Off-Road Trails: Kansas

With over 254 acres of off-road riding trails and many events throughout the calendar year catering to all of us off-road fanatics, the Kansas Badlands is an off-roader's paradise in the middle of the country. If you're really into the sport of SXS racing, you can even bring your rig to play on the track and race on select weekends throughout the year. If South Haven doesn't have enough amenities or what you are looking for, the major city of Wichita is just about 50 miles away, giving you easy access to parts, food, and anything else.

Looking for a family-friendly challenge for your UTV? Kansas Rocks Recreation Park is the place you are looking for. This destination is not suitable for ATVs, so a UTV is what you need because the technical and challenging 4WD trails are just that gnarly and too much for a sport quad to handle. Primitive camping is available at the park at the request of the camper, and the nearby city of Fort Scott will be your best bet for supplies to camp. Major cities are a few hours away from this area, which is nice because you get the "out there" feeling when visiting Kansas Rocks.

The Syracuse Sand Dunes provide one of the last open sand dune areas in the middle of the country. With 1,300 open acres of riding and a combination of open dunes and trails, this is an ideal riding area for bringing your family. You can find camping at the park for either your tent or RV, and there are even showers and restrooms at the facility. Nearby Syracuse is a town with plenty of amenities, including a full grocery store and parts service center for off-road vehicles.

Nested next to the lake, this 310-acre park is filled with many obstacles, making your off-road experience extremely fun and worth the trip to this park. Tuttle Creek Lake ORV's rugged terrain is everywhere, making it a challenging time taking on the steep climbs and rocky terrain. The nearby town of Randolph is small with only limited supplies, such as fuel and food. Being that this is a day-use area, plan on coming from sunrise to sunset.

Council Grove is a small ride area that was built up by the Army Corps of Engineers. It has five miles of mostly flat trails that are part of a dried riverbed, but there are a few hillclimbs that can be pretty challenging. This area is free to ride at and there is no permit required. The nearby lake has a campground with eight sites and some amenities. The OHV park is great for teaching a beginning rider how to read terrain and can be a fun day trip. The whole area is 30 acres in size and is open for riding and use during the day year round.