School Creek ORV Kansas Ride Report – December 8th, 2014
First Impressions: School Creek ORV area is located on the western edge of Milford Lake in Kansas. Where’s that? Milford Lake is 30 miles west of Manhattan KS, North of I70, directly Northwest of Junction City KS. Judging by the drive around the lake, I wasn’t expecting much, but as I pulled into the staging area, I knew I was in for some fun woods riding.
Property Type: School Creek ORV is owned and managed by the Army Corp of Engineers, so no permits are required.
Time There: Monday, December 8th, 2014
Location: Lakeside, so be ready for silt, sand, and clay.
Elevation: 1,100 – 1,300
Inside School Creek ORV
Trail Type: School Creek Consists of mainly tight woods single track trails, with a few open play areas mixed in.
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Terrain: The terrain consists of rocks and clay hard pack (when it’s dry) on one side of the park. The other side of the park has a good-sized area of weird hard sand, then eventually turns back into rocks and clay as you go further down the shoreline.
Type of Riding: The riding at School Creek ORV ranges from easy to moderate, with a few hard spots. If you don’t want to hit the hard stuff, it’s easily avoidable if you’re paying attention.
Outstanding Features: What I found most fun about School Creek is the countless number of trails and offshoots. I found that most of the trails branched off every 10 – 20 feet. This allows for any infinite number of single track variations for practice, races, or just messing around.
Weather: I was surprised that the weather was warm, considering I was in Kansas in December. Temperatures around lakes can be weird like that.
Facilities: The School Creek staging area is split, but vault toilets are at both sites.
Camping: There is no camping directly connected to the park, but School Creek Campground is close by, and full RV hookups can be found about 10 miles away at Curtis Creek Campground. Check your dates though, I got there, and the CG was closed, so I had to camp on the road.
Length of Stay: I would suggest a full weekend ride.
Other Riders: I didn’t see any other riders while there.
Final Word: I highly recommend the School Creek ORV area as a destination for fast woods riding and playing around. There is always something new and challenging every time I go… surprising for Kansas.
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