Walking and Biking

First Day Hike 2019

First Day Hike going west from Ottawa on the Flint Hills Nature Trail!! Fun way to start 2019! Check out this short vlog shared by Clint Bond, one of the hikers!! First Day Hike 2019

KDWPT To Remove Access Fees at Two Major Trails

Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, visitors at Prairie Spirit Trail State Park and Flint Hills Trail State Park will no longer be required to purchase trail access permits. Read more about it here!

The Prairie Spirit Trail The Prairie Spirit Trail offers biking and hiking enthusiasts, runners, bird watchers and nature lovers a new Kansas outdoor adventure. From Ottawa to Welda, the Prairie Spirit Trail currently encompasses more than 33 miles. The trail meanders through golden prairies, quiet woodlands, beautiful lakeside scenery, and travels through charmingly inviting communities. The trail is operated under the management of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
Prairie Sprit Trail

The Flint Hills Nature Trail

The Flint Hills Nature Trail is a nearly 120 mile rail-trail under development in northeast Kansas. It crosses 7 counties, and dozens of communities, along its east-west course. As the name implies, it crosses the beautiful Flint Hills. This outstanding recreational trail is not only a state resource for all Kansans; it is a national one. It is the seventh longest rail-trail in America and forms a component of the American Discovery Trail, the nation's first coast-to-coast trail. Plus, it follows the general route of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail and is the longest rail-trail in the U.S. being developed by a private organization, Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy.

The Flint Hills represent one of the last remaining tallgrass prairie ecosystems in the world. It is home to abundant prairie plant and wildlife species, spectacular views, national historic sites, and a diverse set of recreational areas. he Flint Hills Nature Trail connects with the 51-mile Prairie Spirit Rail-Trail in Ottawa and the 38-mile Landon Nature Trail west of Pomona. Few areas of the country can boast of a 200-mile trail network, but then there are few parts of the country that have as many available public corridors, connecting population centers and traversing scenic and historic landscapes. The Flint Hills Nature Trail

The Landon Nature Trail

The Landon Nature Trail is under rapid development on nearly 40 miles of the former Missouri-Pacific Railroad. The Landon Trail is a particularly scenic recreational trail stretching from the popular Shunga Trail in Topeka to the Clinton Wildlife Area and Pomona Lake. In the North this remarkable trail follows picturesque Camp Creek with its clear, rushing water and wooded oak-hickory covered hills which provide a shady tree canopy for trail users. It should also be noted that the nature trail passes by two wetlands teeming with waterfowl, native tall grass prairie blooming with wildflowers and two lovely waterfalls. In fact, the land surrounding the Swissvale Waterfall lies within the corridor and can be turned into a picnic area.

The Landon Trail is the only trail in America which connects and crosses both historic national trails — the Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail. It crosses the Union Ferry Branch of Oregon Trail at SE 42nd in Topeka and Santa Fe Nat'l Historic Trail north of US 56 north of Overbrook. Very few trails in the Midwest offer the variety of scenery provided by the Landon Nature Trail. It is an exceptional public asset available to everyone in the Sunflower State. Visitors are invited to come out and enjoy activities such as hiking, biking, running, horseback riding, and experience some of the most breathtaking scenery in the midwest.
The Landon Nature Trail

County Bike Trails Map

Kansas Statewide Rails-to-Trails Map

Live Healthy Franklin County Mission:

To improve community health through policies that support healthy eating and active living.

Funded in part by a grant from the Kansas Health Foundation