Kendzora Conservation Area is an outpost of northern Missouri beauty. The natural surface, grassy loop around the area is comprised of rolling hills with glimpses of distant horizons. The 35-acre Kendzora Lake and adjacent 120 acres of marshland provide a prime habitat for waterfowl and migratory birds.

Trails at Little Bean Marsh Conservation Area and Lewis and Clark State Park navigate oxbow lakes, bottomland forest and marshlands near the Missouri River. About two miles of level trails open this area for exploration to hikers.

Take an urban walk through Riverside, past the Briarcliff Waterfall, and view Kansas City’s skyline in Kansas City’s Northland. The Interurban and Linear trails traverse a scenic section of urban Platte County. It’s busy but still beautiful.

Amity Woods Nature Park, in Platte County, Mo., is home to a 1-mile out-and-back trail that also includes a few side loops. A clear stream meanders through this quiet, heavily forested park. A parking lot provides access at the trailhead. The stream and rocky outcroppings are accessible from the trail.

In the “far north” of the Kansas City area, near Platte City and KCI Airport, is the little known Prairie Creek Greenway Trail. Part wild and part backyard, this paved trail follows its namesake stream through wooded and pastoral areas. A highlight is Prairie Creek Falls (nothing like Niagara, but impressive for Kansas Citians). You can begin at the north our south trailhead.