KU Field Station trails guide

Our 5-mile public trail system includes eight distinct trails that were built and connected over several decades at our Core Research Area north of Lawrence in Douglas and Jefferson counties in Kansas. See individual trail descriptions below. In 2026, we plan to open a new trail at the Rice Woodland of the Field Station's Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve near Baldwin City, Kansas. 

Maps & directions

Know before you go

Trails are open to foot traffic and wheelchairs only; no bicycles or motorized vehicles are allowed.

Due to the potential to transmit disease or disturb research projects and wildlife, pets are not allowed even if leashed. Keeping a pet on the trail is not sufficient; even the scent of a domesticated animal can disturb wildlife and interfere with research. Visitors must leave pets at home.

All trails other than the ADA-compliant (concrete surface) Rockefeller Prairie Trail are primitive trails. The trails are wilderness areas, with a great variety of mammals, birds, insects, reptiles and amphibians living in natural ecosystem habitats. These include ticks, chiggers and venomous snakes. Visitors should stay on trails and be alert for movement; remember that animals fear humans and avoid encounters. Make your presence known. Your clothing should include long pants, socks and sturdy shoes, especially on woodland trails. Use insect spray, particularly on shoes and areas below the knee. 

Remember: You will be traveling through research areas. Pets are not allowed even if leashed. Keeping a pet on the trail is not sufficient; even the scent of a domesticated animal can disturb wildlife and interfere with research. 

We suggest the following for the best visitor experience:

  • Clothing should include long pants, socks and sturdy shoes;
  • Carry insect spray and apply it particularly to shoes and areas below the knee;
  • Dress in layers;
  • Wear a hat;
  • Bring plenty of water and a snack;
  • Bring a charged phone;
  • Hike with a buddy;
  • Remember: You will be traveling through research areas. Pets are not allowed even if leashed. Keeping a pet on the trail is not sufficient; even the scent of a domesticated animal can disturb wildlife and interfere with research. 
     
Getting there
2055 E 1600 Road
Lawrence , Kansas 66045
Written directions to the trails

Prairie and grassland trails

Park at the Rockefeller Prairie Trailhead to access the ADA-compliant Rockefeller Prairie Trail. Park at the McColl Reserve to access the here-ing labyrinth and the adjacent Lowland Trail. 

Rockefeller Prairie Trail

This half-mile, level concrete trail starts at the Rockefeller Prairie Trailhead and runs through native and restored prairie to an overlook of the Kaw River Valley with KU's main campus in the distance. Connects to the Roth Trail.
Group of four researchers on Rockefeller Trail with plant and botanical plant press

here-ing labyrinth trail

This two-mile trail, shaped in the anatomy of the human ear, was designed by artist Janine Antoni and constructed in partnership with KU's Spencer Museum of Art and the KU School of Architecture.
Aerial view of here-ing trail in mown grass

Lowland Trail

Pick up the Lowland Trail at the Roth Trailhead. This fairly level 0.8-mile two-loop trail intersects the here-ing labyrinth in several places as you wander through forest and grassland and over a small waterway.
Footbridge across creek leading to field

Woodland trails

Park at the McColl Reserve to access the Fitch Trails, the Quarry Trail and the Roth Trail. Or pick up the Quarry Trail by parking at the Rockefeller Prairie Trailhead lot, just a mile north of the McColl lot; walk south across the road to the Quarry Trailhead, which leads to the Fitch Trailhead kiosk. 

Fitch Trail

The Field Station's oldest trail, established by Prof. Henry Fitch in the 1970s for teaching KU classes, this trail consists of the Fitch Biology Trail (0.9 miles) and the Upper Loop (0.7 miles).
Stone wall with embedded plaque

Roth Trail

Named for Lawrence biology teachers Stan and Janet Roth, this 1.1-mile trail starts at the Roth Trailhead and runs north through woodland to the Rockefeller Prairie Trail and Kaw Valley Overlook, then loops back.
View of rammed-earth Roth Trailhead structure from side angle toward woodland

Botany Bluff Loop

This 0.1-mile loop ducks into the woods off the Rockefeller Prairie Trail and connects to the Kaw Valley Overlook Deck and the Roth Trail.
People gathered on Overlook deck with view of Kaw River valley in background

Quarry Trail

This 0.3-mile woodland trail begins across the road (First Street, Jefferson County) from the Rockefeller Prairie Trailhead through woodland to the Fitch Trailhead kiosk.
Woodland with trail on snowy day

Future trail: Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve 

In May 2025, the Field Station broke ground on a new public trail project at the Rice Woodland, a tract of the Baldwin Woods Forest Preserve. The trail will support broader educational and public programming at Rice and will run through the entire tract, including the area that underwent a prescribed burn in fall 2023. It is being developed with grant funding from the Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council through a federal Open Spaces program. A section of eastern redcedar is being cleared for a parking lot designed to provide safe parking for a wide range of vehicles. 

The forest preserve will remain accessible only for research and guided visits throughout the construction phase of the project, which will run through at least 2026. 

Learn more

Rice Woodland Trail

Coming in April 2026!
Oak leaf held in person's hand with hikers in background