Explore the best rated trails in Lees Summit, MO, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Burroughs Creek Trail and Linear Park and Rock Creek Trail (KS) . With more than 74 trails covering 707 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.
If you appreciate multi-day riding, site seeing, camping or “glamping” (BnBs, Hotels…etc.) the Katy Trail is one that doesn’t disappoint. Less than 3000’ feet of elevation, with the largest gradient being about 2%, this is a flat, fast, and easy to pedal trail with crushed hard packed stone comprising over 95% of the trail surface. Road bikes with larger tires (35-40mm) tires can be used on this trail. Lots of great place to stop, eat, and see along this historic byway. If you haven’t done the Katy, add it to your list!
Great place to ride with kids. Perfectly flat, wide and of packed rock chips. Not pavement, but close. We park in the parking lot just north of the Bowersock dam and ride east in the evenings. Great place to watch the sunset, and often see wildlife. Grandson counted 83 deer one ride on Thanksgiving weekend. Often sit a while where we access the trail, to watch the Kansas River flow over the dam. Great place for watching eagles in the fall and winter.
10/2020. I parked at the Lee's Summit Amtrak station and started on the Rock Island trail. It's an easy grade, mostly straight, crushed limestone trail and you can see miles ahead which I find less than entertaining. Camping at the Roundhouse in Rockwood was my highlight and the scenery changed to rocky walls lining the trail. Pretty area. The west half has frequent water and toilets, then the water just stops. The tiny towns don't advertise at the trail heads so there's a lot to be missed unless you do a lot of planning. There are sections without cell service, so finding food, detours, and camping/lodging can be tricky. Town signs indicate camping is available ....somewhere.... with no further directions.
The south-end trailhead at Northgate is closed until Jan 2026.
First, it amazes me how well communities care for the trails. We are so lucky to have access to so many nice trails in western MO and eastern KS. Rode about 19 miles today starting at the Porter Memorial Playground off Little Blue and Jackson Drive. We went south first and didn't get far before we found the trail closed to construction, then went north to find a crew removing a downed tree (great work and thanks!) then got as far as the bridge just south of Bundschu Road to find the bridge closed. Really would like to ride the entire trail some day, but this was farther than we got the first time. Trail was in excellent condition.
This fabulous trail has it all including beautiful views, crushed gravel and paved sections, several places to stop with benches and "outhouses", hills, and a great lunch spot for after the ride (Crane Brewing Company). My husband and I love this trail for biking on the weekends so much that we drive across town to ride it!
Love riding the Katy, can't wait to do it again.
What a wonderful trail ride! Very well maintained! On a Friday, I started at north trailhead, Mill Creek Streamway Park, named after the original mill built for the Shawnee. Explored Nelson Island before heading south to the southern terminus at Woodland and Northgate. A great ride with ups and downs, switchbacks, and a good number of nice bridges. A fair number of riders, walkers and runners. The trail had a centerline so everyone stayed in their lane. A great Johnson County Kansas trail that I will ride again!
The paved section of this trail that is on the south side of Warrensburg is very poorly maintained. For cycling, the pavement is in terrible condition. Once you get out of the city limits the pavement does improve, however, a portion of the trail actually just becomes a wide section of DD hwy. There is loose gravel and debris all over this section from the road. As you get closer to Knob Noster State Park, the trail improves but is definitely not for casual cyclists. The hills into the park are very steep.
We rode bikes on Indian Creek Trail between State Line all the way to the Blue River Trail and thought it was really beautiful.
We rode bikes on Indian Creek Trail between State Line all the way to the Blue River Trail and thought it was really beautiful.
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