Explore the best rated trails in Kansas City, KS. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Burroughs Creek Trail and Linear Park and Kill Creek Streamway Trail . With more than 71 trails covering 508 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The Rolling Ridge Trail winds through the city of Olathe on the southwestern outskirts of Kansas City. At its northern end, the paved route provides access to Prairie Center Park, a 75-acre...
The Linear Trail is a mile long trail which travels between Riverside and Briarcliff in Missouri. The trail provides a natural escape, shrouded in trees cover as it travels parallel to Platte Drive....
Note: A portion of the trail between Troost and Woodland Avenues has been closed since 2012 due to the presence of a small sinkhole. Trail users should take 85th Street as a detour. Refer to the...
Pedestrians and cyclists alike can take advantage of these 3.4 miles of smooth asphalt trail for exercise in a calm outdoor setting. The trail sits within a greenway along Coffee Creek and winds...
Located along the north bank of the Kansas River, the Lawrence Levee Trail runs along the top of the flood-control levee on the outskirts of Lawrence. The trail offers views of nearby farmland and the...
The S. Lawrence Trafficway Trail loosely follows the S. Lawrence Trafficway—also known as State Route 10—on the outskirts of the city of Lawrence. The trail passes by new residential developments,...
Running parallel to Northwood Road is a 10-foot asphalt hike and bike path. The trail travels between residential developments on the northwest side of Riverside, Missouri, well-placed for an easy...
The Glacial Hills Scenic Byway- South Atchinson Trail is a 1.5-mile concrete recreation path along the iconic road as it cuts through the southern half of Atchinson. The trail parallels the...
Nestled within the suburban landscape outside Platte City, the Prairie Creek Greenway offers an escape into nature as it runs through fields and forests and across the titular creek. The trail gives...
Located outside of bustling Kansas City, this beautiful, partially paved, 15-mile riverside pathway is a favorite for locals and visitors alike. Unlike many of the rural trails that you find in...
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This multiuse trail invites lake visitors to walk, run or ride along Longview Lake. The reservoir was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers for the triple purposes of flood control, conservation...
Although short, the Route 152 Trail is an important connector in Kansas City. The paved pathway begins at 88th and Madison and intersects with the Line Creek Trail as it heads west, paralleling its...
Watkins Mill State Park, located on the outskirts of Kansas City, is a forested area featuring a 100-acre lake. Here, whitetail deer, wild turkeys and other birds and wildlife are abundant. A walking...
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The Rock Creek Trail links Country Club Park and Rotary Park on the west side of Independence. It offers nice views of the tree-lined creek that it follows and crosses several times. Between the...
Situated within Shawnee Mission Park in Lenexa, the SMP Paved Trail offers a pleasant way for park visitors to experience the surrounding beauty without their car. The trail provides access to many of...
The Burroughs Creek Trail and Linear Park runs from 11th to 23rd streets along an abandoned rail corridor just west of Haskell Avenue in Lawrence, Kansas. The trail was made possible through the work...
The Nall Avenue Path is a paved sidepath along Nall Avenue, its namesake. The path offers connections to the residents of the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, providing access to apartments,...
The Gardner Road Trail parallels S. Gardner Road on the southern side of Gardner, Kansas. The sidepath travels through a low density suburban community and connects residences with parks and religious...
The 95th Street Path is a paved, half-mile route through Lenexa, part of the Kansas City metro area. The trail is separated from the roadway by a wide grassy median and is surrounded by residences on...
The Riverfront Heritage Trail is located in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri. This downtown trail showcases the city’s heritage, as well as its continuously redeveloping downtown areas. The trail...
The Olathe Heritage Trail provides an off-road connection between two popular local parks, making this a surprisingly useful and rather scenic trail considering its length and suburban...
Located along the north bank of the Kansas River, the Lawrence Levee Trail runs along the top of the flood-control levee on the outskirts of Lawrence. The trail offers views of nearby farmland and the...
The Riverfront Heritage Trail is located in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri. This downtown trail showcases the city’s heritage, as well as its continuously redeveloping downtown areas. The trail...
