The definitive guidebook to hiking Kansas City is back--completely updated, expanded and redesigned with a mountain of new photographs to help you hike, explore, and unwind. In this comprehensive fourth edition, life-long Kansas City hikers William Eddy and Richard Ballentine highlight more than 100 off-the-road hiking and walking trails in and around the Kansas area. From popular, flat and paved city park trails to remote, rolling, forested treks--you'll find that good walks and hikes are close to home no matter which way your compass points you. This guidebook includes updates to old favorites as well as many new trails sure to be visited again and again. Beginners and seasoned hikers alike can flip a few pages and find a perfect trail no matter the season. Enjoy the fresh air, the good exercise and the tranquility that can only be found on a trail... See deer, wild turkey, foxes, beaver, and blue birds... Hear the wind rustle through the trees as you hike hardwood forests. Explore prairie grasslands, river valleys, and rugged hills. Walk along lake shores, besides marshes, limestone bluffs, and forgotten railroad bridges. End the day with a sunset high atop a lookout point.

Trails for every season in Kansas that you can enjoy on foot.

Hiking Kansas introduces hikers of all abilities to 40-45 of the greatest hiking adventures across the state. Complete with thorough hike descriptions, mile by mile directional cues, detailed maps and useful information on the surrounding area there is something for every hikers. Between rolling prairies, wooded river valleys, and an abundance of wildflowers and wildlife, a wealth of natural beauty awaits you on the hiking trails of Kansas.

From the windswept plains to the majestic Flint Hills, the subtle beauty of the Sunflower State is best appreciated from its myriad wide-ranging trails. And whether you’re an avid hiker or desultory explorer, a bicyclist or horseback rider, this book makes a most congenial guide. An invaluable companion for exploring new trails or learning about accustomed routes, this comprehensive guide will tell you all you need to know (as well as what it might surprise you to learn) about the trails that crisscross Kansas—history and geography, wildlife and scenery, park locations and cultural possibilities, and, now and then, even a bit of geology and botany. The illustrated guide includes detailed full-color maps, GPS coordinates, and, of course, extensive route descriptions—through historic sights and prairies and state parks, to lakes and rivers and wildlife refuges. The authors identify the best trails for families or going solo; for running or hiking, biking or horseback riding; for hunting wildflowers, encountering wildlife, enjoying scenic vistas, or exploring Kansas history. They also include helpful descriptions of flora and fauna, and historical highlights for each area. Concise, complete, and engaging, this is the guide anyone journeying the trails of Kansas, seasoned hiker and armchair traveler alike, should not be without.

Distributed by the University of Nebraska Press for Caxton Press First it was Coronado in 1540; then came Vilasur, Bourgmont, Pike an Fremont. All of these explorers found the Smoky Hill valley to be among the riches buffalo pastures on the continent. When gold was found in Cherry Creek and the miners and settlers soon learned that the Smoky Hill River and the trails that ran along it provided the shortest path to Denver and thus the gold in the Rockies the resulting conflict between native peoples wanting to protect their hunting grounds and the encroaching white men became the stuff of legend.

Mention St. Louis and most people think of the famous arch. Residents and visitors-in-the-know appreciate the many outdoor recreational opportunities the Gateway to the West has to offer. With new hikes and updated text and maps, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: St. Louis points hikers to the best outdoor trails and rambles within easy reach of the city. Whether walking in the footsteps of Louis and Clark, exploring amazing rock formation in the Pickle Springs Natural Area, or trekking along a portion of the longest rails-to-trails paths in the U.S., hikers are sure to be amazed at the diversity of outdoor experiences awaiting them. The included hikes are located in Missouri as well as its neighbor, Illinois.