The Lehigh Portland Trails are built on the site of a former cement plant and quarry, along the banks of Elm Creek in Iola, Kansas. The trails feature over 7.5 miles of both rail-trail-style gravel-surfaced trails and natural-surface trails for mountain biking, trail running, and nature hikes.
The Lehigh Portland Trails have been built by volunteers with Thrive Allen County, via a June 2014 Healthy Living grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, on land owned by Iola Industries, Inc. through an easement granted to theSunflower Rail-Trails Conservancy, Inc. The trail’s name pays homage to Allen County’s industrial past and specifically to the Lehigh Portland Cement Company, which purchased the Iola Portland Cement Company in 1917 and operated a major plant in Iola until 1970.
This new trail system include walking and biking trails similar to the Prairie Spirit Trail and the Southwind Rail Trail, but also includes mountain bike trails and related amenities that are rare in this part of Kansas. The new trail system isfree and open to the general public year round.
Learn more about the Lehigh Portland Trails: