Kansas Equestrian Trails

Melvern Lake – Corps primitive use area, no designated trails on south side of lake. Olivet Park to Lowman Cove about 12 miles and another 10 miles on west to Sundance Park. Osage County. 

16. Milford Lake - 10 new campsites (with another 10 by summer 2006), with water, electric, and sewer.  Bathroom, hitching posts, corrals and wash bay station; Eagle Ridge Equestrian Trail (8+ miles) in State Park joins River Walk Trail (along Republican River to Fort Riley) to make a total of 18 miles. Park Office 785-238-3014.
17. Perry Lake - State Park in NE Jefferson County = 15+ miles. Primitive camp, water available (rest room and shower nearby). Park Office 785-246-3449.
18. Pomona Lake - Blackhawk Trail - 110 Mile Park in NE Osage County = 32+ miles. Primitive camping, water hydrant available. Park Office 785-453-2201.
19. Redmond Lake - Redmond Cove/ Hickory Creek Trail, Coffey County = 15 miles. Rest room and shower available, water and electric hook ups. Park Office 620-364-8614.
20. Sand Hills State Park – Central KS, East of Hutchinson on Hwy. 50 = 7 miles of trails, trail access permit required – 316-542-3664 or 241-7669.
21. Shawnee Mission Park Equine Trails – A 1,250-acre park located at 79th and Renner Road in Shawnee. The largest park in Johnson County with 120-acre lake. About 8.3 miles of trails with parking at North Walnut Grove or at Archery Range, no organized camping available. No cost or permits required to ride in park. Park information at 913-894-3350, Grant Evans, Park Manager. For copy of trail map go to web page; http://www.jcprd.com/parks_facilities/map_shawnee_mission.cfm  
22. Tuttle Creek Lake - Carnahan Creek Park = 5 miles in the camp loops, with an additional 12 miles in Riley County. Pit toilet. Park Office 785-539-8511.  Tuttle Creek Lake - Randolph State Park = 14.75 miles of trail. Primitive camping and 20 electric campsites with water available in campground, shower building, dump station, pit toilet, corrals and wash station.  Updated map of Randolph Area trails available. Park Office 785-539-7941.
23. Wichita - Pawnee Prairie Park in SW Sedgwick County, west of Airport and south of Kellogg, = 10 miles. Park Office 316-264-8323. Pawnee Prairie Park Nature Center at 2625 S. Tyler.  http://www.gpnc.org/cityof.htm
24. Wilson Lake – No use at this time. Contact 785-658-2551 & 658-2465 to support opening areas for equine trails.
25. Wyandotte County Lake - in NE Wyandotte County = 10 miles. No camping. Park Office 913-299-0550.

OVER 300 MILES OF KANSAS TRAILS TO RIDE & ENJOY!

Kansas Equine Trails Volunteer Coordinators

1. Big Hill Lake = Bill Racy 620-421-4141
2. Cedar Bluff Lake = Chuck Mattke 785-769-3413. = Trying to get the area open for equine trails. No equine trails available but with advanced planning group rides are allowed by special permit. Cedar Bluff contact: KDWP Kent Hensley  - 785-726-3212
3. Cimarron National Grassland = (open)
4. Clinton Lake = Corps = Keith and Sandy Gilliland 785-748-9862, email skgilliland01@earthlink.net or Delbert Skinner 785-748-0850 (Douglas County Trailriders) Wildlife and Parks = Marybelle Cooper, email mbcoop@doglegs.com 785-748-9827 or Ruth Fine, e-mail ruthfine@aol.com 785-748-0751
5. El Dorado Lake = Chris Kaegi-Stephens, e-mail chris@dougbabcock.com 316-799-2505
6. Elk City Lake = “Shorty” Dwight Thorne, e-mail momthorne@earthlink.net 620-336-2265
7. Fort Leavenworth = Mary Pat Smith 913-682-3757
8. Harvey County East Lake = Pat Jackson, e-mail sugarcandy@earthlink.net 316-282-2616
9. Heritage Park = (open)
10. Hillsdale Lake = Rex Medlin 913-557-4280 and the Good Neighbors Club, email ckemplay@sbcglobal.net or Ginny Peterson
11. Kanopolis Lake = Wendy Bowles, Conservation Worker Kanopolis State Park, e-mail kanopolissp@wp.state.ks.us 785-546-2565
12. Kill Creek = (open)
13. LaCygne Lake = Donna & Charles Armour, e-mail charlie@circlestarhorses.com 913-849-3635
14. Lake Scott State Park = Jane Miller, e-mail cjmiller@ruraltel.net
15.  Melvern Lake, Eisenhower State Park = Jim Thomas, e-mail thomasj@kansas.net 785-528-4255
16. Milford Lake = Steve and Theresa Didion 785-762-6811
17. Perry Lake = Karen Anderson, e-mail lkanderson@grasshoppernet.com 785-945-6679 & Bill Liggett, e-mail horse4820@cox.net 785-286-0096
18. Pomona Lake = Sherry Hill, e-mail hill323@aol.com) or Bob and Carol Grady 785-654-3208
19. Redmond Lake = Burlington Saddle Club or Margie Burton, e-mail margiekc@everestkc.net 913-631-2373
20. Sand Hills State Park = (open)
21. Shawnee Mission Park = Angela Christensen, e-mail angchriste@kc.rr.com
22. Tuttle Creek Lake = Carnahan Recreational Area and Randolph State Park areas Olivia Huddleston, e-mail opieh@bluevalley.net 785-382-6886
23. Wichita, Pawnee Prairie Park = Marvin F. Detmann 620-545-7582, & SCKTRA
24. Wilson Lake= Ramon Laurie 785-483-3590. Trying to get an area open for equine trails.
25. Wyandotte County Lake = Lori Nelson 913-788-3504 or Lynn Davidson

