Explore 5 Kansas day hikes loaded with bright, warm colors for those who love being outdoors in fall.
For many adventurers, fall is the best time of year for hikes in Kansas. It’s not too hot and not too cold. Ticks and mosquitos are dying off. And campgrounds don’t seem as crowded. Add a palette of fall colors to the mix and you’ve got yourself the perfect hiking conditions.
Fall colors in Kansas are different depending on the region. You’ll find more browns and red leaves in some areas, and you’ll see bright yellows, olive greens, and oranges in others.
Add a touch of purples and dark greens with dark tree trunks and limbs showing through, and the horizon seems to come alive.
While colorful trees may be the stars of the show, grasslands play a supporting role. Bright, golden stalks mixed with blacks, browns, and copper tones sway in the breeze. Stands of sumac and Virginia Creeper vines add bright reds to the landscape.
Kansas is a wonderful place to explore in the fall, and I’ve found five hiking trails to get you started.
Harvey County East Park
Harvey County East Park is about seven miles east of Newton. The park has a 314-acre lake that’s ideal for small boats, kayaks, and canoes. The fishing here is excellent!
For hikers, the Circle H Trail is open to equestrian and foot traffic and is the longest trail in the park at three miles out and back. It links up with the Osage Nature Trail, a loop trail that gives you a few optional paths for added scenery.
The Steve Harper Trail is on the dam-side of the park’s lake. This short trail takes you through deep woods and along the dam’s ridge to give you big views of the lake.
The hiking trails in Harvey County East Park go in and out of wooded areas, which are full of beautiful colors throughout fall. Wide open views of meadows, bright red sumac stands, and colorful tree lines are perfect for those who like a balanced mix of scenery.
Badger Creek Trails
The Badger Creek Trails are at Fall River Reservoir in the southeast portion of central Kansas. These trails are completely covered with post oak trees, which give you the autumn reds and browns hikers love in the fall.
The Badger Creek Trails are open to mountain bike and foot traffic. They take you through deep ravines and back uphill, making them difficult in spots as the terrain gets rocky and steep. But the experience is well worth it.
If you’re looking for something unexpected in Kansas, the Badger Creek Trails will deliver. The hiking trails take you through giant boulders and rock outcroppings. You’re likely to encounter wildlife such as deer, armadillos, and box turtles.
The Chaplin Nature Center
If you love playing in the woods, the Chaplin Nature Center is the place for you. The hiking trails throughout the property is mostly covered with thick woods, perfect for those seeking fall colors.
The Chaplin Nature Center is located near Ark City in south central Kansas. It sits along the Arkansas River which provides ideal growing conditions for massive trees.
The visitor’s center is an attraction by itself. The cabin design makes you feel like you’re in the backwoods, and the deck and staircase on the back are perfect for weddings, events, and gatherings.
For hikers, about five miles of trails take you along rocky bluffs, over wooden bridges, through thick woods, and down to a private sandbar on the Arkansas River.
Lower Fox Creek Trail
A few miles north of Strong City is the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. It’s one of the most popular stops along the Flint Hills Scenic Byway.
The park has more than 30 miles of hiking trails that mostly traverse over and around gigantic hills covered in native grass. If you want big views of Kansas’ Flint Hills, this is where to go.
The Lower Fox Creek Trail is different from the rest of the park’s trails. Hike up to eight miles along the tree line that surrounds the creek on flat, river bottom terrain.
The Lower Fox Creek Trail gives you a bug’s perspective of the massive hills in the park. The hills turn a copper color in the fall, which contrast perfectly with the dark green and golden leaves below.
Plumlee Trails
The Pawnee Prairie Park is in west Wichita, right across from the Eisenhower National Airport. But you wouldn’t know you’re in Kansas’ biggest city next to an airport when you hike the Plumlee Trails.
Sections of the Plumlee Trails are open to hiking, bicycling, and equestrian traffic. Other sections are dedicated to hiking only.
The hiking trails take you through deep woods, along tree lines, through open meadows, and along Cowskin Creek. Chances for wildlife sightings are very high, especially around sunrise and sunset.
Fall is the perfect time to hike the Plumlee Trails. The craggy-looking Osage Orange trees, with their dark, twisted trunks and tangled branches, remind you of haunted woods straight out of a spooky story. Perfect for a Halloween hike!
Go for Hikes to Enjoy Fall Colors in Kansas!
Of course, these aren’t the only hiking trails in Kansas to surround yourself in autumn colors. No matter where you are, there’s likely a hiking trail near you.
The best way to enjoy the fall is to be outside. I wish you and your loved ones a happy autumn, and I hope you use this time of year to go explore something together!
Your Friend,
Matt McCoy, writer and photographer, Rugged Kansas