Saturday, December 16, 2017

Exploring Buckeye Greenway


An afternoon hike along the bluff near Buckeye Creek

Recent discovery, and a brief hike of a relatively new area in town, led to a return trip this weekend to the Buckeye Greenway. Clear skies and a mild temperature of 15 °C made for a perfect day to explore this new trail.


The Milan Avenue access of the approximately 74-acre park hosts a new pedestrian bridge crossing the Buckeye Creek, providing access to hiking throughout the adjacent bluff line and drainage features.


Another older pedestrian bridge crosses the creek again about a hundred yards to the southeast, where two meanders are quickly closing in on one another. It should be interesting to watch that evolve.


Along the way to that bridge, a couple of different trails run up into the nearby hillside and bluff. Taking the first, wanders approximately 2.5 km of the associated drainage area, to within sight of MO-210 and back.  


A few other paths splintered in other directions, but seem likely to only be shortcuts to the same main packed earth trail. There are no trail markers, but it is rather apparent in December, and easily traversed. It could be a challenge to navigate this forest in summer. The path is narrow in many places, and the undergrowth, likely intense at the height of the growing season.


A weird little concrete bunker sticks out of the hillside in ones spot. It kind of resembles a bus stop. Someone even went to the trouble of building a little wooden bench inside. It is definitely a curiosity in the landscape.



Further up, a tiny wooden bridge embedded deep in the undergrowth crosses near the creek (pictured in title). Follow one path down into the creek bed from there, or follow another along the little bluff line, and back to the bridge.  The park is currently undergoing some renovation efforts over the next several years, though nothing seemed to be in the works on this visit.

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Further Reading

Buckeye Greenway Park
Kansas City, MO Parks & Recreation

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