Best winter hikes in Kansas and Missouri
Here are our top three picks for each state to keep you active, high and dry.
By Roy Harryman
Publisher • Kansas City Hiker
Winter hiking has many advantages: no bugs, no poison ivy and no heat exhaustion.
Not only that, when leaves fall, new horizons emerge. There’s also the wonder of snow-covered landscape, icicles and winter wildlife.
Yet winter presents its own challenges. For one, deer hunting season poses risks to hikers in conservation areas and even some county parks (see the Jackson County managed hunt schedule). There’s nothing like dodging bullets and arrows to get your heartbeat up and your steps in!
Wet weather also results in many dirt trail closures, including those managed by the Urban Trail Co. This is necessary to protect trails from being destroyed. And even if a trail isn’t closed, sloshing through mud increases your risk of an injury and is, well, muddy.
So, where can you go to get outdoors when some trails are closed and bullets are flying around others? In Kansas City, there are plenty of great options. Here, we’ll list our top three for Missouri and Kansas. They are:
Projectile free.
Paved, gravel or grass.
Open year round.
Burr Oak Woods, Blue Springs, Mo.
(Burr Oak Woods does sponsor managed hunts, but this year’s hunt has already been completed).
Happy winter hiking and carpe diem!
P.S. Did we miss your favorite winter hike? Tell us about it in the comments.
Roy Harryman is the publisher of Kansas City Hiker. Winter hiking saves him from chiggers, which are the bane of his existence.