Kill Creek Park
Managed by Johnson County Park and Recreation District
892 acres12.8 mi of trail
Kill Creek Park Equestrian TrailOuter HankInner HankEddy Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Lexington Township
Lexington Township has 1,758 acres of parks, 1,409 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Kill Creek Park (12.8 mi), Lexington Lake Park (11.8 mi). 25 miles of mapped trail cross Lexington Township, 0.7 per square mile of land. 6% of Lexington Township’s land is conserved, about 1,331 acres.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
6%
1,331 acres · of 36.8 sq mi of land
Trails
25 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,758 ac
1,409 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
40%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
15 mi
1.2 mi lanes · 13 mi paths
Highest peak
909 ft
Observation Bluff
Lakes & rivers
8
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Lexington Township?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lexington Township have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lexington Township is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns. Park acres per resident hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lexington Township’s overall grade.
Conserved land6% of the land · typical KS town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (25 mi) · KS 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land1,409 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,758 acres) · KS 13 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home40% of residents within a half mile of a park · KS 76% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 76%
LessMore
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Lexington Township’s 6% is ahead of 89% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 79% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Kill Creek Park, with 12.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lexington Lake Park
Managed by Johnson County Park and Recreation District
450 acres11.8 mi of trail
Cross Country Running TrailIndigo LoopEmerald LoopCharcoal Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Kill Creek Streamway Park
Managed by Johnson County Park and Recreation District
299 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 5 parks & preserves
Kill Creek Park892 acres · 12.8 mi of trail · Johnson County Park and Recreation District
DirectionsLexington Lake Park450 acres · 11.8 mi of trail · Johnson County Park and Recreation District
DirectionsKill Creek Streamway Park299 acres · Johnson County Park and Recreation District
DirectionsSunflower Nature Park60 acres
DirectionsRiverfest Park9 acres
Who protects it
1,331 conserved acres
6% of Lexington Township’s land. Who manages Lexington Township’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County1,328 ac
Town or city3 ac
Local Recreation Area · 887 acLocal Park · 444 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kill Creek Park Local Recreation Area | County | 824 | Open |
| Lexington Lake Park Local Park | County | 444 | Open |
| Sunflower Nature Park Local Recreation Area | County | 59 | Open |
| Desoto Wilderness Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 3 | Open |
Things to do
10 places to go in Lexington Township
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lexington Township
Swim BeachIn Kill Creek Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Lexington Township
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Lexington Township
3 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Lexington Township
Prairie Observation DeckIn Kill Creek Park
DirectionsPeaks in Lexington Township
Observation Bluff909 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Lexington Township
2 campgrounds without a name on the map.
Trails & water
9 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 17.6 miHorses · 5.4 miUnpaved · 23.1 mi
Kill Creek Park Equestrian Trail5.4 mi
Outer Hank2.9 mi
Cross Country Running Trail2.7 mi
Emerald Loop2.5 mi
Indigo Loop2.5 mi
Charcoal Loop1.6 mi
Rose Loop1.4 mi
Inner Hank1.4 mi
Eddy Loop1.4 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
15 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
13 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Baseball
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Louis & Rachel Hammer BarnBuilding · listed 2022
About itWhen to get out
April is the best month for walking in Lexington Township
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 45 | 56 | 66 | 75 | 85 | 89 | 88 | 80 | 68 | 55 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 1.6 |
January is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.3 inches fall in June, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Lexington Township →
Next door
Lexington Township and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Shawnee44 miOlathe27 miLexington Township25 miDe Soto2.7 miSherman Township1.2 miEudora Township1.1 miGardner Township0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington Township | 6% | 0.7 | 1,409 | 40% | A− |
| De Soto | 2% | 0.1 | 48 | 69% | B− |
| Sherman Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D− |
| Olathe | 5% | 0.4 | 15 | 89% | B+ |
| Eudora Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 11 | 73% | C |
| Gardner Township | under 1% | under 0.1 | 18 | 36% | C− |
| Shawnee | 9% | 1.1 | 40 | 84% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lexington Township
Where can I hike in Lexington Township?
The longest trail networks: Kill Creek Park, 12.8 miles; Lexington Lake Park, 11.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lexington Township is conserved land?
6% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Kansas town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Lexington Township’s trails?
Kill Creek Park and Lexington Lake Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lexington Township?
15 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.2 of painted or protected lanes and 13 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Lexington Township?
15,615 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lexington Township or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,758 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lexington Township have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Lexington Township neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →