Prairie Spirit Trail State Park is a

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

that is a Kansas State Park. The trail is built on the former right of way of the Leavenworth, Lawrence and Galveston Railroad from

Ottawa, Kansas Ottawa (pronounced ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Franklin County, Kansas, United States. It is located on both banks of the Marais des Cygnes River near the center of Franklin County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the c ...

, to

Iola, Kansas Iola () is the county seat of Allen County, Kansas, United States. The city is situated along the Neosho River in southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 5,396. It is named in honor of Iola Colborn. History ...

. The trail runs 50 miles from its northern terminus at Ottawa, Kansas to its southern terminus at

. The trail is open for use by hikers, joggers, and bicyclists year-round, from sunrise to sunset. This trail is paved with a hard-packed limestone screening outside of the city limits of Ottawa, Garnett, and Iola. Inside Ottawa, Garnett, and Iola, the trail is paved with asphalt. A Kansas State Park vehicle permit is not required, but a separate trail permit (daily/annual) must be purchased for those using the trail outside the city limits of Ottawa, Garnett, and Iola. During flooding in June 2007, a section of the bridge carrying the trail over Pottawatomie Creek north of Garnett washed out. The bridge has since been replaced.

Trail Route

The trail's northern terminus is located at the

Old Depot Museum The Old Depot Museum is a history museum located in Ottawa, Kansas. The focus of the museum is primarily on the regional history of Franklin County, and the importance of trains to the development of small towns. It features history of local Nat ...

in Ottawa, Kansas at . The Museum and terminus of the trail is located just north of the

Marais Des Cygnes River The Marais des Cygnes River ( , ) is a principal tributary of the Osage River, about long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 31, 2011 in eastern Kansas and western Miss ...

in downtown Ottawa. From Ottawa, the trail heads south and detours from the right of way to cross under

Interstate 35 Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...

at its intersection with

US Highway 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA superhighway, NAFTA ...

. Continuing to the south from Ottawa, the trail hits two small railroad towns,

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

and

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

. Garnett, located about midway on the right of way between Ottawa and Iola features a restored Santa Fe depot which is used as the city's trailhead. The depot serves as a rest stop for trail users, as well as an information center for the city. Phase 3 of the trail spans from Welda, Kansas, to Iola, Kansas, passing the small towns of

Colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...

and Carlyle. Colony and Iola trailheads feature both restrooms and water, while the Carlyle trailhead has only a single restroom without water. Trail mile markers for phase three include mile 99 at Colony, mile 104 at Carlyle, Kansas, and mile 109 at the Iola terminating trailhead at .

Future Expansion

The trail has been developed southward from the Iola trailhead to the town of Humboldt, about nine miles, led through the efforts of Thrive Allen County, a community organization, and the Allen County local government. This extension is named the Southwind Rail-Trail, and opened to the public on June 10, 2013. Future aspirations of the trail include intersecting the future Flint Hills Nature Trail, a trail currently under construction connecting

Herington, Kansas Herington is a city in Dickinson and Morris counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,109. History 19th century Herington was named after its founder, Monroe Davis Herington. His name at b ...

, to the west, and

Osawatomie, Kansas Osawatomie is a city in Miami County, Kansas, United States, southwest of Kansas City. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,255. It derives its name as a portmanteau of two nearby streams, the Marais des Cygnes River (form ...

, to the east, in Ottawa. The eastern section from Ottawa to Osawatomie is completed. This trail is also part of the ambitious Quad-State Trail project which will connect trails together in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, and

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

. The project also includes the

Katy Trail State Park The Katy Trail State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Missouri that contains the Katy Trail, the country's longest recreational rail trail. It runs , largely along the northern bank of the Missouri River, in the right-of-way of the f ...

in Missouri.

Management

The park is routinely patrolled by staff of the

Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) is a state cabinet-level agency led by a Secretary of Wildlife and Parks appointed by the Governor of Kansas. The Office of the Secretary is located in Topeka, the state capital of Kansas. A s ...

and other law-enforcement agencies. Only non-motorized vehicles, and motorized wheelchairs, are allowed. A daily-use per-person permit is $3.50, and may be purchased at self-pay stations located at the Ottawa, Princeton, Richmond, Garnett, Welda, Carlyle, and Iola trail heads. Annual-use per-person permits are $12.50 and may be bought at sites in Ottawa, Garnett, and Iola. No permit is required for those age 15 or younger, or for use within the cities of Ottawa, Iola and Garnett.http://kdwpt.state.ks.us/news/State-Parks/Park-Fees/ Kansas State Parks

Trail Route

Future Expansion

Management

References

External links