The Flint Hills Trail stretches for 117 miles* across east-central Kansas, from Osawatomie in the east to Herington in the west, and passes through communities including Rantoul, Ottawa, Pomona, Vassar, Osage City, Miller, Admire, Allen, Bushong, and Council Grove. The trail passes through five counties: Miami, Franklin, Osage, Lyon, and Morris.
As its name suggests, the trail crosses the beautiful Flint Hills. The Flint Hills represent one of the last remaining tallgrass prairie ecosystems in the world. It is home to abundant prairie plant and wildlife species, spectacular views, national historic sites, and a diverse set of recreational areas. The eastern portions of the route travels alongside the Marais Des Cygnes River, between rushing waters and towering bluffs, through rolling farmland and riparian woodlands.
The Flint Hills Trail is the seventh-longest rail-trail in America, and the longest trail in Kansas. It follows the general route of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail and forms a component of the coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail.
*Note that currently 96 miles of the Flint Hills Trail are completed. It is "under development and not usable between Council Grove and Herington." For now FKTs will be for the completed 96 mile section. New FKTs will be established once the full 117 mile trail is open.
Comments
I plan on establishing a self-supported FKT on the FHNT in early April (7th), eastbound (downhill) from Council Grove, as part of a longer hike through Kansas.
I plan on submitting photo and video evidence of start/completion, Instagram updates when in service, as well as .gpx files from daily Strava uploads.
Hopefully others will come enjoy the sweet rail trail and roll over the extremely low bar I aim to set, 48 hours or so.
Delayed by injury. I'll be back
I'm looking to give this a go soon, hopefully within a few weeks before summer takes hold! Sorry about your injury!
It's my backup plan for next weekend (May 29-31). East to West, self-supported. Good luck on yours Justin! Nice action last weekend!
sincerely,
the guy offering rides back to start/finish in a backwards van.
Going for a supported FKT starting in Council Grove eastbound on September 24-25th, 2020 (starting early AM on 24th). I will run solo and get aid from my dad along the way. Tracking will be done with a Garmin Instinct Solar watch and will be uploaded to strava with photos when complete. For live tracking I will post a string on facebook with photos whenever cell service is available. Best guess is 18-20 hours, but this will be my first FKT attempt and longest run to date. I've never been on the FHNT but I love this part of Kansas and I'm very excited. If I need to adjust my plan or there are questions/comments, please let me know.