court; and Shunga Glen Park on SW Washburn Avenue.
We stopped off in Topeka while on our quest to ride ride our bikes in ten different states in sixteen days. Our hotel was right on the trail at Fairlawn, so we jumped on the trail shortly after dawn on a crisp fall morning in October for an out and back ride.
We absolutely loved the first half of the ride through the greenway and parks to Shunga Glen Park and its colorful Rip On skate park. It was serene, peaceful, heavily wooded, and the air was filled with the songs and calls of birds as we passed through parks, nature areas, and charming neighborhoods with more bushy tailed squirrels than I have ever seen before!
The trail is smooth, and the curvy twists and turns add to the enjoyment! It is certainly a trail to be taken slowly, not only to enjoy its beauty, but because of all the locals walking and jogging. They most definitely know what a treasure this first portion is!
FIVE STARS!!
Unfortunately, the trail continues beyond Shunga Glen Park. We forged on past Fillmore at 21st into a business area, crossed Landon Path circle interchange, and into a heavily wooded area which smelled of camp fire smoke. It was at that moment we realized we had not been seeing the walkers or joggers like we had before. Where had all the fine citizens of Topeka out for their morning exercise go? Homeless then began materializing out of the woods, loud arguing could be heard within the trees, articles of clothing and trash were strewn alongside the trail, and a camp full of garbage appeared. It was at that point we didn't feel safe, so we threw in the towel a couple miles from the endpoint and turned around to enjoy the first half a second time!.
ZERO STARS.
It's one trail, but after Fillmore street it might as well be given different names such as:
Shunga Jekyll ~ Beautiful, serene, and a community treasure
Shunga Hyde ~ Scary, sketchy, and makes senior citizens feel unsafe
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 rode this trail from 2nd and Golden to 28th and Fairlawn, and BACK today. loved every minute of it, Just the right amount of turns twists, i felt safe and really enjoyed the views while riding!
I have ridden from 29th and Fairlawn to roundabout at 13th and Monroe and across to north Topeka at YMCA ball diamonds. All of it is excellent for bicycles 10 months of the year! I can't imagine any bicyclist thinking it was a thing but excellent!
I've skated Shunga since 1992 from MacVicar to Fairlawn n back n forth. Mostly just have to watch for tree debris and concrete is craked/uneven in some places. I love that it's wide enough to accomodate all and is clean for the most part.
There are tons of people that walk and ride this trail. I tend to Skate it from Gage (Felker Park) To Washburn Ave and then turn around. That's about a 5 mile round trip. This seems to be the smoothest for In-line Skating. Although there tends to be alot of debris on the trail from Shunga Drive to Washburn ave. If you want to skate from Gage to Fairlawn road beware of alot of dirt under bridges and debris and bumps on the trail.
All in All it's a pretty smooth wide path. It could use a little more maintaining for in-line skaters so that we don't ruin our equipment or crash due to debris and dirt on the trail.
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