Wichita NWR - Mt. Scott Loop

not 1 track

Double track with great scenery and lots of ups and downs. Watch out for goatheads if you don't ride tubeless

I liked it a lot but brought my twins (10 yrs old) and new to mtb. It was tough coming off the dam and along the shore of the lake. I'm going to check out the whole trail on my own but new or young bikers will be frustrated.

I wrote the last review below noting the road had been washed out, they have since repaired it. You can finish the loop in about an hour if you keep after it. I still have to push at one spot because of steepness/traction. They have not repaired the track from the 'Y' south near the end, its still grown up a bit with some washes but totally passable.

This trail is great for what it is and thats a good cardio workout. There is no technical aspect to this trail it is just a 2 track dirt road but it is 12 miles of up and down with very little flat ground. Also the topo section for this trail shows the wrong trail. Topo shows the medicine park green and red trails instead

A gravel road that travels the base of Mount Scott. It is a very peaceful ride that offers the opportunity to ride with the kids. There are a few climbs that will stress the lungs, but for the most part, it is generally a comfortable ride. Steer and Buffalo have free roam. My last ride was cut short due to a bunch of Steer on the trail. You can get to the end of the gravel an take the same route back, or jump on the paved road and ride the shoulder back to the start.

If you're a beginner or riding with younger bikers, this trail gets a 4-star rating. I'm an advanced rider, 47, and for me this was just an easy, mostly relaxing ride perfect for a second day of riding. All but the last half mile is gravel, which feels surprisingly stable under your tires. I ride a self-built 9-speed 29er and had no trouble at all, except for a few uphill slogs.
-The east trailhead is easy to miss- it's on the right, what seemed like about a mile past the cattle guard at the edge of the Wildlife Refuge on 49- if you reach the campground on the left, you missed it.
-This is important- at about the 5-mile mark the road forks. The main road goes off to the right, but the trail actually goes left, down a hill that's dirt, not gravel. This takes you quickly and directly to the west trailhead.
-The 5-mile ride back to the other trailhead is a gorgeous one through the refuge. It's paved, smooth, with wide shoulders. It feels safe and is downhill almost the entire way. Have fun!

Took the full trail last week(04-12) 11.5m gate to gate. Had to stop and let a buffalo pass across, he dident seem to mind us much. Crossed a few small streams and made some tough climbs. This is the only trail bikes are allowed on in the refuge. Its worth the trip.

Up and down ride on a jeep trail around the North base of Mt. Scott. Majority of the ride was fairly easy , just mostly riding on pea to golf ball sized gravel. A few climbs/descents were fairly difficult with the rocks ranging from golf ball to basketball size. However with the width of the trail there is plenty of space to get off and walk your bike up. We ran across a bull Elk bugling that took the enjoyment of the ride up a notch.

The scenery was great, lots up up and down through creeks on the back side.