[pcupach]

Im thinking of moving to the KC area...but there has to be MTB trails!!
....Im used to riding New Mexico and AZ singletrack rock gardens and canyons....
What can I expect in MO and KS? Im not interested in concrete paths and easy going trails...I want 2-4 foot drops, technical climbs/decents, DH runs, fast rollers, rock gardens, and bone crushing fun stuff.
Seriously...What type of trails are there in the KC area (50 mile radius)? I like to ride after working all day so the 50 mile radius is important so I get out on the trail as much as possible.
What about the rest of the state for weekend rides?

Can you recommend a couple LBSs that has a passion for MTB and sells and services either Niner, Ellsworth, Turner?

 

[Ken in KC]

Answers....

Im thinking of moving to the KC area...but there has to be MTB trails!!
....Im used to riding New Mexico and AZ singletrack rock gardens and canyons....
What can I expect in MO and KS? Im not interested in concrete paths and easy going trails...I want 2-4 foot drops, technical climbs/decents, DH runs, fast rollers, rock gardens, and bone crushing fun stuff.
Seriously...What type of trails are there in the KC area (50 mile radius)? I like to ride after working all day so the 50 mile radius is important so I get out on the trail as much as possible.
What about the rest of the state for weekend rides?

Can you recommend a couple LBSs that has a passion for MTB and sells and services either Niner, Ellsworth, Turner?

Let's get the bad news out of the way first:

1. You're moving to the flatest part of the United States. The closest real downhill is a 10 hour drive to Colorado and our climbs are about 50'. We have a lot of them, but on any given ride you'll climb (and descend) 1,000 feet in 50' increments.

Now that that's taken care of....

- There are over 100 miles of trail within a 50 mile radius of Kansas City.
- There's a very good chance that you'll find at least one trail within 10 minutes of wherever you're living or working. There are literally trails everywhere.
- The mountain biking scene is extremely strong in Kansas City. www.earthriders.com or forums.earthriders.com

Geography
Although flat, we live in the river basin of the confluence of the Missouri, Kansas and at some point in our prehistoric past, the Mississippi Rivers. Being in the basins of these large, powerful rivers means that most of our trails have a river trail vibe to them (think Fruita, CO on a much, much smaller scale).

Most of our trails are built on rock. Limestone shelf, primarily but some glacial till from the Ice Age. If you can ride our trails, there's no place in the country you can't ride technical trails. We have rock on all our trails. In fact, our biggest challenge is finding land on which to build beginner level trails. Most riders here have fat tires due to the rocks.

Shops
There are several strong local shops. There is no Turner dealer in Kansas City. I ride a 5-Spot and haven't had any problems with support from my LBS and from Turner in those rare cases where I've needed them.

Singlespeed
Singlespeeds are popular here because of the rolling elevation. Most people run a straight 2:1 ratio.

Conclusion
There is a lot of trail here. IMBA wrote about us a couple years ago in their annual report card that Kansas City has the best urban singletrack system in the country, if not the world.

Welcome. Stop by the Earth Riders sight and get signed up on the local board.

 

[1strongone1]

Let's get the bad news out of the way first:

1. You're moving to the flatest part of the United States. The closest real downhill is a 10 hour drive to Colorado and our climbs are about 50'. We have a lot of them, but on any given ride you'll climb (and descend) 1,000 feet in 50' increments.

Now that that's taken care of....

- There are over 100 miles of trail within a 50 mile radius of Kansas City.
- There's a very good chance that you'll find at least one trail within 10 minutes of wherever you're living or working. There are literally trails everywhere.
- The mountain biking scene is extremely strong in Kansas City. www.earthriders.com or forums.earthriders.com

Geography
Although flat, we live in the river basin of the confluence of the Missouri, Kansas and at some point in our prehistoric past, the Mississippi Rivers. Being in the basins of these large, powerful rivers means that most of our trails have a river trail vibe to them (think Fruita, CO on a much, much smaller scale).

