This trail is great! Lots to look at with creeks, deer, birds, turtles etc! Can get busy but is…read moresuch a great spot!

Randomly found this trail after missing my workout class time. It is such a nice and SHADED trail…read more They have many parking lots throughout, so you can start wherever. I also like that the trail was lined like a street! So, everyone knew which side to claim and can stay clear or the bicyclist. They had little ponds everywhere too which was cute! Many benches and water fountains throughout for pit stops if needed. I'm not sure how long the trail is, but it's lengthy

Hiked the fox hollow trail on a mild March day. This 1.5 mile trail is near the Lakeside Nature…read morecenter inside Swope Park. Its rugged terrain is best suited for intermediate or advanced hikers. The trail has lots of switchbacks and uphill paths - I wished I had brought my hiking boots and trekking pole. Great workout.

This is great, easy trail in the middle of Swope park, great for kids and dogs. Lots of timber for…read morekids to climb and some water for dogs to splash

It was closed. The waterfall was a homeless porta potty, there have been multiple fires started…read morethat have destroyed the beautiful landscape that was there. Plus it has become unsafe and a dump where everyone dumps their trash! Yet if you go on their website it saids it's open and shows all the beauty that it used to be. Do not waste your time visiting' it's a huge disappointment! If I could choose no stars I would, but it's making me choose at least one.

This beautiful and scenic area exudes a real nature and woodsy forest feel. It used to be open for…read morescenic drives, but now it's blocked off to vehicles and has transformed into a stunning stretch for biking, jogging, running, or dog walking. If you know where to look, there are numerous off-road walking trails through the trees and brush. During the Christmas season, they reopen it for a drive-through Christmas lights exhibit. Personally, I find it nostalgic and beautiful, maybe even romantic, to walk through the fall or winter evening with a friend. It offers some of the most fantastic views in Kansas City. My favorite spot is to sneak to the top of the water fountain and light up a blunt!

This area was called "Monkey Mountains," because early settlers deemed the river bluffs too steep…read morefor even monkeys to climb. This place is as close to being out in the wild as you can get in the KC area. A little bit of a drive but worth it if you want a rugged terrain. It's perfect. Reaching the open meadow at the top is wonderful. Use bug spray and check for ticks.

Monkey Mountain is an 855 acre nature preserve in Eastern Jackson County, halfway in-between Grain…read moreValley and Oak Grove. The address I listed is the approximate address of the south entrance to the park, there is another entrance a little over a mile north off Old US 40 Hwy next to a softball field. The park is mostly undeveloped, which is what I love about it. You get to experience nature instead of a sanitized version of nature. There are two primary loop trails, one measuring 3.5 miles and one measuring between 2-3 miles depending on the route taken. Numerous smaller trails criss-cross between these main trails and branch out forming various side loops. You can spend hours hiking here and not see everything. The park caters to hikers and equestrians. I usually encounter a few other people at the park but only between long stretches of complete isolation. The elevation ranges from about 780 feet on the banks of Sni-a-Bar Creek to about 950 feet at the summit. There is a wide variety of terrain in the park: marshy lowlands in the north and northwest, thick woods and steep terrain covering most of the western half, limestone outcroppings along the ridge and at the south end of the park, a huge roiling meadow in the center, and farmed land along the eastern edges. Several ponds dot the landscape, and numerous tiny streams feed into Sni-a-Bar Creek along the western edge. There is even a waterfall in the park, but I will not reveal the location since it is both a fragile and a dangerous feature (especially in winter). Finding it can be part of your adventure. In the spring and early summer the park's meadows are filled with a wide variety of wildflowers, and wildlife can be spotted year-round. I've seen deer, foxes, turkeys, tortoises and turtles, all sorts of birds, and even evidence of some sort of wildcat. In the first half of the 20th century, much of what is now Monkey Mountain Park was part of a show farm called Sni-a-Bar Farms, owned by William Rockhill Nelson. The hillside and meadow were used for grazing sheep. Evidence of that can still be seen today in the form of farm remnants such as an old boundary fence running east-west through the middle of the park. If you hike the park, don't do it alone until you are familiar. Even though there are trails they are not always easy to see, and some portions of the trails can be treacherous. If your hike takes you through the northwest portion of the park you can expect to encounter mud pretty much year round so wear appropriate shoes. You will also need to carry your own water, there are no facilities at the park except at the softball field and an outhouse at the south entrance.

I love this trail. Easy to get to. East to run/ walk with the dog. Not a lot of foot traffic…read more Beautiful sites, it even runs behind some gorgeous homes. Easily should be able to get a 10k run in here. Even a bike station and a port a potty at the trail head

Nice short trail but long enough to get some exercise. Easy 20 minute bike or about an hour walk…read more Paved and well maintained. Many bridges over the creek and a small waterfall. The trail is currently being extended to make a loop. There is a selfie station and a bike maintenance station. Dogs are allowed on leash and there are doggy clean up stations.

Great trail around the lake. Half is paved and the other half is chipped but very walkable terrain…read more In between, you cross the dam, which has a very 'sculptural' design. We stopped at a group of people watching a beaver resting on the spillway. A couple of nice picnic pavilions and (remarkably) clean restrooms have shaded playgrounds for kids. The real treat is a professional-grade Disc Golf course. For the less adventurous or for practice is a second, small course. All in all, a gem of a Lenexa park!

Yesterday I brought my grandkids here to try out this park. We were unable to try out all of it,…read morebut the areas that we did investigate we really enjoyed. I appreciate it that the play areas we went to had partial shade from the alcove of trees. There was a variety of play sets spread out with natural features of tree stumps and such for the kids to climb on. They had a lot of nice walking plaques to explain the walking trail. The golfing disc course was nice because a lot ofit was shaded. We will definitely go back to check out more of it when it is less hot.

I love this trail! Great way to get out and soak in some natural vitamin D. Blacktopped and seems…read moreto be well maintained.

Fantastic walking trail! So glad I discovered it. We parked just past the train tracks on Johnson…read moreDrive and then walked the section of the trail that runs along the creek north/south- it's so serene and pretty. Nice trees and benches here and there. It's 2.2 miles round trip- a perfect quick jaunt before we went and ate a ton of sushi!!

This is a nice little bike/running trail in Mission that starts right by the Mission Target and…read moreends at Martway and Lamar. Right now, it's just about a mile long, but if you don't mind running/riding on gravel it extends up to Johnson and Nall. Eventually that stretch will be asphalted. The end goal is to extend the trail to connect to other trails around town. That will be a welcome addition since this is the closest little trail to my house and I ride it when I just want to get a quick little ride in. Even though the trail is short, it is a little hilly and will give you a pretty good ride. The trail also has good signage which always gives me a little chuckle (the signs are small versions of street signs telling you the trail is going to curve). It's not a real scenic trail, there's a little creek running adjacent to it, but you really have to strain your eyes to see it. You're mostly riding beside and behind the Target and Hy-Vee. I wouldn't go out of my way to ride the Rock Creek Trail if I were you, but if you're in the neighborhood it's a nice little place to ride without being bothered by traffic. I've never seen anybody else on the trail, so you can definitely go as fast as you want without worrying about running any joggers or walkers over, which is nice. When they get it extended to a more sizable length I'll bump it up a star, but for now, it's the worst of my bike riding choices.