Use the links below for descriptions of the state's top trails.
For details on all
these trails and many more, click here to order Kansas Outdoor
Treasures
Top Auto Tours in Kansas
Kansas has nine official Scenic Byways, but many other routes also offer
pleasure for motorcycle tourists, Sunday drivers and wildlife watchers.
Here are six notable drives that are NOT Scenic Byways (from east to
west).
Carnahan Road (north of Manhattan)
On the east side of Tuttle Creek Reservoir, a 15-mile
(one-way) route of paved road winds through subtle canyons in the Flint
Hills dotted with private homesteads and some brief lake views. Two scenic
overlooks are marked with a pull out and signage. Mid way, take a detour
into Carnahan Creek Park and you may feel as if you alone have discovered
an isolated corner of the world.
Kanopolis Lake Legacy Tour (southwest of Salina)
An 80-mile auto tour indicates 27 points
of interest in the area surrounding Kanopolis State Park. Much of the
tour is on sand roads. Pick up a map at the park’s information
center, the first stop on the tour. Wagon wheel trail ruts, a family
cemetery, a petroglyph site, hills, buttes and bluffs of the Dakota formation
are some of the highlights on the auto tour.
Cheyenne Bottoms (Great Bend)
It’s all about the birds! Positioned on the central
flyway, spring and fall are the best times to take a drive through this
enormous wetland that beacons the birds. Some species are present year ’round
at this internationally significant site that boasts over 320
visiting species and 13 miles of dikes and roads surrounded by
pools and
marsh.
(Note:
Significant flooding and subsequent damages occurred in 2007.)
Cedar Bluff (Hays)
A gravel road winds through a canyon with limestone exposures
making some steep climbs on a very narrow, rutted and rugged road. You’ll
want a high clearance vehicle for this drive to 100-foot-high, cedar-topped
cliffs on the south shore of Cedar Bluff Reservoir. Bring a picnic basket
to enjoy the view that translates in photographs more like the Mediterranean
than Kansas. Wave to pleasure boats and fishermen
as they pass below you on the teal-colored lake. (Not safe for children.)
Red Hills Backroads (west of Wichita)
Also known as the Gypsum Hills, the few who travel here are treated
with views of red canyons and soil, flat mesas, soothing valleys and
blue watering holes. Landmarks with names like Flowerpot Mound and Twin
Peaks are pretty much as you would imagine. A 20-mile loop on back roads
truly showcases the best of the Red Hills scenery with the most spectacular
views from Gypsum Hill Road and Lake City Road (just west of U.S. 281)
on U.S. 160.
Arikaree Breaks (Goodland)
The upper west corner of Kansas hides a stretch of canyons
and badlands 36 miles long and 2-3 miles wide. So far off the beaten
path, few have seen this unique landscape or heard the historic tales
of settlers, Native Americans and even outlaws. You can take photos,
but no one will believe you were in Kansas.
For more information and many scenic drives, order a copy of Kansas Outdoor Treasures (Trails Books, a division of Big Earth Publishing)