Directions
- Beginning at Hwy 36 and 8th St. in Marysville, KS
- Travel North on 8th St. 1.0 mile
- Turn Left onto Jayhawk Rd .4 mile
The first segment of the trail from Jayhawk Road to Harvest Road is 2 miles long. The Big Blue River meets the trail at the first bend. Sit and enjoy the view of the river and the railroad bridge on the covered bench. Continue down the trail through the peaceful wooded area to Rocky Run Creek and our signature covered bridge. Farther down the trail, the woods give way to open farm fields and beautiful views.
The 2.9 mile section from Harvest Road to Frontier Road features a canyon with 20 ft walls of sandstone. The canyon is broken only by a 150 ft bridge offering a scenic view of a limestone cliff and overlooking the shallow rapids of Blodgett Creek flowing into the Big Blue River. This section will be surfaced with crushed limestone in early 2011.
The trail is opened with an unfinished surface on the 2.3 miles from Frontier Road to Deer Trail Road. Enjoy the preserved railroad bridge with its steel grid walkway allowing direct views of Bommer Creek below. This section ends at the grain elevators in the tiny town of Marietta.
Deer Trail Road to Oketo is open with an unfinished surface. This section is 1.5 miles long and makes a beautiful hike. Bordered by cornfields on the east and the Big Blue River on the west, wildlife is abundant and the shade of the tree-shrouded trail creates a cool respite on a warm, sunny day.
The northernmost segment of the Blue River Rail Trail stretches 2.8 miles from Oketo, KS to the Nebraska state line. This section remains closed at this time but will eventually connect to the Homestead Trail in Nebraska which will run through Beatrice and on to Lincoln, NE.