Export to Trail Guide
Create Guidebook 
Download GPX 
Print Friendly MapParalleling Turkey Creek from the Waterfall Park north of Kansas City for nearly four miles south to downtown Kansas City, the Turkey Creek Streamway Trail provides useful connections to a number of community features. The trail connects to residential developments, commercial and industrial centers, and public parks. There are plans to extend the trail north toward the Kansas River and into Missouri.
Water fountains are available at Chatlain Park, at the Merriam Farmer's Marketplace and at Waterfalls Park. A handicap accessible porta-toilet is available at Chatlain Park, and there are restrooms at the Merriam Farmer's Marketplace but may be open only when the market is open (Saturdays and Wednesdays May-October, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.) or during other special events.
Parking and access points are located at 75th Street entrance or any of the trailside parks: Chatlain Park, Campbell Park, Merriam Marketplace, Werner Park and Waterfall Park.
I'm a beginer-ish biker and tend to enjoy paths that have a mix of shade and hills that aren't too intimidating. We started at Waterfall Park on the north side and went about 2 miles down and 2 miles back. This this one didn't have any hills that I even remotely made me consider getting off my bike to walk so that was really great. I think if I did this one semi regularly I'd definitely be able to gain more confidence! My new favorite!
Well Maintained. Good access to neighboring communities. Nestled among both residential and industrial areas.
An easy ride near my neighborhood. I enjoy waking up on a Saturday morning to ride this trail to the Merriam Marketplace for the weekly farmer's market. Local municipalities are exploring opportunities to connect to this trail via other on-street and off-street facilities.
Plenty of shade, a little forest, a little city, a nice stream to ride alongside. Benches and parks if you want to stop and rest or let the kids play. Pretty flat. Super relaxing. I love it.
It's not 10 miles though. Not sure where they got that number. Riding it round trip, 75th St. to the end and back to 75th is more like 7.5-8 miles. Still a great ride.
Not a lot of bathrooms on the trail, but you ride right by a Sonic on the north end, a Wendy's on the south end, and there's a Phillips 66 just up from where you cross 67th St.
Kids really loved it! Lack of bathrooms is an issue if you have kids though
We started off 75th and Frontage Road . It ran parallel to a clean, transparent river, couple of parks, and even came across a badger!
This was a nice suburban stroll along a pretty creek...can't go wrong!
Not really sure how anyone could rate this trail a 1 star. It is a nice paved trail with marked connectors to various streets. There is a nice mixture of shade and sun and the trail winds along a forested area with minimal hills. As for the bathroom issue there are plenty of public bathrooms available within a block or two of the trail if you know the area at all. Great trail!
Compared to other trails in the area, this one is pretty flat and easy to ride on. There are a few places along the way to stop and rest if you need to. While the off road path isn't all that long (4-5 miles), it does continue a little ways if you are willing to enter the main roads / sidewalks off of Merriam Drive.
The trail markers go up to 4 miles, but I only got up to 7.5 miles on my pedometer round trip so the math is bad. The trail connections are not well marked, still trying to figure out how this trail was measured at 10 miles when it seems to have ended a the 4 mile marker. Also, not a lot of shade - it was 79 degrees today but on the asphalt it felt like 95. Some parts stuck to my shoes. Last issue, bathrooms - hunted everywhere and finally found ONE port-a-potty, the "nice" restroom in Merriam was locked and inaccessible. As a woman, that's not acceptable to me. I won't use this trail again unless there are NO other choices. Plenty of other trails seem to be more welcoming.
The Turkey Creek trail is less than 4 miles in length (8 roundtrip). The park areas en route are lovely and there is a scenic waterfall too. It is much prettier in months when foliage is heavy, blocking some of the industrial features along the trail.
This trail roughly parallels Turkey Creek, railroad, and light industrial areas. That said, the city has done a good job of maintaining and beautifying the trail. The asphalt and concrete surfaces are in good shape, with major sections of the asphalt resurfaced in 2011. There is good shade for much of the trail, several rest areas with benches and/or tables, two places to get water (Chatlain Park, Waterfalls Park) restroom facilities (Chaitlan Park, Merriam Farmer's Marketplace when market is open)
_0_nb.jpg)
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails conservancy
(a non-profit) and we need your support!
