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Easy Hiking Trails near Kansas City

The directory currently contains 27 quality-checked routes matching this guide near Kansas City. Their average mapped distance is 2.6 km and average recorded ascent is 35 m (115 ft); the longest route in the set is 5.5 km.

This subset represents 61% of the 44 quality-checked routes near Kansas City. Its average distance is 2.6 km, compared with 5.7 km across the full local set. Average recorded ascent is 35 m (115 ft), versus 65 m (213 ft) for all quality-checked routes in the same area.

Every route in this set is rated easy by the directory’s distance-and-elevation model. The rating does not verify surface, exposure or current hazards. Within this set, 27 routes (100%) are rated easy, 0 (0%) are rated hard or expert, and 17 (63%) are recorded as loops. Ratings are computed from available distance and elevation data and do not establish current terrain or access.

Data refreshed September 2026

Choose by the details

How do these routes differ?

A closer look at the first 6 routes in this page’s default ordering. These comparisons describe this sample, not the entire destination or a field-tested recommendation.

Shortest mapped distance in this sample

0.9 km

Maccochaque

Compare the climbing too; shortest does not necessarily mean easiest.

Lowest recorded ascent in this sample

0 m

Shawnee Trace Nature Trail - Red Trail

6 of 6 have ascent data. Missing measurements are excluded.

Return logistics

4 recorded loops

Check start and finish for every option. An unknown shape does not mean a loop, and a loop does not establish access to its start.

Plan the return journey →

Distances follow stored route lines; ascent and time are estimates. Current access, surface and technical difficulty need separate checks. How to turn a comparison into a shortlist.

Trails

Easy

Kansas · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
24 m
Typical duration
13 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Kansas · United States

Distance
3.0 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
45 m
Typical duration
41 min
Easy

Kansas · United States

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
52 m
Typical duration
58 min
Easy

Kansas · United States

Distance
3.2 km
/ 2.0 mi
Elevation gain
69 m
Typical duration
47 min
  • River
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Missouri · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Typical duration
10 min
Easy

Kansas · United States

Distance
1.8 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
51 m
Typical duration
27 min
Easy

Kansas · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
7 m
Typical duration
12 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
Easy

Missouri · United States

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
28 m
Typical duration
1 hr 1 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
Looking Northwest up the railroad tracks, Weston Bend State Park, Missouri
Easy

Missouri · United States

Distance
4.8 km
/ 3.0 mi
Elevation gain
37 m
Typical duration
1 hr 4 min
Easy

Kansas · United States

Distance
3.0 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
65 m
Typical duration
44 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Kansas · United States

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
104 m
Typical duration
1 hr 2 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Missouri · United States

Distance
4.2 km
/ 2.6 mi
Elevation gain
51 m
Typical duration
57 min
  • Mountain
  • Summit push
Easy

Missouri · United States

Distance
5.5 km
/ 3.4 mi
Typical duration
1 hr 9 min
  • Forest
Easy

Missouri · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
31 m
Typical duration
15 min
Easy

Missouri · United States

Distance
0.5 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
6 m
Typical duration
6 min
Easy

Missouri · United States

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
24 m
Typical duration
14 min
Easy

Missouri · United States

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
8 m
Typical duration
8 min
Easy

Missouri · United States

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
7 m
Typical duration
10 min
Easy

Missouri · United States

Distance
4.6 km
/ 2.8 mi
Elevation gain
90 m
Typical duration
1 hr 5 min

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
MaccochaqueKansas0.9 km24 m13 minEasyApril to October
Shawnee Trace Nature Trail - Blue LoopMissouri1.9 km8 m24 minEasyApril to October
Shawnee Trace Nature Trail - Green LoopMissouri1.2 km15 m17 minEasyApril to October
Shawnee Trace Nature Trail - Red TrailMissouri1.0 km0 m12 minEasyApril to October
MayhemKansas3.0 km45 m41 minEasyApril to October
Carl L. Chinnery Nature TrailMissouri4.3 km67 m59 minEasyApril to October
MischiefKansas4.3 km52 m58 minEasyApril to October
Lower LoopKansas3.2 km69 m47 minEasyApril to October
The ArterieMissouri0.8 km0 m10 minEasyApril to October
Gold StandardKansas1.8 km51 m27 minEasyApril to October

Maccochaque, Shawnee Trace Nature Trail - Red Trail, Shawnee Trace Nature Trail - Blue Loop currently rank highest in this filtered set according to the directory score. Open an individual route to inspect its mapped line, elevation profile, data source and planning caveats. Check live access, conditions and local rules with an official source before travelling.

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