Indian Cave State Park Trails, Indian Cave State Park

Providing a refuge from the vast prairies of Nebraska, Indian Cave State Park trails lead you through hardwood forest in the beautiful loess hills alongside the Missouri River.  Along with the 20 miles of hiking trails, Indian Cave State Park also features a "cave" with ancient Native American petroglyphs which the park is named after.  Primitive campsites dot the trail, which can at times be quite strenuous.  Near the peaks of the hills, beautiful views of the Missouri River floodplain are provided.




Additional Links:
Indian Cave State Park - Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Hiking Indian Cave State Park - Bill Hensley's Random Blog

Smoky Valley Ranch Trail, Smoky Valley Ranch

Owned by the Nature Conservancy, the Smoky Valley Ranch is a magnificent display of western Kansas' shortgrass prairie and chalk bluffs. This trail offers both a short loop (1 mile) and long loop (5 miles).

Additional Links: Nature Conservancy - Smoky Valley Ranch

View Smoky Valley Ranch in a larger map

Bridle Trail, Wyandotte County Lake Park, Kansas City, KS

Bridle Trail is one of the longer trails in the KC metro area.  The trail winds roughly 9 miles through hardwood forest, making a loop around Wyandotte County Lake.


Additional Links:
Amateur Ramblers - Bridle Trail Hike Review
Natural Kansas - Wyandotte County Lake Info























View Wyandotte County Lake in a larger map

Parkville Nature Sanctuary & White Alloe Creek Conservation Area, Parkville, MO

Since starting this blog, I have moved to Kansas City, which takes me to the eastern edge of the plains.  I've had to discover new trails in the area, and the Parkville Nature Sanctuary / White Alloe Creek C.A. trails are a couple of my favorites.  The names get confusing, as the western side of the trail is part of the Parkville Nature Sanctuary, and the eastern portion of the trail is part of White Alloe Creek Conservation area.

The trail lengths are as followed (I will be covering the longest of the trails, Old Kate Trail and White Tail Trail) --

Whitetail Trail -- 1.3 miles
Old Kate Trail -- .9 miles
Bluebird ADA Trail -- .3 miles
Butterfly Pass -- .1 miles
Paw Paw Path -- .2 miles

These trails are located in Parkville, MO, just about ten minutes from downtown KCMO.  The parking lot is located just off of 12th Street, just about a quarter mile east of East Street.


View Parkville Nature Sanctuary Trailhead in a larger map

Old Kate Trail is a loop trail, which takes you into the Parkville Nature Sanctuary. It is a well maintained trail winding through hardwood forest. Along the trail you follow a small section of stream, as well as a nice waterfall that is coming down from Rees Lake above. For a small forested area in a fairly developed area, there is quite a bit of wildlife running through this park. I have regularly seen deer, turkey, snakes, and plenty of birds in this wildlife area. When water is up, there is also a nice little wetland/pond which has an accompanying boardwalk and overlook area. The trail is rather easy, with very little elevation change. For a .9 mile trail, the trail sure packs a lot of beauty!

Near the end of the Old Kate Trail loop is the adjoining Whitetail Trail, which feels slightly less remote than the Old Kate Trail. Some of the trail can be fairly rocky, and there are more changes in elevation. The Old Kate Trail winds through the timber, giving you some nice views of a forest canyon and also a short switchback area of the trail. Coupled with the Old Kate Trail, the total hike is just slightly longer than two miles.

For a map of the entire trail systems, click here.

Just one of the rewards along the trail!

Carnahan Cove Trail, Tuttle Creek State Park, Manhattan, KS

At one time, this was a very well kept trail that started at Carnahan Cove Park (along the east side of Tuttle Creek) and made its way 8 miles along the coast, through forested areas, up to an area of Tuttle referred to as "Garrison".  Over the years much of this trail has been wiped out by flooding waters, making it a bit of an adventure to hike along.  For this reason, I love going on this trail.

Beginning the trail can also be a huge task.  To begin with, you must first cross Carnahan Creek, which is virtually impossible during times of high water.  Next you must cross roughly a half mile of extremely weedy land, and you will finally find yourself at a stone "bridge", which marks the beginning of the trail.  Areas of the trail are easily visible, and are marked by blue streamers tied to trees along the way.  Other areas you must climb over huge piles of washed up driftwood and trash just to find any visible trail.  I have wondered to myself if this trail is even kept up anymore, finding information about it online is next to impossible.

Hiking along Carnahan Cove will reward you with scenic views of the lake, an extremely (EXTREMELY) good chance of solitude, and one of the more challenging (bushwhacking) trails in the Manhattan, KS area.  At one time this was also an equestrian trail, but would not be ridable now.  My only caution to you: watch out for ticks!!  I have had to flick over 20 at a time off of me while hiking this trail in early Spring.  As Summer wears on, the ticks lessen.

	Favorite Landmarker
	First Obstacle...Carnahan Creek!

View Carnahan Cove Trailhead in a larger map

Konza Prairie Nature Trail, Manhattan, KS

This may be the most popular trail in the Manhattan, KS area.  Once considered a waste of perfectly good grazing land, Konza Prairie has become a crown jewel of the Flint Hills.  The Konza Prairie Nature Trail is well known in the Manhattan area.  A popular place for peaceful hiking, Konza Prairie offers a 2.8 mile loop, 4.7 mile loop, and a 6.1 mile loop.  The trails are strictly hiking (no pets, no bikes).

If you are familiar with hiking in the flint hills, you know what to expect.  The trail can get strenuous at times, climbing around 200 feet in elevation at a time.  The most strenuous portions are on the 2.8 mile loop, this is also the most scenic portion of the trail in my opinion.  Each season offers a change in scenery and colors.  Wildlife is almost always a constant along the trail, with an abundance of turkeys, deer, lizards, and even buffalo (grazing in the distance).

For more information on the Konza Prairie Nature Trail, visit:
http://keep.konza.ksu.edu/visit/guided.htm

People live in the Great Plains?!?!!!

I admit, I started this blog out of anger and frustration.  They say you shouldn't act out of anger, but it needed to be done.  I've lived in Kansas, the great flyover state of the plains, for most of my life (excluding short stints in Chicago and Maui).  I'm sure that upon mention of Kansas, the first thing that popped into your mind was visions of tornadoes, dogs named Toto, and well...nothing else.  That is okay, in my travels, I have noticed when Kansas is mentioned, the most common reply is "Well...You're not in Kansas anymore"...thanks dude, I know that.  What didn't cross your mind when I mentioned Kansas was outdoor recreation (namely, trails).  Articles featuring Kansas are few and far between.  Finding a map to the lost city of Atlantis is easier than finding good, accurate information about the trails in the central U.S.  That is where I hope this blog comes in.  People need to know where these trails are, or they aren't going to be able to enjoy them.  As I hike/bike these trails, I will fill you in on what to expect, difficulty, location, etc.  If you have any recommended trails, let me know about them!  While this is just a blog, I also hope this becomes a sort of "database" for all you adventure-minded flatlanders!

If you have any ideas on how to make this blog better, information I could include...anything really, let me know!