Day Tripping in Lawrence: Hit the Trails
No, not that kind of tripping! Get high on nature hiking in and around this Kansas college town.
Baker University Wetlands, near Lawrence, Kansas, offers 10 miles of trails to explore.
By Roy Harryman
Publisher, Kansas City Hiker
Spring’s here! Boots on? Laced up? Head to Lawrence, Kansas, for a full day of trails in one of the area’s premiere hiking destinations.
Kansas City Hiker has published guides for nine trail systems in Lawrence and Douglas County (but of course there are many more). The area is a great location for day trips because it’s close to Kansas City and it has plenty of creature comforts to sustain you before and after your hikes. All the amenities (and weirdness) of a college town are nearby.
Trails at the KU Field Station offer sweeping views of the Kaw River Valley.
So what’s in Lawrence? Strictly speaking of nature and trails, you’ll find:
Serene wetlands providing up-close views of wildlife
Rugged trails exploring all sides of Clinton Lake
Rolling, wooded hills (one was even home to a ski lift in the 1970s)
Remote walks along the Kaw River
And of course, much more
Here’s a roundup of the Lawrence area’s “greatest hits” for hiking (in our opinion).
Baker University Wetlands and Discovery Center features 10 miles of trails exploring a wetland wildlife habitat.
Clinton Lake North Shore Trails are popular with mountain bikers, winding and weaving for 25 miles in the hills along the lakeshore.
KU Field Station trails provide 5 miles of walking paths in an 1,800-acre research environment north of the Kansas River.
Lawrence River Trail follows the Kansas River through riparian forest in a nine-mile, natural surface loop.
Sanders Mound Trail is a 1.2-mile out-and-back that is mostly paved and ends with a panoramic view of Clinton Lake.
Smokehouse Trail at Clinton Lake (Lawrence, Kan.) explores the bottomland forest environment of the reservoir’s western shore.
The Willkomm Trail gets you away from Lawrence to the bottomlands along the Kansas River near the small town of Perry. This 1.5-mile loop traverses the forest along the river and gives you access to a sandy beach where two rivers meet.
Woodridge Primitive Park is on the remote west side of Clinton Lake. A four-mile loop traverses forest and the lakeshore and also offers 15 scattered primitive campsites.
Bonus round
These aren’t trails, but are outdoor features that can supplement your trip.
Wilkey Waterfall, immediately east of Clinton Lake, is a seasonal fall that is active during wetter seasons of the year.
Wells Overlook Park provides an ADA lookout platform in addition to a tower that provides sweeping views of the Kaw River Valley.
If you’re looking for new hiking experiences, you don’t have to go far. Schedule a day in Lawrence.
Roy Harryman is the publisher of Kansas City Hiker and is not a KU graduate.
