Running trails in Kansas City, MO
Kansas City has 46 trails in the directory — 10 paved and 5 on crushed gravel or dirt, 7 loops that return to the trailhead, 4 with a stated distance, 10 shaded, and 5 open 24 hours. 34 of them post opening hours, so you can check the gate before an early start. They're ranked here by rating weighted by review volume, across 14,005 Google reviews. Filter by surface, loop, distance, shade or lighting to get to the run you're actually planning — no made-up difficulty score, just the facts you'd check before driving out.
Penn Valley Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 3,935 reviews
Park with the National WWI Museum & Memorial, a theater & tennis, baseball & skateboarding venues.
Berkley Riverfront
4.6 ★★★★★ 3,101 reviews
Downtown green space along the Missouri River features broad biking & walking paths & open fields.
Kessler Park
4.3 ★★★★☆ 1,078 reviews
Elegant public gathering space with four memorials, a colonnade, sculpture & a disc golf course.
Cave Spring Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 871 reviews
Wooded nature area with trails for hiking, plus a park and waterfalls.
Minor Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 793 reviews
A former farm, this 235-acre park is now a public green space with picnic areas & a golf course.
Hidden Valley Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 715 reviews
This expansive tract of wildland open space features multi-use paths & a sports field.
Line Creek Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 351 reviews
Kid-friendly, shaded, paved creek-side park known for its hiking trails and train rides, plus playgrounds.
Amity Woods Nature Park
4.5 ★★★★★ 356 reviews
Kid-friendly park featuring a wide paved trail and offshoots with wood chips, plus benches.
Swope Park Trails - Wudchuk Run Trail Head
4.7 ★★★★★ 284 reviews
Wooded hiking route and single-track bicycle paths featuring deer, plus picnic tables.
Mark L. McHenry Park
4.2 ★★★★☆ 272 reviews
Open green space with soccer fields, a play structure, natural trail & parking lot.
Rock Island 98th Street (Vale) Trailhead
4.8 ★★★★★ 231 reviews
Well-maintained trail featuring a tunnel, plus shaded areas for running and walking.
Mill Creek Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 162 reviews
Relaxed outdoor spot featuring a circular walking track and a fountain, plus an array of workout equipment.
Little Blue Trace - Phelps Rd. Trailhead
4.6 ★★★★★ 158 reviews
Walkable trail alongside the Little Blue River with bridges and views.
Line Creek and Southern Platte Pass Trailhead
4.9 ★★★★★ 143 reviews
Park featuring trails for walking and biking, as well as wildlife viewing.
Blue River Parkway Trailhead in Minor Park
4.7 ★★★★★ 146 reviews
Park featuring trails for hiking and mountain biking, along with tennis and basketball courts.
Swope Park Mountain Bike Trail
4.8 ★★★★★ 140 reviews
Network of bike-friendly trails amid rocks & hardwood forest in Kansas City’s largest park.
Hidden Valley Park Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 114 reviews
Recreation area featuring trails for hiking, mountain biking, and disc golf, plus BBQ facilities.
Blue River Parkway Trails - River Trail Trail Head
4.5 ★★★★★ 114 reviews
Hiking area with a variety of trails for biking, horseback riding, walking and fishing.
Jerry Smith Park - Trail Head
4.6 ★★★★★ 111 reviews
Nature preserve known for its tallgrass prairie, hiking, and birdwatching.
Longview Lake Main Trail Head
4.7 ★★★★★ 106 reviews
Relaxed, family-friendly spot with a gravel path for biking and jogging, plus playgrounds.
Trail of Heroes
4.7 ★★★★★ 104 reviews
Area for hiking and birding featuring benches for watching wildlife.
Blue River Parkway Trails - Blue Ridge Blvd Trail Head
4.7 ★★★★★ 94 reviews
Kid-friendly area with trails for hiking and mountain biking.
Vale Tunnel, Rock Island Trail
4.7 ★★★★★ 92 reviews
Railroad tunnel now used as a shaded path for biking, walking and running.
Watts Mill Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 78 reviews
Park featuring a waterfall, picnic tables, and a restroom, plus signs about the site's history as a mill.
Blue River Parkway Trails - Greenway Trail
4.3 ★★★★☆ 55 reviews
Park with trees where visitors can walk, jog, or cycle.
Blue River Parkway Trails - Lydia Ave Trail Head
4.1 ★★★★☆ 55 reviews
Hiking area with river views, plus trails for bikers and runners.
Trolley Trail
4.4 ★★★★☆ 32 reviews
Brush Creek Greenway Park
4 ★★★★☆ 30 reviews
Blue River Parkway Trails - Oxbow Run Trail Head
4.3 ★★★★☆ 12 reviews
Indian Creek Blue River Trail
4.3 ★★★★☆ 7 reviews
Briarcliff Greenway Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 4 reviews
Maplewoods Greenway
5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
Bridge Point Park
5 ★★★★★ 2 reviews
Town Fork Creek Greenway Trail
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
Indian Creek Greenway Park
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
Big Shoal Greenway
5 ★★★★★ 1 reviews
Westwood Park Trail
4 ★★★★☆ 1 reviews
No trails match those filters.
How to pick a trail in Kansas City
- Match the surface to your legs. Kansas City gives you a choice: 10 paved, 8 mixed, and 5 natural surface. Asphalt and concrete are fast, predictable and runnable year-round but the least forgiving; crushed limestone and dirt take the sting out of high mileage; boardwalk is flat and scenic but slick in the wet. If your shins or knees are complaining, the fix that actually works is varying the surface you run on rather than chasing one "best" one. More paved trails →
- Loop or out-and-back? 7 trails here are loops, so you finish back at the car with no backtracking — the easiest way to run a set distance without thinking about it. On an out-and-back you turn round at half your target distance, which makes any trail fit any run. The longest stated distance in Kansas City is Rock Island 98th Street (Vale) Trailhead at 10 mi. 1 trail is long enough for a 5-mile-plus run without repeating yourself.
- Check the hours before a 6am run. 5 trails in Kansas City are open 24 hours — the rest can sit inside a park that gates at dusk and doesn't unlock until well after sunrise. 34 of the 46 listings carry posted opening hours — worth a look before you set an alarm. 3 are lit, which is what you want for winter evenings.
- Long run? Check water and restrooms first. 14 have trailhead parking, 10 have restrooms, and 2 have a water fountain in Kansas City. Anything over an hour and those stop being nice-to-haves — and in summer, shade counts double.
- The small things that decide it. 10 shaded, 2 with mile markers, 15 that runners describe as quiet, 14 dog-friendly, and 1 smooth and wide enough for a stroller or a wheelchair. Busy or quiet isn't a good-or-bad thing here: a busy path is the safer choice for a solo run at dawn, a quiet one is better for intervals.
More on all of this in the trail-running guides.
Browse Kansas City trails by type
- Paved trails
- Mixed trails
- Natural surface trails
- Loop trails
- Long-run trails (5+ mi)
- Shaded trails
- Lit for early & night runs
- Flat & fast
- Hilly trails
- Scenic trails
- Trails with restrooms
- Trails with water fountains
- Trailhead parking
- Trails with mile markers
- Quiet, uncrowded trails
- Dog-friendly
- Stroller & wheelchair-accessible
Running trails near Kansas City
Worth the short drive — the closest towns with trails in the directory.