9 of 40: horsethief canyon trail

Another day trip we took soon after our Ha Ha Tonka State Park adventure was to Kanopolis State Park. Having another day to spare, but not wanting to spend a night away from home we found this park just south of Salina, KS about four hours away from the Kansas City area. We rarely cross the state line into Kansas for hiking, it really is mostly flat land, but there are some amazingly pretty scenic spots and we found one. I always like to be impressed with a hike, and this one did just that.

After a south west drive through the farmlands we came to the state park. The canyons pictured below can't be seen unless you are in them, so beginning the hike I was skeptical! Just a few feet on the Horsethief Canyon Trail and the beautiful sandstone formations were to be seen. It took us about four hours to hike 4.8 miles. The trail took us up through the formations, into prairie and near the river. 

The recent hike at Ha Ha Tonka was heavily populated on a warm day. The Horsethief Canyon trail was remote, although we did see about 15 people over the course of our time there, and the weather cool and overcast. The contrast from our time at Ha Ha Tonka was nice. The sun on these open trails would have been a bit bright and hot.

There are many miles of trails at this state park and it would be a good place to revisit and camp overnight.