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1.2 miles
Distance
108 ft
Climb
-140 ft
Descent
00:07:58
Avg time
-32 ft
Altitude change
948 ft
Altitude min
1,023 ft
Altitude max
981 ft
Altitude start
949 ft
Altitude end
-0.523%
Grade
-17.391%
Grade max
21.74%
Grade min
2,668 ft
Distance climb
2,846 ft
Distance down
623 ft
Distance flat
00:07:58
Avg time
Backbone Details
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Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Gravel Bike
- Adaptive Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
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Riding AreaLehigh Portland Trails
Iola, Kansas -
Difficulty Rating
-
Local Popularity5 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 5 in Trail Running
- 5 in Hiking
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Global Ranking#139583 in Mountain Biking
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Trail TypeGravel Path
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Bike TypeXC, Gravel, Adaptive MTB
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DirectionBoth Directions[+]
- Both Directions for Gravel Biking
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Climb DifficultyGreen
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Physical RatingEasy
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Dogs AllowedYes
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Year Opened2016
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Land Owner
The Backbone Trail is a wide gravel trail that traverses the majority length of the Lehigh Portland Trails property. The trail is about 11 feet wide, and is surfaced with fine limestone screenings. The surface is smooth and fast, and handles rain well. Even when the singletrack is muddy, the gravel trails can still be ridden.
The Backbone connects the Eastern Trailhead to the Western Trailhead, and passes through a variety of terrain, from densely-packed cedars, to hardwood forest, to riparian woodlands, to flat grassy stretches along Elm Creek. There is a lot of nice scenery along this trail, including expansive views of both Lake Lehigh and Elm Creek. Part of the path runs atop on old railroad line, the Missouri Pacific, which serviced the Lehigh Portland Cement plant back in the day.
Most of the other trails in the network branch off from the Backbone, including the East Loop Trail, the West Spur Trail, Creekside, Mt. Lehigh, the South Loop, the Mountain Goats, and Lakeside West. At the western trailhead, it connects to the Connector Trail leading to the Southwind Rail Trail through Elm Creek Park South.
The Backbone Trail is a great trail for families, walkers, those with limited mobility, and bicyclists lacking mountain bikes suitable for the singletrack trails. There are a couple of nice downhills headed west (and the corresponding uphills headed east).
Local Trail Association
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Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 0 rides
6 Months
- 0 rides
All
- 4 rides
- Last: Nov 5, 2023
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
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Backbone Trail Reports
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- Snow Cover Partial
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- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
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Directions to backbone-60330 trailhead
(37.907340, -95.390850)
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Nearby Trails
- East Loop 0 ft
- Mt. Lehigh 240 ft
- South Loop 640 ft
- Mountain Goats 1,198 ft
- Rubble Ridge 2,185 ft
Lehigh Portland Trails
- By randyrasa & contributors
- #60330 - 1,199 views
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Frequently Asked Questions About Backbone
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Where is Backbone located?
Backbone is located in Lehigh Portland Trails, Iola, Kansas, United States. It is part of the Lehigh Portland Trails trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 37.90734, -95.39085.
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How hard is Backbone?
Backbone is rated as White difficulty. The physical rating is Easy. The average grade is 0.523%. The climb difficulty is rated Green.
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What is the elevation gain for Backbone?
Backbone has 33 m of elevation gain. The trail has 43 m of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 289 m to 312 m.
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Is Backbone a point to point trail?
Backbone is not a point to point trail. The direction is Both Directions. The trail type is gravel path.
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