Playgrounds

Around the Midwest, it can be difficult to find places to put some miles on your boots. I don't begrudge or lament the fact that we've cultivated our land for agricultural and manufacturing productivity. A coal plant or a soybean field is every bit as "natural" as bird's nest. Exploiting natural resources for sustenance and profit is a right and healthy pursuit.

Still, I love hiking, and I love wilderness. If you think these are mutually exclusive, come over for a beer some time and we can thumbwrestle over it.

So where to go hiking around Kansas City?

I made a spreadsheet of places to hike within 6 hours of Kansas City. Included is distance to trailhead, trail mileage, camping options, and some brief editorial remarks. There are some great places to get out into the woods, hills, and streams. You just need to know where to look.

For the full spreadsheet, CLICK HERE: PLAYGROUNDS

Here's a quick list of places within an hour of Kansas City:

Bluffwoods Conservation Area, Halls, MO -- awesome views over the Missouri River
Maple Woods Natural Area, Gladstone, MO -- spectacular fall color

Parkville Nature Preserve and White Alloe Creek Natural Area, Parkville, MO -- wildlife galore
Parma Woods Conservation Area, Kansas City, MO -- view the downtown skyline from 12 miles away, atop a huge bluff

Smith Creek, Mark Twain National Forest