Hiking Old Kate & White Tail Loop in Parkville Nature Sanctuary
Hiking Old Kate & White Tail Loop in Parkville Nature Sanctuary Missouri
While on a trip to Kansas City for a commercial acting gig I had the chance to visit Parkville Nature Sanctuary just north of downtown Kansas City to hike Old Kate & White Tail Loop.
Old Kate & White Tail Loop
Type: Loop | Rate: Easy/Moderate | Traffic: Light | Distance: 2.6mi | Elevation Gain: 246ft
A lovely loop trail through Kansas City’s Parkville Nature Sanctuary.
View the full route on AllTrails.
Parkville Nature Sanctuary
Parkville Nature Sanctuary was established in 1989 after the developers of Riss Lake donated 49 acres of land below Riss Dam as well as $25,000 in seed money to the City of Parkville for the sanctuary. The Missouri Department of Conservation purchased an additional 68 acres around the sanctuary in 1997 which would become Alloe Creek Conservation Area, adding to the sanctuary’s trail system. But the true history of the sanctuary dates back to the establishment of Park College (now Park University) in 1875 when students of the college would farm the land and quarry stones to build the college structures in exchange for tuition.
Old Kate & White Tail Trail
Old Kate and White Tail Loop trail circle throughout Parkville Nature Sanctuary past a waterfall, across a boardwalk standing tall over Alloe Creek, and up to the highest point in the sanctuary. This short 2.6 mile combination loop trail takes hikers past all the nature, wildlife, and history Parkville Nature Sanctuary has to offer.
Old Kate, The Mule
Fun Fact! Old Kate Trail is named in honor of a mule named Kate who the students of Park College (now Park University) worked alongside in the late 1800s when farming the land and building the structure of the college in exchange for tuition. Kate worked for 32 years at the college tilling land and pulling a water cart to the various buildings before retiring to a stable for her remaining 2 year. She passed in 1900.
Wildlife
There is tons of wildlife in Parkville Nature Sanctuary. I hiked the first tenth of a mile with a groundhog running along the trail several yards in front of me. On White Tail trail I got the chance to see a beautiful Red Tailed Hawk standing on the trail before flying off into the trees.
The Old Kate & White Tail Loop trail is a lovely way to experience Parkville Nature Sanctuary. And what a blessing to have a hiking trail so close to downtown Kansas City.
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Hiking Gear List
Long Sleeve Shirt - REI Co-op Midweight Base Layer
T-Shirt - REI Co-op Sahara T-Shirt
Pants - KUHL Renegade Rock Pants
Underwear - REI Co-op Everyday Boxer Briefs
Shoes - The North Face VECTIV Fastpack FUTURELIGHT Hiking Shoes
Pack - REI Co-op Flash 22 Pack
Water Bottle - REI Co-op Nalgene 1L
Headlamp - Petzl Tikka Headlamp
Camera Gear List
Camera - iPhone 14 Pro
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