The perfect place to start your tour is the Butler County History Center in El Dorado. The museum’s permanent exhibit, Glory of the Hills, depicts the Flint Hills as a land full of possibilities. Historic photographs and artifacts explore the lives of early inhabitants, settlers and farmer/ranchers who grazed their huge cattle herds on the rich bluestem grasses. Traveling north and east on Highway 177 from El Dorado to Cassoday, and then continuing north toward Strong City will take you on a designated National Scenic Byway, one of the most enjoyable tours of the Flint Hills region. A mid-spring drive on I-35 between El Dorado and Emporia, after the pastures have been burned and new growth has emerged, reveals breathtaking vistas of the new green velvet which carpets the hills as far as the eye can see. Par for the course. For those who think the perfect way to make contact with nature is on the golf course, Prairie Trails Golf and Dining at 1100 Country Club Lane is ready to accommodate. The beautiful 18-hole municipal course will challenge all levels of skill, and the full service dining facility is a great refueling spot.
Up close and
personal with naturehike, bike or ride Over 25 miles of trails at El Dorado State Park are available to visitors and residents within minutes of downtown. The City’s Bike Path, a 6.3 mile concrete path begins at East Park in downtown El Dorado and ends in the Walnut River camping area just below the El Dorado Lake dam. Once there, hikers and bikers can head out to a variety of trails around the park. Nature lovers will gravitate to the Teter Nature Trail, a three-quarter mile trek through the Flint Hills down into a bottomland forest containing a stand of paw-paw trees.
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A popular place for equestrian groups is the newly completed equestrian campground which features individual horse paddocks. The twelve- mile Boulder Bluff Trail nearby is a scenic stroll through the Flint Hills and along the shoreline of El Dorado Lake.
For all things El Dorado visit
Sunday bikers will enjoy the wide paved thoroughfare of the City Bike path and ADA Trail through the Walnut River Campground. The two-mile Double Black Diamond Trail is made for mountain bikers and winds through a wooded area following the Walnut River.
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