Most of our trails are built on rock. Limestone shelf, primarily but some glacial till from the Ice Age. If you can ride our trails, there's no place in the country you can't ride technical trails. We have rock on all our trails. In fact, our biggest challenge is finding land on which to build beginner level trails. Most riders here have fat tires due to the rocks.

Shops
There are several strong local shops. There is no Turner dealer in Kansas City. I ride a 5-Spot and haven't had any problems with support from my LBS and from Turner in those rare cases where I've needed them.

Singlespeed
Singlespeeds are popular here because of the rolling elevation. Most people run a straight 2:1 ratio.

Conclusion
There is a lot of trail here. IMBA wrote about us a couple years ago in their annual report card that Kansas City has the best urban singletrack system in the country, if not the world.

Welcome. Stop by the Earth Riders sight and get signed up on the local board.

Sorry to hijack, but I will be at Overland Park on Wednesday and Thursday, where is the best place to ride, I don't necessarily mean the closest either.

Thanks

 

[Ken in KC]

Two close and good options...

Sorry to hijack, but I will be at Overland Park on Wednesday and Thursday, where is the best place to ride, I don't necessarily mean the closest either.

Thanks

You have two close and good options:

1. Blue River Park (BRP) is 15 miles of River Trail. Everything from flat river bottoms (not much) to rocky river bluffs. The trails are bisected by roads, so it can be hard to find your way around without a guide.

2. Landahl Park. 25 miles of flowing, rocky trail. Very little beginner.

Further out (and hour drive or so) is Clinton Lake State Park (30 miles of flowing, rocky trail) or Perry Lake State Park (25 miles of flowing, rocky trail).

Head over the the forums http://forums.earthriders.com and click on the Group Rides section. You'll likely get a tour guide for whichever trails you choose.

 

[1strongone1]

You have two close and good options:

1. Blue River Park (BRP) is 15 miles of River Trail. Everything from flat river bottoms (not much) to rocky river bluffs. The trails are bisected by roads, so it can be hard to find your way around without a guide.

2. Landahl Park. 25 miles of flowing, rocky trail. Very little beginner.

Further out (and hour drive or so) is Clinton Lake State Park (30 miles of flowing, rocky trail) or Perry Lake State Park (25 miles of flowing, rocky trail).

Head over the the forums http://forums.earthriders.com and click on the Group Rides section. You'll likely get a tour guide for whichever trails you choose.

That is just what I was looking for.

Thanks

 

[Francis Buxton]

1strongone1 - I may be riding Blue River Park (or BuRP as we call it) Wednesday after work. I work in OP. I say 'may' b/c I'll just have to see how the rest of my week shapes up, but Wed is my normal weeknight ride night, so I'm hopeful. Post something up on the Earthriders forum in Group Rides and I'm sure we can scare up a few peeps, especially if the rain holds off.

pcupach - Ken is definitely right when he said we have a strong mountain bike community. I think KC is a pretty darn good place to live for a mountain biker. Good trails, good race promoters, etc.

We are working on a Super-D style "mostly DH" trail at Landahl park, but that's about all we have in terms of 'official' dh-style trails. A lot of our terrain hasn't lent itself well to 2-4' drops, so you won't find a lot of that. We do have an increasing "freeride" contingent that will show you all of the hidden places in town to get more of that in.

As far as weekend road trip stuff, there are numerous places in/around the state that you can ride on a weekend or a day trip - Crowder State Park, Berryman, Council Bluffs, Ozark Trail (the parts that allow cycling), and road trips down to northern Arkansas. I don't think you'll be disappointed in what KC has to offer.

 

[pcupach]

Outstanding ...Im loading my truck and moving to KC...
I thought Albuquerque had some trails to brag about but from the sounds of it you have some bragging rights also.

 

[smokey422]

I'll second the recommendation of the Landahl Trail, it's one of my all-time favorites.

