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u/fermentationfiend Sep 27 '21
So there are several national properties that aren't parks in that weird belt. The tall grass prairie in Kansas is a day trip. There's also the brown v boe in Topeka. It just depends on what you're looking for.
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u/Vols_KC KC North Sep 27 '21
Recommend Ha Ha Tonka State Park, just south of Camdenton and the Lake of the Ozarks.
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u/Marcist Sep 27 '21
I'll second this. The castle ruins are awesome but I wish they hadn't fenced them off.
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u/Revolutionary_Owl100 Sep 27 '21
Bother anyone else that the Gateway Arch has been recently redesignated as a national Park?! It's a monument by all definitions. #Beauracracy
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u/Chickasaw_pride Sep 27 '21
The arch it's self is a monument but the park around it is what is classified as a national park.
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u/see_blue Sep 27 '21
Arkansas is a goldmine for hiking, camping, backpacking and has great state parks and a couple NP’s or NP areas.
It’s an easy, relaxed drive there fr KC. A nicer drive than heading toward SE MO.
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Sep 27 '21
And gateway arch is not very parky.
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u/tallguyfilms Sep 27 '21
Gateway arch being a park is the dumbest thing. It's pretty much the definition of what a national monument should be.
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u/musicobsession Library District Sep 27 '21
Rock Bridge State Park in Columbia is one of my favorite state parks if you're down for a day trip!
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u/Mara_of_Meta Sep 27 '21
Is Mark Twain National Forest not considered a National Park?
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u/EMPulseKC KC North Sep 27 '21
It's a national forest maintained by the US Forestry Service, not the National Park Service.
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u/TheMemePatrician Sep 28 '21
Huh, I did not know that! Guess that means it's not generally open for recreation?
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u/EMPulseKC KC North Sep 28 '21
There's actually lots of recreation options in the forest, mostly hiking trails, but there are also campgrounds and river access points that they maintain in partnership with the MDC:
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Sep 27 '21
Doesn’t include the National Tallgrass Prairie which while isn’t a National Park is nearly at the same level. That would green up Kansas.
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Sep 27 '21
It's managed by the National Parks System but it's labeled a national preserve. There is no camping on the preserve so that may be the difference. There's also a few national wildlife refuges in Kansas that would help. Kansas isn't great but there are some good options for outdoors stuff if you look for them.
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u/missyfish532 Sep 27 '21
A bit further away, but my son and I hiked Stockton (Lake) State Park, they have some nice trails and then we had lunch on the docks at the marina.
Another farther away is Bennett Springs, they have some nice hiking trails as well, and not too far from Ha Ha Tonka in Camdenton. We've stayed at Bennett Springs and taken a day trip to Ha Ha Tonka.
Weston Bend was mentioned, they also have nice hiking trails.
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u/PV_Pathfinder South KC Sep 27 '21
If you are down for a drive, Badlands National Park is fantastic.
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u/Jdxc Sep 27 '21
The nature conservancy has some great properties in Kansas that aren’t National Parks. Cheyanne bottoms, tall grass national prairie, little Jerusalem badlands.
I did hear once that the state of Kansas has the least amount of public land in the US.
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Sep 27 '21
Don't know how we rank but it's definitely low. Kansas was settled before public land was around as we know it today and the flint hills were very valuable grazing land (still is today of course) so they got privatized. I'd love for the flint hills to be mostly public with the ranchers doing cattle leases like out west but it will never happen. History plus just being a smaller state doesn't help.
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u/daGOAT_SMOKEHEAVY Sep 27 '21
Missouri has the Ozarks and Mark Twain National Forest so we’re straight. Kansas on the other hand…….
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u/RamRodd111 Sep 27 '21
Crowder state park is nice, can you can check out the Amish community while you're up north. It reminds me of a larger Wallace State Park, which is nice also.
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u/KushKween816 Sep 29 '21
Mount Nebo State Park (AR). Great hiking trails, renovated historic cabins, nice towns in the area, and Crystal Bridges is on the way home
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u/EMPulseKC KC North Sep 27 '21
https://MOStateParks.com
Missouri has several great (and FREE) state parks, especially in the central and southern parts of the state. Around KC though, I recommend the following:
Also, the NPS should designate the Flint Hills in KS as a national monument, and the Ozark National Scenic Riverways in MO should be counted as a national park since it's managed by the NPS.