Explore the best rated trails in Topeka, KS. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Burroughs Creek Trail and Linear Park and Kill Creek Streamway Trail . With more than 42 trails covering 347 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Spanning 51 miles, the Prairie Spirit Trail State Park runs from Ottawa to Iola, offering plenty of recreation and enjoyment for birdwatchers, cyclists, walkers, joggers and anyone with a desire to...
The Gardner Greenway Corridor is a paved trail connecting Winwood Park and Brookside Park in Gardner, Kansas. The trail runs through open space alongside dense woodlands within the two parks. The...
Running from the small town of Weston to the nearby Weston Bend State Park, the Weston Bluffs Trail provides a safe and scenic means for park visitors to visit the quaint town, and for town residents...
Though it exists in three disconnected sections, the Prairie Star Parkway Path is an excellent resource for the western side of the suburban community of Lenexa. The asphalt trail is a sidepath to the...
Although only a mile long, the 79th Street Path connects important recreational amenities in Lenexa, a southwestern suburb of Kansas City. The paved, east-west route parallels its namesake roadway...
Closure Notice: As of May 2021, a segment of the trail in southern Topeka between SW 33rd Street and SW 37th Street is closed due to replacement of an adjacent railroad bridge, with no official detour...
Cedar Niles Park occupies over 950-acres of mixed woodland, streams and wildflowers in Johnson County, Kansas. The park features bike and walking trails to appeal to a variety of tastes. There are...
The Haskell Rail-Trail, billed as the ‘first operational rail-trail in Kansas’, spans the eastern edge of the campus of Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence. In the north, the trail connects...
The S. Lawrence Trafficway Trail loosely follows the S. Lawrence Trafficway—also known as State Route 10—on the outskirts of the city of Lawrence. The trail passes by new residential developments,...
The Kill Creek Streamway Trail exists in 2 segments: the northern segment begins near Lexington Avenue in De Sort and winds south of 95th along Kill Creek. The southern segment picks up in Kill Creek...
Traversing 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...
The Gardner Road Trail parallels S. Gardner Road on the southern side of Gardner, Kansas. The sidepath travels through a low density suburban community and connects residences with parks and religious...
As you might imagine, the 151st Street Path is a sidepath along 151st Street though Olathe and Overland Park outside Kansas City. The path provides access to commercial centers, schools, parks,...
Soldier Creek Trail is a hiking and biking trail in Topeka, Kansas. The concrete trail mimics the course of the stream, winding for 1.8 miles through residential and recreational areas. The eastern...
Maurer Road Path parallels its namesake roadway for just over a mile in the city of Shawnee on the outskirts of Kansas City. The north-south route connects residential and shopping areas and, at its...
The Little Mill Creek Trail offers a pleasant, woodsy route through Lenexa, about 14 miles southwest of Kansas City. The trail begins at Blackfish Parkway (along which you can hop on the Blackfish...
Paralleling W. Madison Street, the Madison Street Trail is a sidepath that provides access between nearby residences and public facilities. Gardner Edgerton High School is located near the western end...
Lackman Road Path begins across from Swarner Park, where you'll find a number of recreational amenities, including sports fields, a playground, fishing pond, and skate park. From there, you head south...
The Indian Creek Bike/Hike Trail links two states, four communities and a multitude of parks along Indian Creek. The trail provides numerous connections to the surrounding areas, making it an...
As a side path to a busy thoroughfare, the 20th Street Trafficway Path provides both an excellent recreational opportunity for the surrounding communities and a safe commuting alternative for...
Located along the north bank of the Kansas River, the Lawrence Levee Trail runs along the top of the flood-control levee on the outskirts of Lawrence. The trail offers views of nearby farmland and the...
Lackman Road Path begins across from Swarner Park, where you'll find a number of recreational amenities, including sports fields, a playground, fishing pond, and skate park. From there, you head south...
As you might imagine, the 151st Street Path is a sidepath along 151st Street though Olathe and Overland Park outside Kansas City. The path provides access to commercial centers, schools, parks,...
The Manhattan Linear Park Trail will eventually circle the city of Manhattan, Kansas, but as of early 2012, the trail was 9 miles long and forms ring about two-thirds of the way around. The trail...
Located in Shawnee, a suburb of Kansas City, the Midland Drive Path offers a paved mile-long east-west route paralleling the southern side of its namesake roadway through the city. Views are a mix of...
