The Prairie Sunset Trail is a hiking/biking trail that used to be an old railway! How cool is that?! It is VERY cool, man. You can check out old tunnels and bridges, and even some old railway ties.
There are two main trailheads: one in Goddard and one in Garden Plain. I prefer the Goddard trailhead since it’s closer to Wichita (Goddard is west of Wichita). It is super easy to find (right off of Main St) and the parking lot is right next to bathrooms and a park with paved paths and exercise equipment. The paved paths end after about half a mile headed west and the real Kansas scenery begins!
I love jogging on this trail, but it definitely lacks shady areas (hey, an excuse to buy a new hat and sunglasses). There are farms along both sides and some wooded areas with steep drop-offs. I find myself occasionally daydreaming while I’m on this trail about tripping into the woods and coyotes or bobcats eating me, but I digress.
The Prairie Sunset Trail doesn’t get a ton of use, but I see fellow hikers and bikers whenever I visit. It is also a fairly new trail. I feel *mostly* safe while I’m on the trail, but I make sure I carry my phone (and a small machete) with me. I always tell someone when I’m going to run this trail since it is more isolated than many of the other trails. But, the isolated nature of some parts of this trail are why I love it so much.
