| Trails Less Taken: Hiking Kanopolis |
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| By Greg Wood | |
| Wednesday, 22 October 2008 | |
Since arriving in Kansas a year ago, I've learned a lot of things about this state.
It didn't take me long to realize, as most newcomers soon do, that Kansas is not as "flat as a pancake." In fact, I didn't have to look far to find places to hike that were just as challenging as the West Virginia hills I grew up in.
To be fair, I've gotten almost as much pleasure simply walking down one of those pefectly level country roads that seem to stretch off into the distance, straight as an arrow, forever. But variety is the spice of life, as they say, and I've spent many weekends exploring small chunks of the wide open spaces here in search of unique hiking experiences.
One of the highlights in this quest so far has to be Smoky Hill Wildlife Area, just north of Kanopolis Lake. Well worth the trip indeed. For an overview of the vast trail system in this remote area, check out the story I wrote for The Hutchinson News.
That story is the first of a monthly series of trail reports I'll be writing for the newspaper. But in addition, I'll be posting exclusive trail logs and photo galleries here whenever I get back from one of my forays on foot.
So, without further ado, here is my first trlog, if you will, from Smoky Hill Wildlife Area.
On this particular excursion, I left my home about 7:30 a.m., arriving at the upper parking area on 25th Road on the northwest side of the lake, about 9 a.m.
My first impression was that it was a beautiful day for hiking. Sunny, but not too hot; windy, of course; and with dry conditions.
One can't help but be envious of the owners of the house just opposite the parking area. Noticing it was for sale, I checked when I got back home and found it was listed for more than a million bucks. Hey, that's not bad considering it comes with a 647-acre ranch. Check it out here, and if you buy it be sure to mention my name.
Having all day at my disposal, the plan was to head north on Alum Creek Trail, exploring the upper reaches of the wildlife area, then cross the stream and head south and east, exploring the Prairie Trail and the Red Rock Canyon, eventually making my way back along the western side of Alum Creek.
Well, I never made it to Red Rock Canyon, so I will save that for another day. But it wasn't for lack of covering miles. According to my GPS, I logged over 15 miles before I made it back to the van. Perhaps my penchant for exploring and photographing rock formations cut into my trip time a little more than I expected.
Starting out, the trail seemed well maintained. Basically, it was just a wide swath cut in the tallgrass prairie. But getting off the main trail after a mile or so I found the going a bit tougher. The upper reaches of Alum Creek form incredibly twisted loops. I'd spend several minutes looking for a place to cross, only to find that once I had crossed over, I had to cross back again. Even with a GPS, it's hard to know which way to go in these conditions. Finally, I found the main trail again. This time, it had turned into a gravel road, actually it was made up of crushed brick in places. I passed an old barn on the left, and spooked a couple of cows. Although I hadn't crossed any fences, I had apparently edged up to some private land.
Heading back south, I found the trail increasingly overgrown, but there were plenty of trail markers, topped with colorful strips of cloth that flapped in the wind.
To get the lay of the land, I crossed a fence to climb to the top of a nearby rock outcrop. Here I found an Army Corps of Engineers survey marker, or "benchmark" embedded in some concrete and dated 1976.
After documenting this find for later logging on a geocache site, I crossed back over the fence and followed it south and east, finding more outcrops and small canyons to explore.
I found several places in this area that would make good campsites, if only camping were allowed here. (Anyone want to start a petition?)
Climbing up to the bluff overlooking Alum Creek, I continued south and got a view of the parking area on the other side where I had left my car. The ranch house opposite the parking area looks very lonely. It is the only house I saw on this trip.
From this point, a hiker has two options. There is a vast area to the east which includes a tributary of Alum Creek and is overlooked by a huge (by Kansas standards) rock-lined hill, which is, unfortunately, on private land.
Or you could go south a couple of miles, connect with the Prairie Trail and all the way south to the lake.
Well, at first I did hesitate, but since I have become an expert in getting over barbed wire fences, and the rocks were calling out to me in no uncertain terms, I took off toward the hill. What could it hurt? Besides, there was no one around for as far as the eye could see.
After a long hike east and a brief climb, I turned southwest and found the junction with the Prairie Trail.
From here I headed south for a mile or so and decided to call it a day just short of the lake. The trail skirts the wildlife refuge in this section, and as the signs say, all activity is prohibited from October 1 through March 1. I wasn't sure if hiking on the trail was an activity or not, but it was about time to turn back anyway.
If I had had the time, I would have continued on the southwest portion of the trail, which eventually heads north through Red Rock Canyon and then back east to hook up with the Horsethief Trail system. So many trails, so little time.
Heading north, I backtracked for a while, then headed up the trail on the west side of Alum Creek. About a mile before you get to the parking area, the path turns back into a jeep trail, which makes the last section a breeze. There is a Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks geocache on the right of the road in this section, by the way. The geocaching contest ends Nov. 1, though, so you'd better hurry.
According to my GPS, I had traveled about 13 miles. Not that bad for a day of hiking considering I had done so much exploring.
Since it wasn't quite dark, I drove down to the next parking area on the south end of 25th Road. The road forks just before the parking area. Take the right fork, or you will end up at a private ranch. From the parking area, a trail leads off to the south, skirting the ranchland and eventually ends up in the wildlife refuge if you take it that far. To the west of this trail stretches about 15,000 acres of US Army Corps of Engineers land along the Smoky Hill River that are also open to exploration. This area includes many historical sites, including the Faris Caves, but perhaps is best explored by boat or by auto, following the Kanopolis Lake Legacy Trail, a self-guided auto tour. Pick up a map at the park office.
I got in another couple of miles of hiking near the south parking area before the setting sun decided things for me.
All in all, this has to be one of the best hiking areas in this section of the state. There are so many choices. Although the lack of camping does limit you somewhat, there are plenty of available spots at the lake campgrounds this time of year.
There are a lot of places I haven't seen yet in Kansas, and I'm determined to keep checking them off my list, but I'm sure I'll be heading back to Kanopolis Lake for years to come.
Didn't your momma teach you to share? Share us.
Users' Comments (10) |
 10-23-2008 06:33, , Guest 10-23-2008 10:10, , Guest 10-23-2008 12:34, , Guest  10-23-2008 13:14, , Registered I've been all over Sand Hill State Park, Connie, and it is definitely on my list for an upcoming trail log. I've also been to both Harvey County parks often and over to Quivira and down around Cheney Lake. Part of Cheney's in Reno County, right? I'll keep my eyes out for you, might even shoot some video of my own. :-) 10-23-2008 16:56, , Guest  10-23-2008 20:08, , Registered 10-24-2008 10:53, , Guest 10-24-2008 11:55, , Registered 10-24-2008 12:49, , Registered http://www.geocaching.com/ mark/ You can put in your zip code and find tons of them. |
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