Prairie Spirit Trail

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Jules from Lake Saint Louis, MO on 8/5/2009 1:52:02 PM:

On Sunday, a friend and I rode the 53-mile Prairie Spirit Trail, a rails-to-trails linking Iola and Ottawa in Kansas. Not much different than our beloved Katy in terms of nice folks and beautiful country scenery (albeit much less shaded -- almost all of the trail is in the open with NO tree cover). But their website is severely lacking in information, including directions to the trailheads, and links for info are broken. Even townsfolks were at a loss to help us, most having heard of a trail, but none knowing where it was. There was zero signage, period. I would recommend this trail, but do your homework before you get there, particularly if you start in Ottawa.

MAH from Blue Springs, MO on 8/6/2009 10:39:18 AM:

Does this mean they have the bridge over the Pottawatomie river finally repaired or did you have to detour on the roads around it.
I agree re lack of information when it comes to riding the trail. Overall, nice trail to ride but as Jules said...not much shade. Somehow when I compare other rails to trails that I've ridden, the Katy always comes out on top!

Jules from Lake Saint Louis on 8/6/2009 11:33:44 AM:

Well ... remember what I said about poor signage? Completely missed any detour sign (though I doubt there was one at all). Rode right up to the orange plastic fencing, with a view of the half-finished bridge straight ahead. We fleetingly thought of doing a "Dukes of Hazzard" across the unfinished bridge, but then chose to cross the fence and walk our bikes down through the construction site, which consisted of an earthen dike built to allow trucks to work on the bridge. We continued on for 2.5 miles on some rough, overgrown trail, as it has been closed for two years now. Even ran into a man spraying for weeds, who was very surprised to see us, but let us pass with a warning. He told us the bridge should be repaired by Labor Day of this year, but they've got a ways to go from what I could tell of their progress.

MAH from Blue Springs, MO on 8/6/2009 5:35:00 PM:

Thanks for the info Jules. It's been 2 years since the bridge was damaged, will be nice when it's finally done.
Makes me appreciate the Katy and all the work the DNR does all the more.

jd from gkc on 8/7/2009 8:58:56 AM:

To me this 51-mile trail is a good 102-mile one-or-two-day ride. I enjoyed the abundant and varied scenery and wildlife on it. The trailheads are well-built; most have running water. Mid-day riding is probably more sunny than early or late.

The info on the 3-mile bridge detour must be in fine print. For the most part I had to figure it out for myself, choosing the 2-ft-wide shoulders on the highway a short distance to the west of the trail rather than on the backroads to the east.

Food can be found in the towns along it. Yet, printed maps and more information will be helpful for new riders. The trail's north end really begins at the old depot/museum at the north end of the Ottawa business district. The south end is a nice park in Iola.

For those who cannot make it to the Katy every time, this trail is an interesting substitute for a day ride on it, or a place to get into riding shape for the it.

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