trails

Kansas City, Kansas, finished the first 4-mile leg of the bike trail on the Armourdale levee in 2016. Now, it’s extending the trail. The levee trail is part of the county's effort to get more people outside and exercising, but some residents say lack of access has made trailheads difficult to find.

This historic railroad bridge — built in 1905 but out of service since the 70s — is being reimagined as a gathering space and entertainment hub, elevated 40 feet above the Kansas River. Developers hope the project will also help spur more development in the West Bottoms and connect the two Kansas Cities.

The tallgrass prairie is an astonishing place to run, with rolling hills, bison herds, wildflowers and birds. We take a sunrise run in the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas.

Each year, a group of young members of the Cherokee Tribes gets on bikes and retraces the Trail of Tears their ancestors traveled when relocated by the U.S. government almost 100 years ago. They hope to bring more understanding and acknowledgement of the tragic event.

Leawood, Kansas, native Charlie Janssen has qualified for hiking’s 'Triple Crown' award, which recognizes hikers who have completed three of the country’s longest trails. Janssen joins an elite group of people who have completed all three trails in a calendar year.

Gov. Mike Parson proposed a $69 million investment to convert 78 additional miles of the Rock Island corridor into trail, but his plan got cut by the Senate. Still, communities along the trail are forging ahead despite the absence of legislative support.

Independence, Missouri, was the epicenter of westward expansion in pre-Civil War America. Hiram Young, a formerly enslaved man, became the wealthiest man in the county by building wagons and ox yokes, before almost losing it all.

The nonprofit GORC Gravity has already helped six small Missouri communities that formerly leaned on mining, such as Ironton and Steelville, transform undeveloped hills into mountain bike parks and trail systems.

Throughout Kansas City and its neighboring communities, you can find hundreds of miles of wooded trails, waterways and other outdoor escapes.

If you've taken up hiking — or want to, but don't know where to start — we've got some favorite spots around the Kansas City metro to share, with options for all kinds of hikers.

Hop on a bike for your next Kansas City adventure, from North Kansas City down through Brookside and into Overland Park.

What is in store for landlords and tenants come August 1, a 13.5-mile path following the old rail line is now complete, and a new plaque is attached to Jackson County's Andrew Jackson statue.