Fancy Creek Trail

This trail is definitely one the best west of Perry Lake all the way to Colorado. It is one of the best and most unique in Kansas. The current mileage is in the neighborhood of 5.5 miles after the added sections are finished. It used to be 4.5 or so until the summer of 2004 when a group of volunteers working with the State Park and the Manhattan Midwest Mountain Bike Patrol started building and maintaining the trails regularly.

The trail is an intermediate to advanced trail. There are a few sections that very few riders, even the most experienced, can clean. The work that has been most recently done to the trail has not only added mileage, but also added sections that beginners will find challenging, but ridable. This is a trail for everybody.

The topography and the plant life of this area are very unique to Kansas. The trail is very rocky on the upper sections with mostly cedar trees. If you have ridden in Colorado you will be reminded of it on this trail. The lower sections are mostly deciduous trees and grass with many small creek crossings.

While riding this trail you will pass through rocky coniferous forests, ridge running trails, grassland, deciduous forests, and back again. There are many flowing sections separated with technical parts and many switchbacks. Many areas offer great views of the surrounding hills, plains, and Tuttle Creek Lake. This is a trail that will have you coming back again and again. Enjoy the ride.

Access Info

This is the actual Fancy Creek Trail, not the Randolph State Park horse trails. From Manhattan, KS: Take Tuttle Creek Blvd. (Hwy 24) north out of town. Follow Tuttle Creek Blvd. (Hwy. 24) until Hwy. 24 branches off to the west. Take Hwy. 77 north. Immediately after passing Randolph take the right turn(east) onto Hwy. 16. The park is approximately 2 miles to the east. The entrance is on the left side of the highway immediately before the bridge that crosses over Tuttle Creek Reservoir (Not the first Fancy Creek sign). The park is on the west side of the lake. When on the park road take the first right for the trailhead.