Fall Cycling Suggestions
**extended information from the September 2005 newsletter**
Fall is a great time for bicycle riding, as the air gets cool and the leaves start to change. Interested in heading out for a ride? Here are some suggestions for great rides in the area, for a variety of interests and abilities.
Families/Beginners
College Avenue/Kimball/Manhattan Avenue. Park in the west stadium lot and follow the wide sidewalk, which makes these roads safe for riding. This route can be turned into a loop: go west from the Manhattan Avenue sidewalk onto the drive along the north edge of the dorm parking lots to Jardine Drive. Continue west on through Jardine. At the end of Jardine Drive, follow the bike path west until reunited with the College Avenue sidewalk. This is about 3 miles total.
Anneberg Park. A ride of about 2 miles on a crushed limestone path around the perimeter of the park. Park on the south end near the playground, and you can meet the trail south of the parking lot.
Linear Park. The park runs 8 miles one way from the fire station on West Anderson to the eastern end at Casement and Hayes Drive, but has several entrance points so it can be broken down into smaller trips. Some sections are paved, others are crushed gravel. There are several good entry points; here are a couple of the most used ones. Entry point #1: Turn onto Casement Road from Tuttle Creek Blvd., then right onto Hayes. The parking lot is on the east side of Hayes. Entry point #2: From Ft. Riley Blvd. turn south on S. Manhattan (just west of Griffith Park) and go just past the railroad tracks. Parking is on the east side of S. Manhattan. Entry point #3: Beside fire station on Anderson Avenue. Park in large shopping center lot (Alco lot).
Tuttle Creek River Pond roads. Park at the "tubes" and pedal in, and enjoy the scenic area with lots of trees and level roads.
Try Some Touring
If you've tried all of these options, and you're ready to tackle something with a little more bite, here are some longer rides.
Hunters Island. Go south on Manhattan Avenue for 3-4 miles of level asphalt roads and low traffic. Can be extended to a loop. Start on S. Manhattan Ave. (you can park at the Linear Park access lot by the railroad tracks) and go south to S. Collins/Moehlman Rd.—turn left/west—Moehlman turns south then west again to Henton which takes you back north to Rosencutter Rd. which goes north to Ft. Riley Blvd. At this point you can loop back to your starting point on Ft. Riley Blvd. or go north at Westwood and tour around to 13th/S. Manhattan.
Tuttle/Top of the World. This scenic ride covers about 15 miles along Casement Road to the Tuttle Creek River Pond area then back along Highway 24 and Seth Child Road to Marlatt. Traffic can be a concern but the roads are all good. Go north on Casement Road from Hayes Road (you can park in the lot near the Linear Park access) about 5 miles to Highway 13. Turn left and ride over the dame and emet up with Tuttle Creek Blvd, where you’ll turn right until the Seth Child Road intersection. Go left (south) on Seth Child Road to the top of the hill (near Top of the World) where you’ll turn left onto Marlatt Rd. and ride back toward town. Marlatt brings you into the north part of campus or all the way back to Tuttle Creek Blvd.
McDowell Creek Road. For more rural riding, turn just past the viaduct on Highway 177 and head out on McDowell Creek Road. It's a beautiful valley and the ride can extend to a 40-mile loop past I-70 if you're ambitious. Just keep riding on McDowell Creek Rd. past I-70. At a schoolhouse, McDowell Creek turns into a dirt road and goes east to Hwy 177, but you can follow CR 1092 (paved) back to Hwy 177 instead. Then 177 will take you north back to Manhattan.
For Longer Rides
If you're ready to take a stab at a more demanding cycling trip, there are great loops to Wamego, to Riley and around the lake.
Wamego. The Wamego loop begins with a small section of Hwy 24, beginning near the mall and traveling east until you reach Old 24, which branches off the new section about 3 miles east of the river bridge. Old 24 (also known as Military Trail Rd.) travels through St. George and comes into Wamego as 4th Street. When you hit main street (aka Hwy 99) go south about 2-3 miles to Hwy 18. This stretch takes you back to Manhattan through the Wabaunsee and Zeandale areas, and comes out at Hwy 177 just east of the viaduct. Total: about 36 miles.
Keats/Riley Loop. From the corner of Anderson/Seth Child Road, go north on Seth Child (Hwy 113) to Highway 24, where you’ll head west. You can turn north at the Stockdale area (Blue River Hills Rd./CR 895) to ride on a hilly loop road which has been used for past races. Take Stockdeale Park Rod and CR 396 back to Hwy 24 which will take you on toward Riley. Either go clear into Riley and then backtrack to Anderson, or turn south at Anderson about 1 miles west of Hwy 77. Anderson takes you clear back to Manhattan, through Keats, to your starting point. Total: about 36 miles.
Around the Lake. There are several routes that you could take to ride around the lake, but the simplest is out Casement Rd. to Hwy 13, then north to Carnahan Road which will take you north to Hwy 16 near Olsburg. Go west on Hwy 16 to Hwy 77 and turn south. . Various detours can take you to Leonardville, Riley or Stockdale, all of which end on Hwy 24 which will either take you southeast back to Manhattan or to Anderson which will also take you southeast back to Manhattan (but this route goes through Keats).
For more details on these rides and more in the Manhattan area, we recommend Flint Hills Cycling Journeys by Steve Martini, available in our book section at The Pathfinder.