|
|
Post by cweston on Mar 14, 2023 13:36:21 GMT -8
This is a former railroad line trail that currently runs E/W for about 100 miles through the Flint Hills of Kansas. The Flint Hills are the largest swath of tallgrass prairie in the US. The soil is rocky and poor for crops, so the only real agricultural use is ranching. Because of that, the land looks about the same as it would have in the mid 19th century when white "Freestaters" starting arriving in significant numbers and "claiming" the land. (Except for the bison and elk that would have been here then.) Trees are few and far between except in riparian areas and places where humans practice fire suppression. I walked about 5 miles east from Bushong, KS, then turned around and headed back. I dropped about 500 feet on the way and gained it back on the return trip. It was unseasonably cool for mid march (around 40 and sunny, with a steady breeze), so I was happy to keep a steady 4 mph-ish pace. Bushong to Council Grove would be a great one-way hike: about 13 miles, it would be almost entirely (gently) downhill. Wildlife: only birds. Red-tail Hawk, Mississippi Kite, probably other raptors, Killdeer.
    |
|
|
|
Post by starwalker on Mar 15, 2023 21:46:00 GMT -8
Growing up in Wichita, I found the Flint Hills to be quite scenic with the rolling hills, deep valleys, some wooded, some not. There are rocky stream beds and fine overlooks. Our Boy Scout Camp was Quivera Scout Ranch, on the east side of the Flint Hills north of Sedan. My first teaching job was in Longton, also on the east side of the Flint Hills. I love driving through them with a light snow fall on them, or a late evening or early morning sun.
|
|
|
|
Post by starwalker on Mar 15, 2023 21:47:24 GMT -8
 This is Cedarvale, Kansas near the Oklahoma border. |
|
rebeccad
Trail Wise!
Writing like a maniac
Posts: 12,386 
|
Post by rebeccad on Mar 16, 2023 7:43:11 GMT -8
A couple of years ago I drove through the Flint hills on the freeway, and was really surprised by how pretty the area was—up to then, I didn’t realize the whole state isn’t like western Kansas/eastern CO (which got really old before I got to the mountains).
|
|
|
|
Post by hikerjer on Mar 18, 2023 12:28:24 GMT -8
I’ve driven through the Flint Hills on several occasions and have always been impressed by their subtle beauty.
I remember on one trip heading west, driving through a valley in the Hills western edge and then cresting a hill and there they were - the great plains suddenly overwhelming me with their expansiveness. It was quite the sight.
|
|
|
|
Post by cweston on Mar 21, 2023 9:16:02 GMT -8
A couple of years ago I drove through the Flint hills on the freeway, and was really surprised by how pretty the area was—up to then, I didn’t realize the whole state isn’t like western Kansas/eastern CO (which got really old before I got to the mountains). Yeah, I was almost 40 when we moved to Kansas, and prior to that I had no idea that there was any part of it that is hilly. We feel pretty lucky to live in the most scenic party of the state. (And I mean that literally: we live in the Flint Hills in the Big Blue River valley, now flooded into Tuttle Creek Lake. Our yard, and the areas we walk in almost every day, are literally among the most scenic places in Kansas.) |
|
|
|
Post by oldbill on Apr 1, 2023 7:03:54 GMT -8
I didn’t realize the whole state isn’t like western Kansas/eastern CO (which got really old before I got to the mountains). Spent first 12 years of my life in KS. Still remember the drives from Hutchinson to see relatives in Great Bend and Garden City. Lots of tumbleweeds and attempts to play games to keep from being bored. Exploring the area on foot is different. Went on a lot of bird hunts and the local terrain is far more complex than the general flatness seen from the highways. Also hunted around the Flint Hills near Topeka and the Smoky Hills near Salina. |
|
