This is a popular trail for hikers and bicyclists looking for a fun and easy-going trail. You will see glimpses of the Missouri River along the way. Keep your eyes out for waterfowl and migratory birds. The trail is mostly flat but does have some gentle grades. The north half of this trail is paved and the south half has a fine gravel surface.

The Shawnee Mission Park is a 1,600-acre park located in Shawnee that contains several miles of trails for the use of hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. The network of trails throughout the park and surrounding the lake provides a scenic retreat from nearby suburban areas. This trail travels along a secluded, wooded ridge above the lake’s south shore. There are many vantage points for great views and for observing the geese, ducks, and herons that frequent the lake in winter. This trail is shared with equestrians.

Clinton Lake is surrounded by more than 60 miles of hiking trails that pass through scenic woodlands, prairies, and over ridges along the lakeshore. The main trunk of the trail system is on the north shore of the lake and is blazed in blue and white. This route begins on the white-blazed trail and then makes a small loop through the woods on a red-blazed trail before following the blue-blazed trail back to the start. The red section of this route is meant to challenge mountain bikers as it is a very narrow trail. There is little room for your bike tire on the trail and the thick woods leave little room for anything else. The white trail includes several ups and downs. There are great views of the lake and beautiful scenery through the woods.

The trails at Elk City State Park rank among the best in Kansas. This trail is a 15-mile trail which winds along a rocky ridge on the north side of the lake, travels along sheer rock walls, under rock canopies, through rock tunnels and chambers, up rock steps to bluffs overlooking the lake, and around giant boulders and is regarded as the best hike in the state by Outside magazine. The scenery is phenomenal and there are so many spectacular views of the lake. It is rugged with some steep climbs and descents on the ridge overlooking the lake.

Settlers named this region of steep, grassy hills and bluffs the Smoky Hills because of the haze that seems to settle on them at sunrise and sunset. This loop in west-central Kansas crosses the Smoky Hill River Valley in a region where mixed-grass prairie begins giving way to the short-grass prairie which is able to endure the hot, arid summers of the western High Plains. The route takes you by two crossings of the frontier Butterfield Overland Dispatch freight and passenger wagon trail and Cedar Bluff Reservoir. US-283 has a paved shoulder and the other highways do not but they have very low traffic.

Clinton Lake is part of Clinton State Park, which is one of the state’s newest state parks constructed in the mid 1970’s. Its close proximity to Kansas City, Lawrence, and Topeka make it a very popular destination, with nearly 600,000 annual visitors from across the country. Many improved campsites, hiking and mountain biking trails, playgrounds, swimming, and other outdoor activities are available. The privately owned and operated marina is one of the newest and largest of any of Kansas’ lakes. In addition to the lake’s accessibility and amenities, it’s beautiful shoreline and vistas are a great attraction. Miles of rugged wooded shoreline, high bluffs, wildflowers, and prairie grasses are some of the natural beauties. Wildlife is also common and includes white-tailed deer, turkeys, waterfowl, songbirds, and a variety of small mammals.

More than 12 miles of paved trail follow a greenbelt along the Indian Creek, through Overland Park, and along Tomahawk Creek, through Leawood. It weaves through a business park, residential areas, and thirteen park areas in Overland Park. Much of the trail is surprisingly quiet and some parts are even secluded, despite travelling through the city. The trail is very beautiful and scenic and showcases the natural beauty of the creeks and the forest that borders the creeks. The trail can be quite crowded and congested at times. Several access points are found throughout, making it easy to customize your trip for different lengths.

This is a popular trail for bicyclists and hikers. If you come in the fall, you will enjoy the beautiful fall colors. Along the trail, you will see views of the Missouri River. You will not find any natural obstacles but there are some steep grades over parts of the trail. Bicyclists are to travel counter-clockwise on the trail.

Cedar Bluff Reservoir is a reservoir in Trego County that was created in 1949 by the construction of the Cedar Bluff Dam. The southern shores feature tall limestone bluffs that are breathtakingly beautiful. During fall and spring migrations, the lake is home to many kinds of ducks, geese, and shorebirds and throughout the winter, Canada geese are seen. Winter also draws bald eagles to Cedar Bluff while summer brigs hawks and turkey vultures. The western end of the reservoir borders the Cedar Bluff Wildlife Area that offers great scenery and a variety of wildlife is commonly seen.

This trail at Hillsdale Lake crosses highly varied terrain as you hike through grassy meadows, cultivated fields, cedar-dotted prairie, rocky, forested hillsides overlooking the lake, and deep wooded valleys. The diverse scenery and views of the lake are great. Wildlife is abundant and whitetail deer, bobwhite quail, squirrel, rabbit, beaver, muskrat, and a variety of waterfowl are commonly seen. Birdwatchers will see bald eagles, shorebirds, finches, warblers, sparrows, and hawks.