To the editor:

Great progress is being made on the Flint Hills Nature Trail stretching 117 miles between Osawatomie and Herington. This outstanding recreational trail is not only a state resource for all Kansans; it is a national one. It is the seventh longest rail-trail in America and forms a component of the American Discovery Trail, the nation’s first coast-to-coast trail. Plus, it follows the general route of the Santa Fe National Historic Trail and is the longest rail-trail in the U.S. being developed by a private organization, Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy.

In the east, the scenic rail-trail follows the Marais des Cygnes River with its forested bluffs, and in the west it traverses tallgrass-covered rolling hills. Most importantly, the trail connects with the 51-mile Prairie Spirit Rail-Trail in Ottawa and the 38-mile Landon Nature Trail west of Pomona. Few areas of the country can boast of a 200-mile trail network, but then there are few parts of the country that have as many available public corridors, connecting population centers and traversing scenic and historic landscapes.

There are two primary sections of trail that are now completed: a 16-mile section under a tree canopy along the Marais des Cygnes between Ottawa and Osawatomie and a 23-mile segment from Admire to Council Grove which crosses beautiful Rock Creek and passes by the Kaw Indian Heritage Park.

The Flint Hills Nature Trail offers a good way to explore the Sunflower State safely by foot, bicycle or horseback. More information is available at www.kanzatrails.org.