22 of 40: stocksdale park

taking a selfie with a dog is a feat in its own right ~

12-year-old Arwen looks so happy!

Mid-morning on Thanksgiving we took a short 2.6 mile hike at a new-to-us trail just a few miles north in the city of Liberty. Stocksdale Park is a park on the east side of the city with a baseball diamond, dog park, beach volleyball court and a disc golf course that runs parallel to the woods containing the hiking/biking trails. There were a lot of people at this park on this morning. This is quite unusual as when we hike on trails in the city we rarely see people. Many people were using the dog park, golf course and bike trails. 

This was a nice, quiet, woodsy trail (albeit NOT well-marked as the online reviews indicated so we came prepared) although nothing stood out about it so that we feel like we need to return to hike. As a biking trail it looked manageable enough that Jesse and Roone are talking of returning to bike.

Even if we don't plan to hike a trail again, I never regret trying a new trail because you never know what you'll find or experience once you're there. One thing we are finding as we hike trails around Kansas City are the abundance of trails available. The cities and counties are providing plenty of options for outdoor recreation. This is no small thing, because as the children get older a simple park with swings and slides just won't do. Having the option of wooded trails for hiking or paved paths for biking is wonderful. We're thankful and we'll use them.