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Making Barton County bike
friendly D
uring COVID-19, more Barton County residents looked outdoors to bicycling as a way to exercise while staying safe. That trend has continued as we emerged from the pandemic. Fortunately, when it comes to cycling, Barton County had them covered. And there are efforts underway to make the county more bike-friendly. There are ample blacktops, gravel roads, off-road trails, bike paths and city streets to meet the needs of all riders, from casual cyclist to the hard-core rider. The efforts of Be Well Barton County, a county-wide coalition promoting bicycling and pedestrian travel, created a new map of bike routes throughout the county. It showcases various loops, including the mileage involved, and highlights assorted attractions along these paths. “Barton County is blessed,” said Dale Hogg, Be Well member and educator for the Barton County Health Department. “We have so many options available to ride, regardless of your skill level or cycling interest.” The map is available online at ckpartnership.org/bewell. In addition, a newly formed offshoot of Be Well, Make Great Bend a Bike Town, is actively working with Great Bend officials to bolster bike infrastructure. And, as of 2019, Great Bend has been on the Adventure Cycling Trans America Trail which cuts through the county. Now, there are signs and sharrows denoting this path.
What are the riding options? If you are the skinny-tire type (or roadie) wanting smooth, paved roads, Barton County has nearly 400 miles of paved county roads, many of which wind through scenic vistas. There are a few hills along the way as well. These are two lane roads with minimum traffic, and biking can be started at any point. In addition, major highways such as U.S. 56, U.S. 281 and K-156 all have wide, smooth shoulders suitable for riding. If you are the fat-tire or mountain bike type looking for the rugged off-road experience, there is an extensive mountain bike trail following the Arkansas River south of Great Bend and an off-road loop circling the dried Lake Barton bed north of Great Bend. In addition, there are roads within the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Refuge available. Now, with the rise of “gravel grinding,” the riding on gravel roads, Barton County also has an extensive network of these. With roads, trails, the Wetlands and Wildlife National Scenic Byway and Cheyenne Bottoms all within pedaling distance, exploring nature on two wheels is an exciting adventure just waiting for you. There is also a wide variety of terrain available. But, if you are not comfortable on roads, there is the Great Bend Hike and Bike Path, a seven-mile paved levee trail that runs along
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the Arkansas River and follows the flood control ditch. This path is mostly paved and is the perfect introduction to the habitat and ecology of the river as it exists in this part of Kansas. Signs, sharrows and the on-going effort to improve streets make riding in the cities of Barton County safer and easier, too. Bike friendly efforts The Barton County Commission approved the installation of the first bike awareness signs on several of the more commonly-used blacktop highways in 2016. Now, these signs mark roadways in every part of the county, creating a network that makes riding a bicycle to anywhere within the county lines safer. There are also more signs on county roadways providing directions and distances to communities in the county. Within the City of Great Bend, city officials are building on the start of a bike route which already includes signs and sharrows. Plans are in the works for additional trails and connecting routes. There has long been a strong community of cyclists, both road and off-road, that hold weekly group rides for various skill levels. Now, with the improvements that have either been done or are in the works, more bikes can be seen on streets and roads.
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