Flint Hills Nature Trail
Kansas’s longest rail-trail links river woodland, farm towns, and Flint Hills prairie across a corridor too large for one casual outing.
Artwork inspired by John Steuart Curry
Flint Hills Trail State Park follows 118 miles of former Missouri Pacific corridor from Osawatomie toward Herington, paralleling parts of the Santa Fe Trail and connecting with Prairie Spirit Trail at Ottawa. Developed sections serve walkers, cyclists, and equestrians, with surfaces, shade, water, and town services changing substantially from east to west.
Plan a named segment between known trailheads rather than navigating to “the trail.” Check the official closure map: construction and undeveloped portions can interrupt through travel, and the Council Grove–Herington segment has not consistently been open. Carry water outside towns; seasonal fountains and restrooms are not a substitute for a route plan.
- Total corridor
- 118 miles
- Use
- Hike, bike, horseback
- Fee
- No trail permit required
Quick guide
- Day trip
- Choose two trailheads + turnaround
- Through trip
- Verify every open segment first
Let the return reshape Flint Hills Nature Trail
- East
- Use expect river bluffs, woodland, and more frequent communities.
- West
- Compare prairie exposure, wind, and longer service gaps become more important.
- History
- Look for where modern rail geometry overlaps older Santa Fe Trail movement.
- Surface
- Adjust tire, footwear, and speed as crushed stone and unfinished areas change
Good to know
Older references often call this the Flint Hills Nature Trail; its current name is Flint Hills Trail State Park, and it has since entered the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. Search and navigate with the current name.
Notice these
- Long rail corridor
- Marais des Cygnes River
- Flint Hills crossing
- Small-town trailheads