If you’re looking for hiking trails, biking and camping in Kansas, then you’ve come to the right place.
Welcome to Rugged Kansas!
Hello! I’m Matt McCoy. I’m a writer, photographer and a serial outdoorsman. I’m here to share pictures, descriptions and reviews of hiking trails, biking trails and camping in Kansas.
About My Mission
I’m on a mission to show people that Kansas is the perfect place for those who love the outdoors. While Kansas may not be a destination state, it’s a state of many destinations.
Many people think of tornadoes, flat wheat fields and driving on I-70 whenever they hear the word ‘Kansas.’
Believe me, I grew up here and I thought the same things!
My thought was, “Why would people come to Kansas? It’s flat and boring, and there’s nothing to do here.”
But then I decided to stop complaining and start exploring. How could I say there’s nothing to do here if I never tried to find anything to do?
I never even gave Kansas a chance.
What have I found so far? Just like with most things, the caricatures we create in our minds rarely match reality. Kansas isn’t flat and boring…and there’s a ton of stuff to do.
With Rugged Kansas, I personally go out and find the cool stuff to do here, take pictures, write about my experiences, and share them with you.
Never Stop Exploring
My motto is, “Never Stop Exploring.” This is a challenge from me to myself, and to you.
In building the blog, Rugged Kansas, I’m committed to exploring what Kansas has to offer. Hiking, biking and horseback riding trails are my favorite, but I also like canoeing, kayaking and fishing. Kansas has many caves, canyons, towering hills and out-of-this-world rock formations.
It’s all there, we just have to look for it!
Kansas is waiting for us to explore it. People who sit on the couch, stay in the city, or work their lives away will never know the beauty of Kansas that surrounds them.
If you want to see and experience what Kansas has to offer, then make a commitment to Never Stop Exploring. Trust me, you’ll be amazed at what you find!
There’s no better place to start than in your own backyard.
About the Blog – Rugged Kansas
Like I said, my mission is to tell you about all of the cool stuff you can do here. My favorite things to do are hiking, biking and camping in Kansas; with an emphasis on hiking.
Whenever I tell people that I hike, the number one response is, “There are hiking trails in Kansas?”
Uh, yeah…I thought everyone knew this. Apparently not.
So I started the blog, Rugged Kansas, to tell people about the thousands of miles of hiking trails that wind through the Sunflower State.
As I developed the site, I realized that camping and biking are very popular around here, too, so I started writing about those experiences as well. Eventually, I’d like to include kayaking/canoeing, fishing and hunting.
To get you started, I’ve included some hiking trails in Kansas below:
Hiking trails at the Chaplin Nature Center
The Two Section Trail at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Catclaw and Post Oak Trails at Fall River Lake
If you need other resources, check out the websites below:
Kansas Wildlife Parks and Tourism
There’s No Place Like Kansas | Kansas Tourism
In addition to the outdoorsy stuff, I like to write about small towns, Kansas history, gear reviews, camping magazines and guide books.
Thanks for joining me on my adventures! Safe travels!