Hike the KU Field Station Trails

Overview

Parking at the Roth Trailhead gives the hiker several options for how to proceed. Up the paved walkway from the parking area, one can go into the woods to follow the Roth Trail, or they can venture out into the grasslands on the Lowland trail. The Roth trail leads up through wooded areas, and at the top of the hill, a magnificent vista awaits. This connects to a paved walkway through a prairie, with educational plaques along the way, illuminating the history and science behind the ecology of the prairie ecosystem. If one alternatively walks east, crossing E 1600 Road, another set of trailheads can be found. There is a sign indicating the entryway; it is next to a gate. Here, there is the Fitch Nature Trail, which, in the past biology students at KU used to explore as a field trip. There is also another trail that leads north, which, after crossing a road, connects to the aforementioned prairie path.

A couple of notes:

• The Fitch Nature Trail is near somebody's personal property. There is a house out there where someone lives, and visitors should not bother them.
• The woods in some parts consists many creaky old, dead trees. When the winds are high, beware of the possibility of falling trees.
• A map and more description can be found here
• A guide to the Fitch Nature Trail can be found here

I personally like to visit at dawn, just as the sun is rising. Deer can be seen in the morning, as it is a protected ecological reserve and forested. I often spot them along the tree lines and sometimes see them along the wooded trails.