ABC Trails Plan Envisions Connected Region

Allen County may soon be better-connected to its neighbors by a network of bicycle routes and trails, according to the new ABC Trails Plan, created by a collaboration of economic development, health and wellness, and trails organizations in Allen, Bourbon, and Crawford counties. The plan, the first multi-county active transportation plan in Kansas, was funded by the Sunflower Foundation, and developed in a partnership between Thrive Allen County, The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, and Live Well Crawford County.

The ABC Trails Plan offers a roadmap for future trail and route development in the three counties. It envisions bicycle routes connecting our communities, new rail-trail and singletrack trail projects, safety awareness education, bicycle touring and bikepacking routes that follow scenic and historic corridors, and routes than connect us to other state and national trails and routes.

Projects that could impact Allen County include:

Signed bicycle routes on low-traffic rural secondary roads between Iola, Fort Scott, and Pittsburg.
An alternate route for US Bicycle Route 76 (AKA the “Trans-America Trail”) through Iola. Thousands of touring cyclists ride this coast-to-coast route each year.
Improvements to the Lehigh Portland Trails, such as restrooms, shelters, water access, and prairie restorations and habitat enhancements.
Additional connections to the Prairie Spirit Trail in Iola.
A new part of the U.S. Bicycle Route System, US Bicycle Route 55, would run north-south through eastern Kansas, using the Prairie Spirit Trail and Southwind Rail Trail.
The historic King of Trails Highway ran from Canada to Mexico in the early 1900s. The King of Trails Bikepacking Route would follow this path through Iola and Humboldt, and passing over the King of Trails Bridge along the way.
The Western Sky Connector would link the Southwind Rail Trail to the planned Western Sky Trail in Chanute, which would lead riders to Fredonia, and eventually connect to Wichita.
The Neosho Grand Trail would follow the Neosho River from its headwaters near Council Grove, into Oklahoma, where it becomes the Grand River. Both Iola and Humboldt lie along the Neosho.
The Zebulon Pike Historic Trail would follow the route of Zebulon Pike’s 1806 exploration of the American Southwest. The route passed near present-day Moran, La Harpe, Gas, and Iola.
The Mo-Pac Trail would follow the old Missouri Pacific Railroad corridor from Iola west into Bourbon County.
Singletrack trails along the Neosho River in Humboldt.
Singletrack trails at Elsmore Lake (technically, this lake is in Bourbon County, but Elsmore is the closest town).

In addition to those individual projects, the ABC Trails Plan calls for improvements to Allen County’s tourism marketing efforts. The ABC Trails Plan envisions Allen County, and the larger region, as a trails tourism and recreation destination. View the full plan here.

The authors of the ABC Trails Plan believe that trails are a critical economic development strategy, providing a place for people to be active, to connect with nature, and to connect with each other, as well as helping to attract and retain businesses and residents, and bring visitors to our communities.

According to the Sunflower Foundation’s Senior Program Officer, Elizabeth Burger, “As a health foundation, the Sunflower Foundation supports public trails of all types and their potential to make outdoor physical activity accessible to all ages, backgrounds and abilities. The evidence keeps growing for the physical and mental health benefits of being active outdoors – but trails can also contribute to a community’s well-being in other ways, such as increased social cohesion and economic vitality.”

Statewide, Allen County is regarded as a leader in rural trail development, and this plan continues to build on that reputation.