TOPEKA, Kan. – The 38-mile Landon Trail has been awarded a $2 million federal Transportation Alternatives grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation to extend the scenic rail trail.
Currently, the trail is completed from the trailhead at 17th and Monroe streets, in Topeka, south to just south of the Clinton Wildlife Area for a distance of 16 miles, and a seven-mile section between Overbrook and Michigan Valley. The grant will be used to develop another two-mile section of trail from Shawnee Heights Road to 121st Street, north of Overbrook in Osage County.
The trail being developed by Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy is a scenic recreational trail stretching from the popular Shunga Trail, in Topeka, to the Clinton Wildlife Area, Pomona Lake, and on to the 118-mile Flint Hills Nature Trail, near Pomona. The trail will be the only recreational trail in America to link the Oregon National Historic Trail with the Santa Fe National Historic Trail.
The section which will be built follows picturesque Camp Creek and wooded oak-hickory covered hills that provide a shady tree canopy for trail users. The nature trail passes by two wetlands, native tallgrass prairie, and two waterfalls.
The Landon Trail crosses the Santa Fe Trail north of Overbrook. A 240-foot steel truss bridge crosses over the Wakarusa River in the Clinton Wildlife Area.
“We appreciate the support the Kansas Department of Transportation has shown for developing outdoor recreational opportunities,” said Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy President John Payne. “Kanza is working to create a remarkable recreational trail which will provide a safe place for families to walk or bicycle away from traffic.”
Information thank to KRTC. File photo.
