National Trails Day Activities

National Trails Day® (NTD) provides the perfect opportunity to set off on a local trail with others in your community. Join the nationwide movement to give back to trails and build a world where everyone feels welcome and has access to enjoy the great outdoors. To learn more and see all NTD hikes, workshops and volunteer opportunities in the Kansas City metro area, visit the American Hiking Society website. 

Lakeside Nature Center will be hosting our Fox Hollow Fest on SUNDAY, June 2^nd this year. However, since National Trails Day actually happens the first Saturday of June, we have activities for you that day as well. Several of our festival partners that will be present on Sunday are hosting Saturday hikes or workdays. More opportunities will be added as they are finalized, so please check back.

PLEASE NOTE: Some NTD events are located at Lakeside Nature Center, but not all.  Be sure to check locations when signing up.

Saturday Events:

• Birding for All Ages Hike at Lakeside Nature Center, 8 am
Join Lakeside staff, Erin, as she leads a Birding for All Ages Hike around the Nature Center. See what feathered friends are nesting in the area. Please bring your own binoculars.
• Hikes will be cancelled in severe weather. Call the Nature Center at (816) 513-8960 for confirmation or more information on the hike.
• These hikes are not appropriate for children in strollers as there are rocks and logs to step over and hills and valleys to traverse. Children may hike or be carried.
• Please prepare and dress appropriately for the weather of the day (i.e. rain gear, layers of clothing for cold weather, sunscreen and hats for warm weather, drinking water, insect repellent, closed-toed shoes or boots).
• Dogs are not allowed on these hikes.  

Time and location: Lakeside Nature Center at 8 am.
Please register by calling (816) 513-8960. There is a 12 person limit.

• Mindfulness in Nature Hike at Lakeside Nature Center, 9 am
Join Missouri Master Naturalist, Jim, as he leads a Mindfulness in Nature hike. Mindfulness in nature is a meditative approach of being present in the moment in nature, with our senses becoming more aware and experiencing more deeply what is happening around us and our connection with our natural surroundings. Studies have found it has many health benefits as well as improving our observation skills, developing our curiosity and helping us to more fully appreciate our interconnectedness with the rest of nature.
• Hikes will be cancelled in severe weather. Call the Nature Center at (816) 513-8960 for confirmation or more information on the hike.
• Please prepare and dress appropriately for the weather of the day (i.e. rain gear, layers of clothing for cold weather, sunscreen and hats for warm weather, drinking water, insect repellent, closed-toed shoes or boots).
• Dogs are not allowed on these hikes.  

Time and location: Lakeside Nature Center at 9 am.
Please register by calling (816) 513-8960. There is a 12 person limit and minimum age of 14 years old.

• Hike on the Eddy-Ballentine/Blue River Glade Trails, 9 am
Join Sierra Club as we hike about two miles on the Eddy-Ballentine & Blue River Glades Trails. The Eddy- Ballentine trail winds through an upland forest and connects to the Blue River Trail which is located on a glade. Located just south of Swope Park, this rare limestone glade community is one of the northernmost occurrences of such a community in Missouri and the best example existing locally. Gnarled chinquapin oaks nearly 300 years old sit atop slab-like outcroppings of Bethany Falls limestone. A prairie-like flora of grasses and wildflowers provides rich color and texture through most of the year.
• Please prepare and wear long pants and sturdy, closed-toe shoes (no sandals) are required. Bring sunscreen and a jacket/hat depending on the weather, drinking water and insect repellent.

Time and location: Eddy-Ballentine/Blue River Glade Trails at 9 am.
For more information and registration (25 person limit), go to https://www.meetup.com/kc-sierra-club-outings/events/300905973/

• Trash clean up along Blue River and Alex George Wetland, 9 to 11 am
Join KC Water and Jackson County Parks + Rec for a volunteer trash clean up along the Blue River. You will have the opportunity to help pick up trash near the wetlands and keep the Blue River clean.
• Please bring a water bottle and wear long pants and closed toed shoes for this event, as you may need to step into brush to grab trash. There is not running water on site, meaning there are not restrooms or water fountains at the park. Please plan accordingly.

Time and location: 9 to 11 am at Alex George Wetland, 10831 Blue River Road, Kansas City, MO 64134
For more information and registration (free), go here.

• Hike at Rocky Point Glades, Swope Park, 9:30-10:30 am

Join Bridging The Gap’s Kansas City WildLands National Trails Day hike at Rocky Point Glades, located in Swope Park. This unique remnant glade ecosystem is home to showy wildflowers, limestone outcrops and trees that are hundreds of years old— likely one of few sites of its kind located in an urban setting. The hike will not be strenuous but will involve uneven terrain. Sturdy footwear suitable for hiking & precautions for ticks & chiggers is recommended.

Time and location: Rocky Point Glades in Swope Park from 9am-10:30am.
Please register here as there is a 20 person limit.