Smokey

 

[rfields4013]

pcupach,

For what it's worth, I came here from the Denver area and haven't gotten bored yet. There is a lot more riding here than you would think...

 

[pcupach]

Outstanding...I appreciate your inputs. Im sure I will make good use of the trails and enjoy friendly people.

 

[chris1281982]

I would also suggest Landahl park, you may also try Kill Creek in Desoto. The trail "Hank" is the beginner trail which will give you a nice warm up then you can ride over to "Eddy" and thats where the fun really begins, lots and lots of rock over there. Eddy is on the west side of the creek which you will have to ride through.

 

[Phishin Paul]

My 2 cents. I moved from KC to Southern California 5 years ago. I love to check the KC site from time to time to see what is going on in the area. KC has some great trail riding. The trails I ride now are similar to what you are used to riding in AZ. Lots of rock but with much more climbing. I learned to mountain bike in KC and as Ken pointed out if you can ride in KC you can ride anywhere. Tight, tight, tight singletrack in a canopy covered forest with rocks and roots to challenge your climbing skills. Landahl and Clinton were my favorites so check those out. If you ride Clinton it is a sin if you don't stop at Free State and put down some of the best post ride brews around.

 

[Francis Buxton]

The Lemongrass Rye at Free State is great beer.

 

[JThornton7771]

Riding in KC area...

I moved here in December, I procrastinated about riding around here because of the "flat state" stereotype. I took my son out to Smithville Lake to ride some trails that the local bike club "EarthRiders" called beginner to intermediate. We started out on a paved trail and I started getting bummed but then the trails were everywhere. I'm not going to baffle you with BS and tell you that there were monster drops, but if your into XC riding, you will like the trails. Watch for copper heads as apparently they are plentiful and they are prone to sunning. drop me an e-mail at [email protected] yahoo.com if you want to ride... I am in Platte City area and Smithville is about 20 minutes from me.

 

[rfields4013]

I'm not going to baffle you with BS and tell you that there were monster drops, but if your into XC riding, you will like the trails.

There is a lot more than just smooth XC trails in KC.

 

[pcupach]

There is a lot more than just smooth XC trails in KC.

Where are these other trails?
How long are they?
Are they session spots in the middle of XC trails or outposts?
What do you consider smooth XC trails?
What do you consider big hit trails in KS/MO?

 

[rfields4013]

Where are these other trails?
How long are they?
Are they session spots in the middle of XC trails or outposts?
What do you consider smooth XC trails?
What do you consider big hit trails in KS/MO?

You will find that the trails around here are very rocky, rooty, and technical. As the last poster stated, you won't find "monster" drops but you will find a few that are 3'-5' though, both natural and man-made. In the KC metro, Landahl, BuRP, and Clinton have drops if that is what you are looking for

The main point I wanted to make though, was that the trails are not as smooth and buff as one might expect to find in Kansas. I came out here after living in Golden, CO and was really surprised at how great the riding is. I think that, aside from the elevation and climbing, it is more physically challenging than a lot of stuff I rode out there. Especially if you venture to Kill Creek or Clinton.

I consider a lot of Colorado trails to be pretty smooth XC trails. Very buff hard pack with some sand, rocky spots, and soft stuff on top. Here, you will have lots of rocks (baby heads, jagged, loose, large), roots, and true single track that is sweet and twisty!

For more regional trail info, check out the trail section at earthriders.com

 

[pcupach]

That sounds great to me!

 

[C.M.S]

I would also suggest Landahl park, you may also try Kill Creek in Desoto. The trail "Hank" is the beginner trail which will give you a nice warm up then you can ride over to "Eddy" and thats where the fun really begins, lots and lots of rock over there. Eddy is on the west side of the creek which you will have to ride through.

Oh God

Eddy is , yes hard core indeed :thumbsup:

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Some videos of KC area trails:

Kill Creek:

Shawnee Mission Park:

Clinton:

Smithville:

Landahl: