Anything in Kansas?

dougo83

dougo83

Joined
Feb 28, 2008
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Howdy! I have some friends up around Linwood, KS and am planning on taking a trip that way mid-summer. Anywhere good to spend a few days hiking/camping?
 
Not too far from me....bout an hr and half. I dont know much about that are, but a short drive is Landahl which is neat....Weston Bend state park isnt too far and is nice...
 
If your friends have land or friends with land in that area, they may have some woods you can bum around, maybe even along the Kansas River. If not, there are 2 state parks within about 30-35 minutes and another maybe 45 minutes from there. All 3 are around reservoirs... Clinton, Perry, and further away Hillsdale. You could also canoe the Kaw (Ks River), if you're into canoeing... it's a sand bottom river about 150-350 m across and usually about 1m deep with pools. Ft. Leavenworth is fairly close as well, and I believe they have hiking trails on the public parts of the fort.

Here's a link to the KS state parks map & info page: http://www.kdwp.state.ks.us/news/State-Parks/Locations

If you're looking for deep woods and steep terrain, you'll probably have to head to the Ozarks to get it (~5.5 hrs from Linwood).

Hope that helps!
 
Wood Ridge park on clinton lake is my favorite. Four and a half miles or so of trails.
 
I hike quite a bit around Clinton and Perry lakes.

It's short, but the Latham trail at Clinton is pretty neat. There is a section of rock wall/fence that I think is original from the pioneers in there. Interesting plants, creatures if you watch for them, and trees. Even a Paw Paw patch, but they don't produce until late September or early October. Some "primitave" camping area(s) there too.

Perry's trails are a divided into sections and all together are quite long. They are also interesting and nice.

There is also a pretty decent, well used trail at the Governor's Residence (which sits in the middle of a state park) in Topeka. About a 45 minute drive to the west. Winds down through hardwoods down along the Kansas River and back out through native prairie grasses. The trailhead starts in the parking lot culdesac right on the west side of the residence itself. It is just for hiking though, and due to it's proximity to the residence, there is law enforcement near, so no firearms. Lots of sheeple too, so I wouldn't carry any large obvious blades, axes, etc. just to save any hassle.

Here are some links for you that can help I think. Bring tick repellent/protection. Lots of whitetail in these areas, which means LOTS of deer ticks.

http://www.kansastrailscouncil.org/current%20web%20pages/trails.html

http://www.sunflowertrails.org/index.html

http://www.perrylaketrail.net/TrailMaps.html

We have a beautiful state; hope you enjoy yourself!!:thumbup:
 
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A lot of wind blown Jackrabbits and prairie dogs.:) Dorothy used to be there.;)
 
udtjim said:
A lot of wind blown Jackrabbits and prairie dogs.:) Dorothy used to be there.;)
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I grew up in and lived in SW KS and NW KS better than half my life; only recently living in the NE the last 12 years, and, actually, it's rare to see a jack or a dog town much anymore out west. Sort of sad. We used to have a lot of fun hunting both. Dorothy, unfortunately, came back.

Eastern KS is much different than the west. It is not what most who've never visited would expect. Much more hardwoods and hills, rather than sagebrush and dust. About the only trees you have in SW/NW are along river beds. The SE really resembles the Ozarks more than anything else. Beautiful country down there. Western KS is beautiful too, if you know what you're looking at. I love my entire state. But then again, I take pleasure in all the wildlife we have from jackrabbits, to prairie dogs, to coyotes and gar all the way up the chain to our whitetail, mulie and elk.
 
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All of these plains states are like night and day from the west side to the east side. I have lived in NE, SD and ND as far as plains states. I lived in Tn and CA.. Give me these deserted states every time. ND and SD gotta count everyone and their shadow to get to 1.5 million people combined, Throw in WY and Mt you get up to three, about the same population as the twin cities area.

