Fall foliage, a waterfall and more: This KC area hiking trail has plenty to enjoy
Editor’s note: Join Star visual journalist Nick Wagner as he explores some of the many public trails in the Kansas City area to show you where you may want to take your next stroll through nature.
As a recent transplant to Kansas City, I’ve slowly but surely discovered my favorite places around the metro area since moving here in late November. From grabbing a slice of pizza at Providence Pizza to taking my dog out for a morning squirrel hunt around the World War I Museum grounds, to playing tennis with friends at Happy Rock park. But I hadn’t devoted any time to hitting the local trails until recently.
After doing a bit of Googling and researching a handful of hikes, I decided to explore the 115-acre Parkville Nature Sanctuary in Parkville, Mo., via its Old Kate Trail. I’m a sucker for waterfalls, and that seemed to be the big attraction to the one-mile loop trail. I was pleasantly surprised to discover it offered so much more.
I hit the trail just before 7 p.m. as the sun started to cast its golden hue on the 115-acre sanctuary that sits immediately northwest of Park University. Cicadas buzzed all around me as I walked down a clearly-marked trail, perfectly canopied by hundreds of deciduous trees.
It took only about 10 minutes before I reached the promised waterfall. The waterfall, formed by Riss Lake runoff, gently cascades down limestone rock and underneath a wooden bridge before flowing throughout the park and ultimately into the Missouri River.
I made a note to myself to visit after a substantial rainfall — ideally in the fall — to see the falls at full strength with peak Fall foliage.
I watched as a couple of trail runners, just two of the five people I came across on my Tuesday evening hike, meandered through the trees on the trail.
Continuing the opposite direction, I was treated to a short boardwalk across a boggy area. Signage along the trail informs users of the wildlife that make the sanctuary their home, like the ebony jewelwing damselfly, Osage copperhead snake and even bobcats. Unfortunately, all I spotted was an eastern cottontail rabbit.
But I was treated to so much more with the tranquility offered by the sanctuary. If you go, be sure to leave your furry friends at home as no pets are allowed. No bikes allowed, either.
The park is open from dawn to dusk, several benches are scattered throughout the trail system and restrooms are available at the trailhead. In addition to the Old Kate Trail, the sanctuary offers four more trails: Whitetail Trail (1.5 miles), the ADA accessible Bluebird Trail (0.3 miles), Paw Paw Path (0.2 miles) and Butterfly Pass (0.1 miles).
Know before you go
Old Kate Trail is on a wildlife sanctuary. Enjoy the creatures nature provides and leave your pets at home.
No bikes are allowed on the trail.
Leave things where you find them. Fishing and collecting of minerals or plants are not allowed at the sanctuary.
The sanctuary is open daily from sunrise to sunset except for October 27-28 when it will be closed for Ghost Stories.
A restroom with water is available at the south end of the 12th Street parking lot.
The main entrance to the sanctuary is located at 100 East 12th Street in Parkville near the Park University athletic fields.
The mostly wood chip and gravel trail is rated “easy to moderate” by Hiking Project.
