Top City Trails Alliance Awarded Funding for Dornwood Park!
The Top City Trails Alliance (TCTA) has been awarded grant funding to enhance the Dornwood Park Natural Trail system!
Thanks to the incredible collaboration of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas’ Pathways to a Healthy Kansas, LiveWell Shawnee County, Shawnee County Parks and Rec and others, TCTA is ready to make this historical natural space more inclusive, safe, and accessible for everyone.
What’s Coming to Dornwood Park?
With this new funding and our dedicated in-kind labor, we are rolling out over the next few years a series of enhancements designed to improve your outdoor experience at Dornwood, some of which include:
An extension of roughly 0.75 miles of new natural surface trails in the Doc and Nina H Robinson Park to connect to the existing Dornwood trails.
Installing new trail/directional signs and intersection safety signs at the Dornwood natural trail and Deer Creek concrete trail crossings.
Building brand-new, accessible informational kiosks, a weather-resistant gravel access trail at Wittenberg, and a central hub kiosk at the Milk Barn. This includes improvements to the Wittenberg trail head.
Replacing an aging wooden bridge with a sturdy, treated timber structure for safe pedestrian and bike crossings.
Installing a durable pergola on the existing concrete pad near the trailhead, creating a comfortable shaded space for visitors, events, and educational programs.
Promoting education and community involvement including youth-centered activities.
These upgrades reflect TCTA's ongoing mission to expand equitable access to green spaces, promote physical activity, and strengthen community engagement with Topeka's incredible natural assets.
