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Blue River Parkway (A.K.A. Minor Park)
4 reviews
4.5 of 5
Blue River Parkway has several miles of trails (12+ miles) that run along both sides of the Blue River. The trails begin near Red Bridge Road on the north and extend south of Martin City to 139th Street (additional trails continue west of Holmes Road all the way to the Polo fields at Kenneth Road, where the Blue River crosses the state line into Kansas--but these are better suited for equestrians).
The old road bed that runs along the west side of the river is a very easy trail that drains well and is suitable for nearly all riders. For those wanting a bit more challenge, there are several off-shoots from the road bed that provide some additional challenge (advanced beginner to intermediate). Finally, for the hard-core riders, check out the "Bo Ho Ca" and "Mountain" trails east of Blue River Road along with the "Wagon Trail" that runs from Blue Ridge Blvd south to the Power Substation just off 139th Street. These are intermediate to expert trails that contain several challenging sections but were designed so an intermediate rider can ride nearly all of it by simply bypassing/walking over the obstacles that beckon the experts.
Check out the web site (http://home.earthlink.net/~brptrailwatchers), which has a lot more information.
At the south end of the I-435 loop, take I-435 (east/west) to the Holmes Road exit. Go south on Holmes to 117th Terrace (across from the Red Bridge United Methodist Church; note that 117th Terrace angles to the southeast). Take a left (southeast) onto 117th Terrace and follow it a block until it ends at Troost. Take a right (south) onto Troost then take the first left (east) onto 118th Street. Follow 118th Street across the railroad bridge to the trailhead. Please be considerate of the people's driveway and the Park Entrance when parking (i.e., do not block the driveway or the park gate!).
Summary: Very good trail with a lot of elevation change. I'd say most of this trail is intermediate level with, as advertised, some of the more expert level rock gardens. Watch out! Those rocks are sharp and jagged. You fall on them and you'll wish you'd stayed home this ride.
Also, there is good smattering of poison ivy here. I bounced off a tree the other day and, of course, I now have a rash. So, be prepared to wash off if your allergic to it. I use Tecnu and/or Tecnu Scrub. Just wash there at the parking lot.
Recommended Route: I don't know the trail well enough to provide a best route.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Landhal - Totally awesome!
Shawnee Mission Park - well, it's trail.
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Summary: I don't ride this trail anymore since I live 1200 miles away, but this trail system is where I got my mountain bike feet wet. I was lucky enough to ride the newer trails before I moved away, and they REALLY improved BRP. Not that it was bad beforehand, but a drastic improvement. It WILL be muddy for days after a rain, so tread lightly... and some spots stay mucky all-year-round.
There are super easy spots and enough technical stuff to keep everyone happy. I never was able to clear one particularly nasty rock-garden before I moved. Got the stink-eye from a few equestrian riders who thought they owned the trail, but just be nice. Lots of wildlife to be seen... including snakes draped across the trail.
Recommended Route: Starting at either the Park trailhead or the shopping center are great. Parking at the park can be a pain if there is a soccer game going on.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Landahl
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Summary: I've ridden most of the trails that Kansas City has to offer and this one takes the cake. Only improvement I see needed is marking the trail with some visible signs(I'm a pretty good map reader and I feel like I'm in China everytime I try and figure out exactly where I am out there. Never fear though, keep riding and you'll always come out near a road somewhere). Whether you're wanting to take it moderately easy and stay on the easy singletrack or you're looking for some hardcore technical stuff with plenty of rock drop-offs and such, then you'll find it out here. Anyone from the novice to the pro can have fun out here. Hands down the best trail for all-around riding that I've found in Kansas City. The Landahl Park trails come in a close 2nd while the Smithville trails come in 3rd. Get ready to come in contact with nature as well. Last time I was there I came across 2 sets of deer on two different occasions and partially ran over a wild turkey--nothing I could do, damn thing came out of nowhere. Have fun people and make sure to wear a helmet--the rocky parts can get ya if you're not careful.
Recommended Route: To get there, I usually run I-35 South to Overland Park Highway 69 exit. From there I go to 135th Street exit. 135th Street turns into Highway 150 and I take that to the Holmes Road exit. Left on Holmes then follow that road for a few miles until you see a stoplight with a QuickTrip "QT" gas station on the left. Go straight through the stoplight and immediately pull off into that shopping strip on the right that has the Pat Murphy’s place listed in the review below. Trails will be on your left.
Once you start on the trails(you'll need a trail map for this), I recommend going from Pat Murphy's to trail #4(You'll have to cross the river in order to do this. Don't worry it shouldn't be that deep. I always ride across it and the water never gets past a quarter of the way up my rims). From trail #4 I like to head south to trail #21. Take #21 all the way to the Power Substation. Once at the Power Substation, I take trail #20 on the way back to make it a little easier(heads up for turkey around here). From #20 I go back to trail #4 then head north to take either trail #10 or #11(your preference). Once you go all the way up, come back any way that you'd like. Roads, trails, whatever.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Landahl Park
Smithville
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Review Date November 13, 2003
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Aerobic Difficulty 4 of 5
Technical Difficulty 3 of 5
Ridden Trail: Once a week
Reviewed by: E Carter
,
Cross Country Rider
Summary: These are some of the best trails in the kansas city metro area. A few years ago they were crizzap, but lately the locals have done a beautiful job of revamping this old favorite. More trail has been added, IMBA's trail care crew helped reroute some bad spots, nothin but love these days. And they get serious trafic these days. Holding up fine. Something for everyone, supa technical rocks on the south side, with fast fun sections in the bottoms. Downside, we share with horses, but they are rarely out now that so many cyclists ride at BRP.
Recommended Route: Start at Pat Murphy's, a bar on Holmes. The trail leaves the parking lot, they sell Guiness, and every Tuesday is Taco Tuesday, great tacos for 50 cents. wam bam thank you mam. Say "hi" to Pat, she likes bikers.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Check out earthriders.org They have it all.
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4.5 of 5
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