Paddling

Kansas

If the long-overdue arrival of spring has you itching to get outdoors, two new books can help give you an excuse to explore the Kansas that isn’t your couch and living room.

“Kansas Outdoor Treasures” and “Paddling Kansas: 61 Great Trips by Canoe and Kayak” recently have been published by Trails Books, a division of the Madison, Wis., based Big Earth Publishing.

“We’ve been hearing from booksellers and distributors that Kansas is an underserved marked for the kind of books we do,” publisher Mark Knickelbine says in a release. “People tend to think of the state as a big, flat prairie, but there are a lot of beautiful places in Kansas for people who love the outdoors.”

“Kansas Outdoor Treasures,” written by Kansas City-based writer Julie M. Cirlincuina, is a broad-based look at the state’s locales for hiking, biking, paddling, fishing, hunting, wildlife-watching or taking a scenic drive. Clinton Lake and the Kansas River levee made the list from Douglas County.

“Paddling Kansas,” meanwhile, is a more specific book for those wanting to explore the state’s waterways. It’s by Dave Murphy of Ottawa, the former Kansas Riverkeeper hired by Friends of the Kaw.

The book includes detailed maps and suggestions floating trips, including one from Perry to Lawrence, and another from Lawrence to Eudora.

Both books are available through the publisher’s Web site, www.trailsbooks.com.