The Shawnee Mission Parkway Trail runs for 2 miles along the south side of the roadway. While not scenic, the paved route offers connections to restaurants, shops, and offices in Merriam, a...
Though it exists in three disconnected sections, the Prairie Star Parkway Path is an excellent resource for the western side of the suburban community of Lenexa. The asphalt trail is a sidepath to the...
Nestled within the suburban landscape outside Platte City, the Prairie Creek Greenway offers an escape into nature as it runs through fields and forests and across the titular creek. The trail gives...
The Kill Creek Streamway Trail exists in 2 segments: the northern segment begins near Lexington Avenue in De Sort and winds south of 95th along Kill Creek. The southern segment picks up in Kill Creek...
The Linear Trail is a mile long trail which travels between Riverside and Briarcliff in Missouri. The trail provides a natural escape, shrouded in trees cover as it travels parallel to Platte Drive....
Note: A portion of the trail between Troost and Woodland Avenues has been closed since 2012 due to the presence of a small sinkhole. Trail users should take 85th Street as a detour. Refer to the...
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Though only half a mile long, the Interurban Trail preserves an important piece of Riverside's history. The paved trail sits in the old grade of the Kansas City to St. Joseph Interurban, a high-speed...
The Monticello Road Path offers a paved north-south route through Shawnee on the western outskirts of Kansas City. It connects shopping areas, housing subdivisions and schools. At the north end of...
Running half a mile along the creek of the same name, the Jumping Branch Trail is a multipurpose recreational trail in the heart of Riverside, Missouri. The trail allows residents in the neighborhoods...
Located in Shawnee, a suburb of Kansas City, the Midland Drive Path offers a paved mile-long east-west route paralleling the southern side of its namesake roadway through the city. Views are a mix of...
Winding nearly two miles through suburban Olathe, the Mahaffie Creek Trail offers connections to the beautiful Mill Creek Streamway Park, schools and the city's northern neighborhoods. Much of the...
Lackman Road Path begins across from Swarner Park, where you'll find a number of recreational amenities, including sports fields, a playground, fishing pond, and skate park. From there, you head south...
Paralleling 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...
Spanning 51 miles, the Prairie Spirit Trail State Park runs from Ottawa to Iola, offering plenty of recreation and enjoyment for birdwatchers, cyclists, walkers, joggers and anyone with a desire to...
Blackfish Parkway Trail lies in the southwestern corner of Shawnee, a suburb of Kansas City. Although the trail follows a major roadway, much of the route is lined with mature trees and nice homes....
The Little Mill Creek Trail offers a pleasant, woodsy route through Lenexa, about 14 miles southwest of Kansas City. The trail begins at Blackfish Parkway (along which you can hop on the Blackfish...
The Armourdale Levee Trail offers an unpaved route (hybrids or mountain bikes are recommended) of just over a mile through Kansas City, Kansas, along a Kansas River levee. Opening in 2014, the trail...
The Armourdale Levee Trail offers an unpaved route (hybrids or mountain bikes are recommended) of just over a mile through Kansas City, Kansas, along a Kansas River levee. Opening in 2014, the trail...
The Blue River Parkway Trail winds along both banks of its namesake river on the southern outskirts of Kansas City. The paved route begins in Minor Park and heads north, passing Alex George Lake and...
Though it exists in three disconnected sections, the Prairie Star Parkway Path is an excellent resource for the western side of the suburban community of Lenexa. The asphalt trail is a sidepath to the...
Though only half a mile long, the Interurban Trail preserves an important piece of Riverside's history. The paved trail sits in the old grade of the Kansas City to St. Joseph Interurban, a high-speed...
The Shawnee Mission Parkway Trail runs for 2 miles along the south side of the roadway. While not scenic, the paved route offers connections to restaurants, shops, and offices in Merriam, a...
The four disconnected sections of the 133rd Street Path run though the communities of Olathe, Overland Park and Leawood outside Kansas City. The trail parallels sections of 133rd and 132nd Streets,...
