Roanoke Park Conservancy board member Patrick Faltico reached out to our Urban Trail Co trail steward Scott Lillis with the idea for a connection to the upper trail just below W. Roanoke Drive, "The Layover." Patrick thought trail users would appreciate a connection from the top of the stairs, as an option to having to drop all the way to Karnes. They got started clearing the corridor on the morning of June 19, 2021.
Local BSA Troop members answered the call to put in some volunteer time. Conservancy board member and Jackson County Legislator Scott Burnett spent some time discussing local government with them for a merit badge requirement then met them at the trail site. Patrick had string trimmed some of the corridor and the boys helped by pulling and trimming other plants, picking up litter and moving rocks and logs.
A videoographer from KCMO Parks was there to document the scene. Check out that great video above! We can't emphasize enough how much Roanoke Park, and all of our parks, rely on the work of volunteers.
This wasn't the first time scouts have helped out. Another trail connection over by the Coleman Highlands Spring was the Eagle project of Ethan from Troop 16, working at that time with Brett Shoffner. In the same area, the bat boxes and the old roadbed planting were Eagle projects. Scouts have also helped multiple times with seeding efforts, most recently helping collect river oats seed last year, part of which went to KC Wildlands.
See you on the TRAILS!
KC Parks included Roanoke Park trails in their 2020 series "Twelve Trails for the Holidays." Click our thumbnail image watch the brief video highlighting the wonderful trails in our urban park.
“ #TwelveTrailsForTheHolidays Roanoke Park Trail is an urban 2.5 mile single track dirt trail through the hills of Midtown Kansas City.. ”
Check out the other 11 trails they featured at this link: https://kcparks.org/twelve-trails-for-the-holidays/
Great job Lance and Rachel! And thanks to the trail builders! “The Rozarks” include Roanoke Park’s 2.5 miles and Rosedale Park’s 3.5. Both were designed by Brett Shoffner and are currently maintained by Scott Lillis and other Urban Trail Co. volunteers.
See you on the TRAILS!
Enjoy the park, and stay safe. While Kansas City's mask mandate has been lifted, our area's vaccination rate and the emergence of new variants calls for maintaining caution to reduce transmission. Please enjoy the park responsibly by spreading out. The Westport-Roanoke Community Center is open again with normal hours after its recent construction closure. Please click their link above and call for the latest info. Here are the latest KCMO COVID-19 updates from the city. To avoid damaging trails, check Trail Status before biking or hiking off road. ("Rozarks" = Roanoke Park's 2.5 miles plus Rosedale's 3.5 miles.)