Beautiful park! Beautiful falls! Love going here for lunch, taking walks, fishing and taking the…read morekids for outdoor adventures!!

It's just a park with a waterfall, nothing fancy about it. It smells sometimes. And it's dirty.read more

Got your favorite hot coffee or your favorite hot chocolate?…read more Want to see some cool wildlife? When you arrive here you'll see sometimes a group of turkeys bunched up in twenties. You will see some Elks and Deers. Behind the fence you're definitely going to see a group of Bisons. Good place to visit!

10 stars. Free attraction. Beautiful ride to the area within the forested lake area. Multiple elk…read moreand bison are waiting behind the fence for what veggie/fruit treats you might offer. (No grains/breads, special diet) **Buy 2 5lbs of carrots and maybe some apples to toss over the fence. Feeding them were addictive. ****Don't forget the elk straight in past the parking lot. They are hard to see but they are there. Wave a carrot, give some seconds and they will make their way to you. There is 1 portapotty and 2 picnic tables. Lots of parking.

Let me burst the bubble early. There are no monkeys, and while I may not be a professional…read moregeographer or cartographer, but I highly suspect anything here qualifies as a mountain. Yes, it IS a highly misleading name. But don't let that stop you from enjoying a fun day. I've been here a couple of times, and I really dig it. It's not too far out of a drive from the city, but it feels like full on nature! There are plenty of trails on which to hike, and I've seen quite a few people riding horses. This is, in fact, where I learned that horses scare the hell out of my dog. Anyhow, by my count that means this place is good for at least three species: people, dogs, and horses. Not too shabby, if you ask me. There are quite a few different terrains, my personal favorite being the hay meadow. We like to take blankets and pack a bit of a picnic. It's great for kite flying, frisbee or a rousing game of catch! One warning: this place is a bug haven. Check yourself and your animals for ticks. But a little blood sucking parasite is a small price to pay for a nice day out in mother nature!

This area was called "Monkey Mountains," because early settlers deemed the river bluffs too steep…read morefor even monkeys to climb. This place is as close to being out in the wild as you can get in the KC area. A little bit of a drive but worth it if you want a rugged terrain. It's perfect. Reaching the open meadow at the top is wonderful. Use bug spray and check for ticks.

This is a cool place to visit…read more Has an awesome view. I would say it is a good spot to fish also. I saw a few people catching good size fishes out here. And if you love wildlife for sure you're going to see some lizards on the sidewalks. It's also a good place to grab your favorite coffee or tea and watch the sunset or sunrise.

I had a lovely afternoon hike around Lower Rock Ledges Loop trail. Almost no one on the trail at…read more5pm on a Saturday in the Summer. One big tree has fallen over the trail before it splits to upper and lower trails, lakeside, but it's pretty easy to get around it and continue on the path -- except I needed my hiking app to see where the actual trail was. (The trail itself it not always marked, but the rut is fairly visible.) Saw some deer, a woodland giant wolf spider, several six-spotted tiger beetles, and generally enjoyed the ambient music from folks out celebrating Father's Day weekend on the lake.

I went to George Owen's Nature Park for a hike. I love how clean it was. The trails are easily…read moremarked and clean. There's a lot of trails. The dirt trails go into the forest.,There's also a paved/unpaved trail leading around a pond. Throughout the trails there are picnic tables, small bridges and also wooden benches. I enjoy the energy of the trees and ravines. It is a comfortable, most likely safe, place to walk., Along with the trails, the park has a museum, which is where the restrooms are. If you need a place that's quiet, clean and calm, check out George Owen's. They also have family friendly holiday events.

Good hiking, some trails are paved some are a bit more rough hewn. They have Blue Stem grasses and…read morepaw-paws. Very very much fun.

Our new favorite park!…read more Complete with toddler friendly play equipment, a 9 hole disc golf course, a creek, and a splash pad, Howard Park is our favorite place to play. Tucked into a quiet neighborhood, this park has never been busy the handful of times we've been there. It's like our very own secret splash pad. So happy to have found it.

Paved blacktop parking and small walking trials. Nine holes disc golf. Splash park. Large and small…read moreplayground. Clean bathrooms.

This is mine and the hubby's favorite mountain biking spot in KC! It's so fun to roll up on a nice…read moreSaturday with the bikes on top of the Subaru and join the dozen of other biking enthusiasts at Landahl. People take pride in these trails that wind through the mountains and forests (okay, yes we are still in Missouri, so it's more like hills and trees...but you're going fast so it's more impressive!). You can get a great varied workout without realizing it because you're having so much fun! There is also a downhill jump section that is a continued work in progress. It's getting pretty impressive as of late! My only advice, if you've never mountain biked before, don't start here. It can get pretty technical in places! This is one of the lesser known mountain biking spots in KC, but it's so worth the drive to check out!

One of the best mountain bike trail systems in Missouri…read more Want some crazy technical sections without a big penalty for failure? Landahl has it! Want a little downhill with some nice berms and dirt jumps? Landahl has it! Want some tight and twisty IMBA style trails? Landahl has it! The whole park can be ridden in about 3-4 hours and it is very single speed friendly. I can't wait to make it back to these trails Serious props to ERTA for building and maintaining a top notch trail system!

A day well spent! Blue Springs Lake is the closest water location to our current residence. As an…read moreeast coaster and big fan of the beach, I was a tad disappointed by the lack of large bodies of water near Kansas City. Insert Blue Springs Lake. Imported sand made me feel like I was spending a day at the beach. The water was warm. The abounding amounts of trees created a scenic view and provided shade from the scorching sun rays. Picnic tables provided a comfortable place for lunch. Life guards watched over families and kids, splashing around with wild abandon. There is a $8 admission fee for adults and $6 fee for children. Bathrooms with showers available with admission. No alcohol is allowed on the premise. Call to verify their hours-- the website says they open at 11 a.m. but the swim park didn't actually open until 1 p.m. Grab your inflatables and your best friend, then enjoy a day at Blue Springs Lake!

Closed We were disappointed…read more But came back and swam in the pool. Hope it's open tomorrow!