Famous for its barbecue, jazz heritage, and fountains, Kansas City sits on Missouri’s western edge, straddling the border with Kansas. Downtown is near the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers. Our guide to running in Kansas City includes the downtown & Plaza areas, as well as some of the major suburbs in Kansas and Missouri, where there are many businesses and/or residents. See also our running guides for nearby Lawrence and Topeka.
In downtown Kansas City, the Riverfront Heritage Trail has some nice sections along the Missouri River, and also covering key sites. Also near downtown is the Cliff Drive Scenic Byway (closed to cars!) , which offers blufftop river views and passes historic sites. Some of the best places to run in Kansas City are near Country Club Plaza area, about four miles from downtown: parks, paths, & lovely residential areas. KC covers a large geographic area, and there are numerous multi-use paths in the suburbs that are excellent for running. In Overland Park, there’s the Indian Creek, Tomahawk, Trolley Track, and Blue River trails. Other good runs are Wyandotte County Lake Park, Heritage Park in Olathe, and the Prairie Creek Greenway near the airport.
Runner Notes: Thanks to wide, straight boulevards, Kansas City is fairly easy to navigate. Yet, while it’s a great city for running, a car is needed unless your trip has you staying mainly downtown or in the Plaza area. There is a good bus from downtown to the Plaza. Note also that the airport is far from downtown, and really far from corporate office locations in Overland Park.