The Rolling Ridge Trail winds through the city of Olathe on the southwestern outskirts of Kansas City. At its northern end, the paved route provides access to Prairie Center Park, a 75-acre...
The Gardner Greenway Corridor is a paved trail connecting Winwood Park and Brookside Park in Gardner, Kansas. The trail runs through open space alongside dense woodlands within the two parks. The...
Situated within Shawnee Mission Park in Lenexa, the SMP Paved Trail offers a pleasant way for park visitors to experience the surrounding beauty without their car. The trail provides access to many of...
The S. Lawrence Trafficway Trail loosely follows the S. Lawrence Trafficway—also known as State Route 10—on the outskirts of the city of Lawrence. The trail passes by new residential developments,...
The Indian Creek Bike/Hike Trail links two states, four communities and a multitude of parks along Indian Creek. The trail provides numerous connections to the surrounding areas, making it an...
The Little Mill Creek Trail offers a pleasant, woodsy route through Lenexa, about 14 miles southwest of Kansas City. The trail begins at Blackfish Parkway (along which you can hop on the Blackfish...
The Glacial Hills Scenic Byway- South Atchison Trail is a 1.5-mile concrete recreation path along the iconic road as it cuts through the southern half of Atchison. The trail parallels the byway/US-75...
The Monticello Road Path offers a paved north-south route through Shawnee on the western outskirts of Kansas City. It connects shopping areas, housing subdivisions and schools. At the north end of...
Passing through the suburban community of Olathe, the W. Santa Fe Street Path is a sidepath that parallels W. Santa Fe Street. The path connects residential neighborhoods, commercial centers,...
Closure Notice: As of May 2021, a segment of the trail in southern Topeka between SW 33rd Street and SW 37th Street is closed due to replacement of an adjacent railroad bridge, with no official detour...
This gravel hike-and-bike trail sits atop the levy that runs along Independence Creek. At its northern end, the trail is connected to the Lewis and Clark Independence Creek Historic Site by a...
Maurer Road Path parallels its namesake roadway for just over a mile in the city of Shawnee on the outskirts of Kansas City. The north-south route connects residential and shopping areas and, at its...
The Haskell Rail-Trail, billed as the ‘first operational rail-trail in Kansas’, spans the eastern edge of the campus of Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence. In the north, the trail connects...
The 6th Street Path runs along W. 6th Street—also signed as US 40—in Lawrence. The side path provides safe access to residential and commercial facilities along the busy road. At its western end, the...
The 159th Street Path unsurprisingly parallels W. 159th St. in Olathe. The trail provides access to commercial, industrial and residential facilities, as well as Chisholm Trail Middle School and the...
The Monticello Road Path offers a paved north-south route through Shawnee on the western outskirts of Kansas City. It connects shopping areas, housing subdivisions and schools. At the north end of...
The Gardner Greenway Corridor is a paved trail connecting Winwood Park and Brookside Park in Gardner, Kansas. The trail runs through open space alongside dense woodlands within the two parks. The...
The Burroughs Creek Trail and Linear Park runs from 11th to 23rd streets along an abandoned rail corridor just west of Haskell Avenue in Lawrence, Kansas. The trail was made possible through the work...
The Little Mill Creek Trail offers a pleasant, woodsy route through Lenexa, about 14 miles southwest of Kansas City. The trail begins at Blackfish Parkway (along which you can hop on the Blackfish...
Traversing 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...
Located in Shawnee, a suburb of Kansas City, the Midland Drive Path offers a paved mile-long east-west route paralleling the southern side of its namesake roadway through the city. Views are a mix of...
Passing through the suburban community of Olathe, the W. Santa Fe Street Path is a sidepath that parallels W. Santa Fe Street. The path connects residential neighborhoods, commercial centers,...
The Gary L. Haller Trail lies within scenic Mill Creek Streamway Park. Although the trail was not built on a former railroad, it parallels an active rail line for about 6 miles of its length at its...
The 6th Street Path runs along W. 6th Street—also signed as US 40—in Lawrence. The side path provides safe access to residential and commercial facilities along the busy road. At its western end, the...
Not to be confused with the nearby unpaved Haskell Rail Trail, this shared-use path runs along the west side of Haskell Avenue. The trail picks up from the S. Lawrence Trafficway Trail and heads north...
As a side path to a busy thoroughfare, the 20th Street Trafficway Path provides both an excellent recreational opportunity for the surrounding communities and a safe commuting alternative for...
