History
Golden Belt Trail Alliance, Inc. (GBTA) was incorporated as a Kansas Not For-Profit Corporation on August 16, 2024. The group is a 501(c)3 corporation organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes in Barton County and the Golden Belt.
In the 1990’s, a group led by Doug Chambers, former owner of Golden Belt Bicycle Company, started building trails on the banks of dry Lake Barton, a lake which originally served steam engines and then recreation.
The Lake Barton trail started as a simple 1.8 mile loop. Now, with the efforts of volunteer trail builders, there are almost seven miles of multi-use trails.
The group also built trails along the Arkansas River. The original river trails were taken over by motorized vehicles.
In 2022, the group built 1.8 miles of new trails at Rotary Lake (formerly MacArthur Lake) in Great Bend.
Personnel
Officers
President – Jake Morris
Secretary – Todd VanSkike
Treasurer – Kevin Burkey
Board of Directors:
Kevin Burkey
Todd VanSkike
Neil Frizell
Jake Morris
Morgan Stevens
Tom Larson
Brandon Steinert
Chief instigator, trail designer and structure builder - Derrick Hoch
Who we are
Golden Belt Trail Alliance Inc, is dedicated to supporting and enriching the healthy lives of residents of Barton County and the Golden Belt region. It does so by teaching all about the benefits of exercise and by offering a fun and safe environment for walkers, trail runners and bicyclists.
The Golden Belt Trail Alliance also serves as the umbrella organization for the Golden Belt Badgers, a cycling team open to all 5th through 12th grade students in the region. The Golden Belt Badgers exist to build strong minds, bodies, character and community by getting kids on bicycles.