The Indian Creek Bike/Hike Trail links two states, four communities and a multitude of parks along Indian Creek. The trail provides numerous connections to the surrounding areas, making it an...
Inside of Lee's Summit's Community Park, the Legacy Park Trail is a family oriented destination with an abundance of activities available. Sitting on 692 acres, the park host many youth sports games,...
Situated within Shawnee Mission Park in Lenexa, the SMP Paved Trail offers a pleasant way for park visitors to experience the surrounding beauty without their car. The trail provides access to many of...
Running parallel to Northwood Road is a 10-foot asphalt hike and bike path. The trail travels between residential developments on the northwest side of Riverside, Missouri, well-placed for an easy...
The Riverfront Heritage Trail is located in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri. This downtown trail showcases the city’s heritage, as well as its continuously redeveloping downtown areas. The trail...
Winding nearly two miles through suburban Olathe, the Mahaffie Creek Trail offers connections to the beautiful Mill Creek Streamway Park, schools and the city's northern neighborhoods. Much of the...
The Rolling Ridge Trail winds through the city of Olathe on the southwestern outskirts of Kansas City. At its northern end, the paved route provides access to Prairie Center Park, a 75-acre...
The 6th Street Path runs along W. 6th Street—also signed as US 40—in Lawrence. The side path provides safe access to residential and commercial facilities along the busy road. At its western end, the...
Located in Shawnee, a suburb of Kansas City, the Midland Drive Path offers a paved mile-long east-west route paralleling the southern side of its namesake roadway through the city. Views are a mix of...
The Tomahawk Creek Trail follows its namesake waterway through the Kansas City suburbs of Overland Park and Leawood. The trail provides access for the thousands of nearby residents to a number of...
Located along the north bank of the Kansas River, the Lawrence Levee Trail runs along the top of the flood-control levee on the outskirts of Lawrence. The trail offers views of nearby farmland and the...
The Rock Creek Trail links Country Club Park and Rotary Park on the west side of Independence. It offers nice views of the tree-lined creek that it follows and crosses several times. Between the...
Pedestrians and cyclists alike can take advantage of these 3.4 miles of smooth asphalt trail for exercise in a calm outdoor setting. The trail sits within a greenway along Coffee Creek and winds...
The Olathe Heritage Trail provides an off-road connection between two popular local parks, making this a surprisingly useful and rather scenic trail considering its length and suburban...
Just rode the entire trail with my daughter, Oct 16 and 17. We started in Council Grove and rode East. We were on hardtail mountain bikes.
From Council Grove to Osage City the trail is in absolutely perfect condition. It's wide, (10 -12 feet),smooth, hard and fast. Many times I thought I was riding on pavement. I even locked out my front fork because I didn't need it. All the bridges are new. Guys with road bikes, have fun you'll fly. Congratulation to the Parks Dept for all their work, this portion is as good as it could be.
Then you hit Osage city. Oh boy, time to unlock the fork. From there to Vasser it's pretty rough. You come to HW 31 on the East side of Osage City and your looking at a overgrown weed patch along the junkyard. The sign said it's the trail so we went. There is still a pretty good gravel base so just pick your line and go. Then heading east go through the parking lot at the grain elevator and the trail stops at 5th st. There is no signage. We just kept going straight because there were no " private property" signs. It's all grass no path. Then at 6th street you have to detour to the south on Lakin Street. Ride Lakin east and turn left at Sonic then North back to the trail. It's a very short detour, no big deal.
From here to Vasser, again it's hit and miss. Some sections are OK and others are pretty rough. We were lucky because it hadn't rained in a while and trail was bone dry. There are lots of sections that are just dirt that would very tough if it was muddy. There was one section just as you go over the bridge at HW 75 that was very fine deep loss dirt. It was dry and we still had to ride in the weeds on the shoulder where the ground was hard to get through. If that was muddy, forget about it.
From Vasser east the trail goes back to the " improved" condition.
We got off at HW 368 and went north and camped at Pomona State Park.
Very nice park with facilities. There is also a good restaurant on the left by the motel and golf course. Open all day.
