Flint Hills Nature Trail
OPEN SECTIONS OF SURFACED TRAIL :Miami County - Franklin County
Pressonville road in Miami County, west to Virginia Road in Franklin county. - 3.75 Miles
Osage County -
Vassar from Ratner Rd. west to Adams Rd. - 6 Miles
City of Allen west. - 3 miles
TRAIL DESCRIPTION:
The Flint Hills Nature Trail is one of the best ways to experience the breath-taking Flint Hills and one of the last remaining vestiges of tallgrass prairie.
The Flint Hills Nature Trail is 117 miles long laying east-west between Osawatomie in the east and Herington in the west.
The “Trail” begins in Osawatomie which is located in Miami County, just south of the Kansas City metro area. The town is best known as home to the abolitionist John Brown.
The trail rolls west into Franklin County and the town of Rantoul. It continues west into the City of Ottawa.
The Trail passes through towns like Pomona, which have several business’s a trail visitor might need. In Osage County the Flint Hills Nature Trail intersects the Landon Nature Trail at Lomax Junction just east of the town of Pomona. It then crosses 110 Mile Creek which served as the 110th mile marker for travelers going to Santa Fe.
The Flint Hills Nature Trail passes along the south side of Pomona Lake crossing the entrance road to Pomona State Park. Before leaving the Pomona area the “Trail” passes through the friendly town of Vassar. The trail continues west across Osage County and crosses US-75 Highway on a steel frame bridge built in 1936 at Lyndon Station. The “Trail” goes through Osage City which is developing the Flint Hills Nature Trail within its own city limits.
Towns like Bazaar, Allen, and Bushong are along the “Trail” as you find yourself in Lyon County. The Flint Hills Nature Trail travels under the Kansas Turnpike about a mile south of the Council Grove exit. The Kaw Indian Nation State Historic Site is along the edge of the Flint Hills Nature Trail east of Council Grove. The “Trail” then enters Council Grove. This city is home to numerous sites listed on the National Register of Historical Sites.
The “Trail” crosses Morris County from Council Grove and passes through the railroad towns of Wilsey and Delavan. The Flint Hills Nature Trail continues crossing the beauty and wonder of the area as it enters Dickinson County and the City of Herington. This city has long been an important transportation link.
The 117 mile Flint Hills Nature Trail is a link in a system of trails, routes, and destinations which make it a place you will need several visits to take in.