With spring around the corner, warmer days means exercising outside for a lot students. Spring is a time for students to dust off their workout gear that has been put away for the winter and start striving toward their summer goals. One of the tools to be utilized is The Prairie Spirit Trail and The Southwind Trail.
The Prairie Spirit Trail offers a lot to the community. Spanning 50 miles from Ottawa to Iola, the trail is a great route to walk, run, or bike. It brings in many visitors from Topeka, Lawrence, and Kansas City. The Friends of Prairie Spirit Trail offers permits for $12.50 for annual use, which is used to maintain the integrity of the trail. They do a lot of work clearing trees that provide shade and repaving the limestone that covers the trail.
Its services to the community started in 1992 with construction of a 17-mile strip from Richmond to Welda, as part of the Rails to Trails program that made use of former railroad route for recreational purposes. According to Richard W. of the Oldie’s Bicycling Blog, the trail continued to expand until 2008, where the south section was finished in Iola.
In 2013, Thrive Allen County expanded the trail 6.5 mile from Iola to Humboldt. The start of the Southwind Trial crosses through Iola’s Riverside Park, near the baseball fields and the local pool. The Southwind Trail is free for all habitué of the trail and gives great reason to be outside.
The scenery around the trail lends hand to the atmosphere of being on the trail. Often wildlife can be spotted on the trail or in pastoral scenes surrounding it. There are bridges that cross over many bodies of water, from Elm Creek to the Neosho River. Since the conversion of the Gibson Railroad Track, the trail is passable at all points and is never too steep to move about.
Mahaila Soap, a runner for the Allen Community College cross country and track team, says the trail has helped her greatly in her training. “I really enjoy the trail because not only is it safe and easily accessible, it also provides some great scenery on long mileage training days,” she said. The seclusion of trail is free from oncoming traffic which can be a danger to those listening to headphones.
The trail is a great place to give in to the solace of nature or just the incentive to get exercise. Iola has had a great addition to the town with the trail. Utilizing it will help get students a step closer to their summer goals.