Back on the trail in the morning and through the only tunnel on the trail under HW 268. Like I said from here on the trail is back to the " improved" condition. Not quite as nice as from Council Grove to Osage city but still very good. Just a few more bumps and chatter.
Lot of dead trees down but that was because of the bad wind storm we had the night before. We weren't in a big hurry so we just cleared them ourselves.
I did run into a parks truck doing maintenance and got a lot of good info.
That bad portion through Osage City is waiting on some bonds for funding and that eventually the trail is going to have bathroom facilities, water and mile markers just like the Katy. They already have mile markers from Ottawa to Osawatomie.
Anyway heading east we ran into a big detour at Iowa rd. The trail is closed there or should I say non existent. You have to take the detour which is well marked and takes you out on the country gravel roads. The roads aren't bad. It's not the " big" gravel you think of when you hear " gravel road" but fine crushed gravel very similar to what's on the trail. The detour is about 3.5 miles and you get back on the trail at Louisiana Ter. At this point your about a mile West of Ottawa.
From Ottawa to Osawatomie the trail is in great shape but some of the bridges haven't been replace or updated yet. There are about four or five with no railings. Most aren't very high but one is about 30'. I just mention this in case someone is taking some young kids. On that big one I don't know why they couldn't a least put in a couple posts and at least string some cables just so there is some protection.
The trail now does go all the way to the Karl E Cole baseball complexe and ends there in nice big parking lot.
I hope this update was useful. Reading older posts when I was researching this trip I was expecting the worse but i can tell you that we had a great time and the trail is in great shape with that one section and detour as the exceptions.
Carl Spahn with daughter Madison
Kansas City, Mo.
Rode the trail starting in Osawatamie. Trail was in great shape, though some parts had a lot of leaf coverage. Despite this, no issues with surfaces or slippage. Such a peaceful trail to ride. And it flows super fast.
Parts are beautiful, others need to be repaired and the areas around it cleaned up. Not worth a special trip to use.
This is a nice place to ride with a lot of different elevation changes. (Technical terms for Lots of Hills)... can get congested with bikes and walkers on nice weekends... Then you have to watch out for dogs as well...
Rode from 119th and Northview to SM park. Path is fairly well maintained but has the usual bumps in the asphalt that are common along creek trails here. There are some hills as the path gets out of the creek bottom in some areas. There is a nice canopy along most of it with several turn outs to local parks. Once inside SM park, you can cruise the roads and paved trails there.
My son and I rode a small portion of the trail, starting from the southern-end and working back north. The paved trail ended and we were on grass. It was wet and muddy in spots. Did not see any gravel. Do not ride this trail when wet.
Very nice trail, populated with walkers and bikers on a pleasant Sunday afternoon. Almost completely shady and very smooth concrete. The description shows the trail going from 11th street to 23rd, but it actually extends an additional mile south to 28th Street. Eventually it will connect with other trails on both its north and south terminals to become part of the Lawrence Loop. As of today, there is well placed signage indicating a two block zig zag at the south end where it reconnects with the South Lawrence Trafficway trail.
40 miles of outstanding trail. Rapid improvement of Flint Hills nature trail due to its designation as a state park. From Osage city to Allen the trail is 20 feet wide of crushed lime stone. From Allen to Council Grove 15 feet wide crushed lime stone with rock formations and fossils on both sides. Bathrooms,food, and water in Osage city, Allen, and Council Grove. Camping available in multiple sites along the way.
Paved paths for walking, scooting and biking. Lots of butterflies and insects. Reclaimed prairies. Frequent natural seating/rest areas. Bridges over creeks and even WATERFALLS in Prairie Creek with access if you’re willing to hold onto a tree or two. We only explored about a third of it and we can’t wait to go back!
Started by renting a bike from Bicycle Shack they set me up with a great bike. Then hit the trail. It a great trail little tricky got miss directed a few time. Love riding along the water. Did see a deer.
This trail is perfect for older, beginner bicycle riders, which my wife and I are. The park is also lovely.
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