Guiding Principles for Equestrian Trail Organizations

The following is from the American Horse Council State Horse Council Advisory Committee meeting, Nov. 3, 2001.

The American Equestrian Trails Community is united in the preservation of our cultural heritage of the use of horses and pack stock on wild lands. We are committed to the stewardship of lands we use, and to the practice of conservation of our natural and cultural resources. Further, we are committed to fostering land ethics that harmonize the relationship between equestrians and the lands on which we ride. As responsible equestrian trail users, we promote conservation education, encourage shared trail use and trail etiquette, practice volunteerism, and work to develop and enhance positive relationships among equestrian, other trail users, and landowners/managers. We influence administrative land legislative decisions that affect the equestrian trail community. We seek to enhance opportunities for trail development. We also serve as a resource for information on equestrian trail values, uses and needs. The Kansas Horse Council Trails Development Committee takes the same stand and promotes the same ideas and practices in our State. To this end we have organized the Kansas Equine Trails Volunteer Coordinators listed above.

 Kansas Horse Council plan of action:

1. The KHC will keep an updated list of all Kansas equine trails along with a volunteer trail coordinator for each trail listed on the KHC website.
2. The KHC trails committee will endeavor to find a club, organization, or person willing to adopt all equine trails in Kansas to list on the KHC website.
3. The trail maintenance coordinator will be responsible for:
 a. Coordinating trail maintenance and improvements with trail owners (County, State, Corps of   Engineers, or whoever owns a trail open for public use).
 b. Receiving names and keeping a list of trail maintenance volunteers.
 c. Scheduling clean up and/or trail improvement work dates.
 d. Reporting to the KHC all trail maintenance/improvement volunteer work hours for each year.
 e. Helping to keep trail maps up to date.

Please let me know if you would like to volunteer to be a trails coordinator for one of the above trails.

Jim Thomas, Chair KHC Trails Development Committee 785-528-4255 or email: thomasj@kansas.net

Committee Members;

Ramon Laurie, 785-483-3590 or email: kitscanyon@russellks.net

Margie Burton, 913-631-2373 or email: margiekc@everestkc.net

Karen Everhart, 620-725-3402 or email: spclk@southwind.net

ELCR FREE Trails Program

ELCR has a free program, Trail Trotters, to help show that horseback riders do "give back" to the trails they enjoy.  To date, there are no registered projects from all of Kansas.  Would you please forward this information to anyone you think might be interested in participating (and perhaps receiving an award or even a national prize).  Thank you.  Details are at the website below, or you may feel free to contact me with any questions. 

Kandee Haertel
Executive Director
Equestrian Land Conservation Resource
126B North Main Street
P.O. Box 423
Elizabeth, IL 61028
815-858-3501
fax: 815-858-3508
www.elcr.org

Here's another way to promote trails in Kansas and across the country...

While we make no warranty of this book, nor of the contents, we feel this is a viable way to help promote, maintain and preserve equine trails in the United States.  We invite other similar projects to contact us regarding placement on this forum.

100% of the profits from the sale of this book are donated to the American Endurance Ride Conference Trails Committee, the Western States Trail Foundation Trails Committee and the North American trail Ride Conference Trails Committee.

TEN FEET TALL, STILL
Marinera Publishing
100 Marinera Road
Scotts Valley, CA  95066
or e-mail marinera@aol.com
Phone: (831) 335-5948
www.endurance.net/juliesuhr
The book is 24.95 plus $5.00 s/h and tax (each).