It may be “developing,” but the Flint Hills Trail State Park is on the list as a Hall of Fame candidate.
Rails to Trails Conservancy has listed the state park as one of its three Hall of Fame nominees, along with East Central Regional Rail Trail in Florida and Murdock Canal Trail in Utah.
The conservancy group says the park, which runs from Morris to Miami counties — including a stretch with locations like Council Grove, Bushong, Allen, Admire, Miller and Osage City — is the longest rail-trail in Kansas after it was designated as a state park in 2018 and eventually will stretch from Herington to Osawatomie and generated almost $2 million in tourism dollars, according to 2022 stats. The trail gained National Recreation Trail status from the US Department of the Interior in 2020.
Rails to Trails Conservancy has been working since 1986 to expand trails across the country, notably by using prior railroad track beds. The conservancy group says there are now more than 25,000 miles of trail in use nationwide now with more than 9,000 more miles ready to be built out.
More information, including voting, is available at railstotrails.org. Residents can vote “as often as they like” through Wednesday.
