Walk, run or bike in a few of autumn’s most colorful landscapes, and get some exercise on a different trail each week as part of a free event at Walktober.
Kansas City Parks & Recreation is hosting weekly events on its trails to encourage walking, running and bicycling this month. Each walk also includes a Plein Air Painting Contest.
The Walktober schedule includes:
Sunday, October 10, 10 a.m. – noon
Riverfront Heritage Trail, Segment 5/West Bottoms, 751 Madison, Kansas City, MO
Plein Air Contest: 9:30 a.m. – Noon
The West Bottoms trail segment begins at the top of the bluff near the Lewis & Clark Memorial. The trail contains two memorials to historical events, including the route enslaved people used to escape to the free state of Kansas and the first tracks of a frontier railroad that would eventually place Kansas City in the center of commerce.
Sunday, October 17, Noon – 2 p.m.
Line Creek Trail in Frank Vaydik Park, 5940 N.W. Waukomis Drive, Kansas City, MO
Plein Air Contest: 9:30 a.m. – Noon
Segments of this northland recreational trail have historical roots in the Kansas City, Clay County and St. Joseph Interurban Railroad for travelers making the journey between Kansas City and St. Joseph. At its peak, this route offered hourly rides on electric rail cars between the cities. Technically a light rail train, the Interurban was the longest in the K.C area and was considered one of the finest in the country.
Sunday, October 24, Noon – 2 p.m.
Rock Island Trail-Phase 2, Truman Sports Complex Trailhead: Lot L, Accessible via Gate 3 from Blue Ridge Cutoff, Kansas City, MO
Plein Air Contest: 9:30 a.m. – Noon
This seven-mile trail features the second phase of the Rock Island Trail, which is a total 13.5 miles long. It runs from Brickyard Road in Kansas City, through Raytown, to the Truman Sports Complex. The new trail segment includes three new trailheads and parking areas, the preservation and re-use of four former railroad bridges and five new trail-only bridges, including the new Wildwood Bridge, which at more than 300 feet in length is one of the longest trail bridges in the region.
Sunday, October 31, 1 – 3 p.m.
Union Cemetery, 227 E. 28th Terrace, Kansas City, MO
Plein Air Contest: 9:30 a.m. – Noon
Established in 1857, Union Cemetery was located between Westport and the town of Kansas and used by both towns, becoming a “union” between the two. On this family walk through the cemetery, participants are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes and collect treats.
The events are free, but participants are asked to pre-register at Walktober and honor COVID-19 precautions of social distancing and wearing a face masks when in close proximity to others.
Photo: Kansas City Parks & Recreation