Tuttle Creek OHV Area
Tuttle Creek OHV Area is a 310-acre Army Corps of Engineers off-highway vehicle area on the west shore of Tuttle Creek Lake, approximately 5 miles north of Manhattan, Kansas, home of Kansas State University and the geographic center of the Flint Hills region. The area occupies reclaimed reservoir project land in the rolling grassland terrain characteristic of the Flint Hills: gentle ridges of native tallgrass prairie with limestone outcrop, creek-bottom draws, and open cross-country terrain. Unlike trail systems with marked routes, Tuttle Creek operates as an open-riding area: all OHV types including ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles, and 4x4 vehicles may ride cross-country within the designated boundary. The open format suits those who prefer unstructured exploration over lap-based trail riding. Access is via the River Pond State Park road from US-24; no entry fee for the OHV area. A Kansas OHV decal is required for non-street-legal vehicles operated on public land in Kansas. The Corps of Engineers manages the facility as part of the Tuttle Creek Lake project; contact the Tuttle Creek Lake office (785-539-8511) for current boundary maps and seasonal conditions. Note that the reservoir project land is subject to periodic flooding during high-water events.