Tired of driving your mountain bike to a trail head? Wish you could put your bike on a bus or even ride it a trail? Those dreams are about to become a reality for hundreds of thousands of Kansas Citians when a new trail system in Swope Park opens on Saturday.
The Swope Trails are breaking ground in many ways. It is the first trail system in the heart of the city, putting mountain biking within easy reach of most of the region’s population and making the sport more accessible to new audiences in the urban core. This also marks the first time that the City of Kansas City, MO has allowed such a development on city parkland.
Keep reading for information about the dedication of the first segment on Saturday.
Swope Park opens an urban hiking and mountain biking trail system.
Kansas City Parks and Recreation in partnership with Earth Riders Trails Association (ERTA) will host the grand opening of a planned 16 mile primitive, recreational trail system within Swope Park. The formal dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled at 10:00am Saturday, November 15 followed immediately by the official opening of the trail. The celebration is free and open to anyone who wishes to attend.
The first phase of trail, designed and built entirely by volunteer labor is in the historic Camp Lake of the Woods section of Swope Park. The 1.35 mile trail features many rock outcroppings, spectacular views of the surrounding parkland and two small waterfall sections. Marci Jones, South Regional Director of KCMO Parks and Recreations, says, “We are so excited to have ERTA in association with Heartland Sports Promotions building such world class hiking and biking trails. The trails will be a real treasure.”
The Swope Park Trail system is managed by Scott Capstack and Craig Stoeltzing, co-owners of Heartland Sports Promotions and ERTA Board of Advisor members, who bring over 22 years of trail design and construction experience to the project. Since January, 40 volunteers have invested over 600 hours designing and constructing Phase one. Phase two will commence in December, with 3-4 miles of additional trail scheduled for completion over the next six months.
ERTA maintains and manages over 100 miles of trails throughout the Midwest, working with over 10 Land Managers. To learn more about how you can volunteer and assist with Swope Park trails or any of the other trail systems in the area, go to www.swopetrails.com or www.earthriders.org and click on Get Involved!
Event location:
Camp Lake of the Woods
Swope Park
Kansas City, MOFor a map of the trailhead please go to www.swopetrails.com and click on the Camp Lake of the Woods map (upper right side of page). Parking is available at multiple locations along Oldham Road.
Tentative plans call for hikers to be the first to venture onto the trails with the riders rolling out around 10:30/11am.
Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation
Website: http://www.kcmo.org/parks
Kansas City, Missouri Parks and Recreation’s mission is to improve the quality of life by providing recreational, leisure and aesthetic opportunities for all citizens, and by conserving and enhancing the environment. We accomplish this mission by providing quality programming, making the best use of existing resources, developing a supportive and influential constituency, developing effective collaborations and partnerships, and acquiring and preserving natural features.Earth Riders Trails Association
Website: http://www.earthriders.org
Earth Riders Trails Association, or ERTA, is a recreational trails advocacy group created to increase the quantity and quality of sustainable singletrack trails throughout the Midwest.ERTA is a federally recognized 501(c)3, not-for-profit corporation whose board members, officers, advisory board, and volunteers are outdoor enthusiasts dedicated to achieving it’s mission of adding and maintaining singletrack trails in an environmentally proactive and responsible manner.
Heartland Sports Promotions
Website: http://www.heartlandrace.comHeartland Sports Promotions [HSP] is a volunteer based 501(c)4, not-for-profit corporation with a mission to make the Kansas City region a better place to live, work, ride and run through:
PROMOTING events appealing to all levels of skill and experience
SUPPORTING forums on outdoor safety and education
VOLUNTEERING time for trail-development and maintenance
INVESTING in the growth of KC’s active community and culture
DONATING a % of our net income to charities and organizations with similar values
Last Sunday I went on a hike with my friend, her dog and my dog. We hiked the newly opened trail in Swope Park. It was so beautiful! I had no idea KC had trails like these. I felt like I was in Colorado or some wildness area. We hiked for about 2 and half hours, from beginning to end.
As we were nearing the end of our hike… I’m taking up the rear, I see my dog jump and shake her paw violently. She keeps shaking it… I’m trying to find the source by looking and feeling her paw. I can see nothing. Luckily we are now very close to the car, maybe a quarter mile. She limps back to the car but is unable to put any weight on her leg. I took my friend and her dog back home. At that point we can tell that her paw is starting to swell.
When I got home I looked up bee and wasp stings. We got the recommended Benadryl and I called Mission Med Vet. They said give her another 25mg of Benedrill, one mg per lb of dog. They said if the swelling didn’t go down to bring her in. It didn’t go down, it went up in size and up her whole arm until it reach her body. At that point I was at the Mission Med Vet. The vet informed me that my dog, Luna, had been bit by a snake and most likely a Copperhead. He said he could tell by the bite and the bruising around it. They kept her for the next 24 hours, watching the blood count levels, giving antibiotics, hydro therapy, etc.
I feel very lucky that this story has a happy ending. She is back home and almost as good as new except for a couple of funny looking shaved legs. I did however feel compelled to tell this story to hikers and bikers using the Swope Park trails. I don’t want to discourage people from using the trail but you might want to ponder the “what if”. I’m still not sure how I would have gotten my 65lb dog out of the woods if this had happened half way through our walk. My suggestion would be to wear protective foot gear and carry a cell phone.
I would certainly like to hear any suggestions because I want to continue hiking these great trails.
Happy Trails,
Sonia Spotts