We grew up hunting rabbits and prairie dogs in SD.
 
udtjim said:
All of these plains states are like night and day from the west side to the east side. I have lived in NE, SD and ND as far as plains states. I lived in Tn and CA.. Give me these deserted states every time. ND and SD gotta count everyone and their shadow to get to 1.5 million people combined, Throw in WY and Mt you get up to three, about the same population as the twin cities area.

We grew up hunting rabbits and prairie dogs in SD.
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I hear ya. Whenever I travel and someone asks me where I'm from and then they scrunch up their nose after I tell them, I secretly think, "just keep thinking that bud, more room for me". :thumbup:
 
most folks dont have a good idea of what is in ks besides the sometimes mind grueling drive west of salina towards colorado(nearly half of which is indistinguishable from western kansas...)
personally i really enjoy western kansas. the view from a vehicle driving I-70 just doesnt see the full picture

its already been mentioned that central and eastern ks are very different landscapes
just read this intro
http://flinthillsdeathride.com/
yup its a bike ride but i have ridden and finished it 4 times. its a brute let me tell ya
there are times ya just wanna sit down and cry! and im no whiner and in pretty derned good shape. this ride has kicked my a$$ every time
they employ the civil air patrol from ft riley to cover this ride(they use it as a training exercise) as sometimes folks do get terribly lost
one year the official high in emporia was 108! talk about survival!
other years the creeks were so swollen, low water crossings were impassable. which meant bushwhacking till you could find a safe place to cross. you do not wanna be on the top of those hills when a midwestern storm builds up right over yr head. esp on a steel bicycle(ie lightening rod):eek:

5000' vertical climbing! yup that state features the "flint hills" you can challenge yrself there be sure

more info

http://kansasflinthills.travel/
 
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+1 on Perry & Clinton lakes.
+10 on tick repellant.
Lawrence also has a couple of decent breweries (Free State & 23rd street) for after the hiking/camping.
If you need any gear, on the Kansas side of KC there's a pretty nice Cabela's. On the Missouri side of KC (Independence) there's a decent sized Bass Pro with a couple miles of "walking nature trail" (dead flat, but pretty)
If you have some "spare" time for a meetup when you're here, there are several BF members within an hour's drive of Linwood/Lawrence/KC.
 
If you're driving up from TX on I-35, you'll get a little bit of feel for the Flint Hills, but there is definitely much more to see.

We also have some beautiful prairie still in patches, like Konza Prairie near Manhattan and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Emporia (hiking with live bison at TAPR). If you're into birding, there's also the Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira National Wildlife Reserve near Great Bend. All of those places are several hours from Linwood, but they're beautiful.

I can't believe I forgot this, but if you're looking for a short day hike, you can also check out the University of Kansas (KU) biological station/Nelson Environmental Study Area... there are a couple of miles of trails with a beautiful Kaw Valley overlook (trail map). NESA is just a couple of miles north of Lawrence, which is very close to Linwood.

KU also has a tract of land south of Lawrence called the Baldwin Woods (directions).

I sort of forget about the trails, b/c most of my time at NESA has been working in the tanks.
 
Douglas County lake is a nice place to hike around. Near Baldwin. Have done alot of hunting up there.
 
I built a House and shop and a pole Barn about 30 miles north Of Oshkosh NE, check out a map, there is nothing but buffalo and cows out there. We had to drive accross Turners Buffalo ranch to get out there. SAND< SAND and more sand.
 
udtjim said:
I built a House and shop and a pole Barn about 30 miles north Of Oshkosh NE, check out a map, there is nothing but buffalo and cows out there. We had to drive accross Turners Buffalo ranch to get out there. SAND< SAND and more sand.
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Nothing but the most awesome tourist site in all of Nebraska, you mean? That is if you consider a full scale replica of Stonehenge made of junk cars awesome... which I do. lol.

Seriously though, that is out in the boonies. Beautiful country in wide, empty sort of way.


The part of Kansas where Linwood is located is very different from western Nebraska... I think about 1/2 of Kansas' population lives in 5 counties... and Linwood is in between 4 of those counties. 30 miles from Linwood is the KC metro area.
 
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