Miller's Meadows Trail Review

I was in Wichita and figured while I was in a new part of Kansas, I would see if there were any new bike trails I could try out. Off singletracks.com's website I found Miller's Meadows. This is a nice enough place and they've made a lot out of very little. This place offers about 5 or so miles of singletrack with about 70% through what little bit of tree cover is in the Wichita area. Over all, it is a fun little trail with only moderate difficulty. It has nice flow, however, and will reward you with increased difficulty the faster you attack it. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more too, had it not been 110 degrees outside.

From Trail Hooligan

Singletracks directions are pretty on the money, and you will find a nice parking lot just off the road. The exact location is:

Datum: World Geodetic System 1984,
Latitude: 37° 39' 0.7915" N, Longitude: 97° 10' 25.1494" W,
MGRS: 14S PG 61114 68576,
UTM: 14S 0661114 4168576
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=37.650220,-97.173653



The trailhead is right there and well marked. The local club regulates traffic by designating your direction of travel by the day of the week. Saturday was clockwise, so I started off with the full onslaught of the sun as I pedaled through the un-protected, un-shaded, first mile. Better to start this way and end in the shade though.



Again, this wasn't a bad bit of trail. It was a lot more fun once you got into the woods. There were corduroy bridges in some of the creek beds that added a fun dynamic even if they didn't up the difficulty. The trail also appeared to be regularly maintained. I'm not sure if I would make a special trip out of going there, but since I was in the area, it was nice to get back on the bike. The River Trails in Manhattan have been unrideable due to the rain we've been getting. I have no idea what the financial or engineering capabilities of the club that maintains Miller's Meadows are, but should they choose to, they could easily add structures like teeter-totters, moustache rides, and fat-skinny-fat bridges as side obstacles to the trail.



I also made some friends on the way back. They wanted attention and bug spray...not necessarily in that order.