The 159th Street Path unsurprisingly parallels W. 159th St. in Olathe. The trail provides access to commercial, industrial and residential facilities, as well as Chisholm Trail Middle School and the...
Though it exists in three disconnected sections, the Prairie Star Parkway Path is an excellent resource for the western side of the suburban community of Lenexa. The asphalt trail is a sidepath to the...
Soldier Creek Trail is a hiking and biking trail in Topeka, Kansas. The concrete trail mimics the course of the stream, winding for 1.8 miles through residential and recreational areas. The eastern...
The Clinton Parkway Trail parallels Clinton Parkway on the southwest side of Lawrence, Kansas. The trail provides access for nearby residents to a number of community facilities and commercial...
Lackman Road Path begins across from Swarner Park, where you'll find a number of recreational amenities, including sports fields, a playground, fishing pond, and skate park. From there, you head south...
The Manhattan Linear Park Trail will eventually circle the city of Manhattan, Kansas, but as of early 2012, the trail was 9 miles long and forms ring about two-thirds of the way around. The trail...
Located along the north bank of the Kansas River, the Lawrence Levee Trail runs along the top of the flood-control levee on the outskirts of Lawrence. The trail offers views of nearby farmland and the...
Maurer Road Path parallels its namesake roadway for just over a mile in the city of Shawnee on the outskirts of Kansas City. The north-south route connects residential and shopping areas and, at its...
The Center Street Trail is little more than a sidepath paralleling N. Center Street in the community of Gardner. The trail provides recreation and transportation opportunities to the residents of...
This is a wonderful new trail that is scenic and well maintained. It’s also not currently overly populated with users but everyone is respectful on the trail. Hills are the biggest challenge!!! It is not for someone who is looking for a flat ride.
South of 45th street is not paved so can be a challenge on a bike. Could use some trimming as some of the tree limbs were overgrown. Overall it was a fun ride and will ride again next time we are in town.
Been on ICT since the early 2000s. The park and rec of OP needs to serious repave vast sections of asphalt on the trail where the nearby tree roots have caused significant damage to the asphalt. No reason super rich JOCO can ignore the neglect of the trail.
Cool trail that is flat, quiet and goes a long way. Often not a lot of people.
Our quest to ride in every state in America landed us in Vassar, Kansas, a one-horse town about 30 miles south of Topeka, at a trailhead for the Flint Hills Nature Trail. Thankfully, we’d read that it was near a grain silo, otherwise, we might have missed the small dirt clearing we used as a parking lot.
The seventh longest rail-trail in America, the Flint Hills Trail stretches 117 miles across eastern Kansas on what used to be the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Today, it is a crushed stone path with occasional pieces of shale and deeply rutted soft dirt. Riding was slow and bumpy the first several miles and we had to keep a tight grip on our handlebars. The trail was straight as an arrow and flat as a pancake, although the rolling Flint Hills surrounded us. We’d read that there were turkeys and bobcats in the area, the latter of which we may have seen earlier in the day when what we thought was a large, healthy fox darted across the highway. Actually, the only wildlife we encountered while biking were very loud flying insects that reminded us of the cicadas that plague the mid-Atlantic every 17 years.
The trail was lined with scrubby cedars and other trees that formed a narrow screen between us and the farmland on either side. These provided some shade on what otherwise would have been a scorching ride in the summer sun. About every mile, we passed through a gateway with a post on either side, that looked, from a distance, like approaching figures. In fact, we only passed one other bike and two pedestrians during our two-hour ride. The trail widened and improved after we passed through a gateway onto a very broad two-lane roadway with well-packed dirt and cinder.
Award-winning beers awaited us at a brewery outside of Topeka.
Asked Ottawa Bike Shop owner which direction to go on either trail. He suggested eastbound so thats where we headed. Only rode 5 miles before heading back to Ottawa. Great trail, a little wet but very pleased how our fat tire ebikes performed in these conditions, just perfect. This part of the trail almost all canopied, very nice. Definitely going to come back, go further.
This is not a trail it is a sidewalk connecting neighborhoods and shops.
Love this trail when the single track is closed. It runs along Mill Creek and through parks, neighborhoods, and places to eat.
Rode the trail while visiting last week enjoyed the day very much.
I went tonight for the first time, and some of the trail is better maintained as far as cracks... but, some is also filled with that black sticky seal coat and it can get a little rough.... Still a go to!
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
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