Shawnee Mission Park
Managed by Johnson County Park and Recreation District
795 acres9.7 mi of trail
South Shore East LoopEquestrian TrailSouth Shore Middle LoopSouth Shore Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Photo: Kelseyneth · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Lenexa
Lenexa has 2,119 acres of parks, 36 for every 1,000 residents
The biggest trail networks: Shawnee Mission Park (9.7 mi), Black Hoof Park (1.3 mi), Buffalo Meadows Park (0.8 mi). 90% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 8% of Lenexa’s land is conserved, about 1,717 acres.
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns · #9 of 151 in Kansas. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
1,717 acres · of 34.1 sq mi of land
Trails
20 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,119 ac
36 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
90%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
56 mi
3.1 mi lanes · 42 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
9
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Lenexa?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lenexa have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lenexa is ahead of 84% of U.S. towns, #9 of 151 in Kansas. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, trail miles lowest.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lenexa’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical KS town 2% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (20 mi) · KS 0.2 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land36 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,119 acres) · KS 13 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home90% of residents within a half mile of a park · KS 76% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 84%
LessMore
Kansas towns of 2,500+ (151)Ahead of 95%
Few Kansas towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Lenexa’s 8% is ahead of 93% of Kansas towns, while its trails per square mile lead 74% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Shawnee Mission Park, with 9.7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park
Park
52 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 35 parks & preserves
Shawnee Mission Park795 acres · 9.7 mi of trail · Johnson County Park and Recreation District
DirectionsBlack Hoof Park267 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
DirectionsBuffalo Meadows Park20 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsSar-Ko-Par Trails Park52 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsElectric Park18 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsCentral Green Park23 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMill Creek Streamway Park193 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsMatt Tylor Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsWaterCrest Residential1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLittle Mill Creek North Park22 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsFlat Rock Creek Park13 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBois D Arc Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsGreystone West Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsTamarisk Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Scouting Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsPrairie Star Parkway Access Park91 acres
DirectionsPowder Creek Shooting Park71 acres
87th Lane Access Park41 acres
DirectionsCraig Crossing Park37 acres
DirectionsOak Valley Park33 acres
DirectionsFreedom Fields32 acres · City of Lenexa
DirectionsLittle Mill Creek South Park22 acres
DirectionsHidden Woods Park16 acres
DirectionsAd Astra Park9 acres
DirectionsPost Oak Park7 acres
DirectionsGillette Park4 acres
Gleason Glen Park3 acres
Harmony Park2 acres
John McNerney Park1 acres
DirectionsGreen Prairie Park1 acres
DirectionsNa Nex Se Park1 acres · City of Lenexa
Wild Bill Hickock Park1 acres
Kickapoo Park1 acres
Trafalgar Park1 acres
DirectionsBradshaw Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
1,717 conserved acres
8% of Lenexa’s land. Who manages Lenexa’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city1,716 ac
Local Park · 1,625 acLocal Recreation Area · 68 acLocal Conservation Area · 23 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee Mission Local Park | Town or city | 687 | Open |
| Black Hoof Local Park | Town or city | 217 | Open |
| Mill Creek Streamway Local Park | Town or city | 213 | Open |
| Cedar Station Local Park | Town or city | 67 | Open |
| 95Th And Cedar Niles Local Park | Town or city | 60 | Open |
| Little Mill Creek North Local Park | Town or city | 51 | Open |
| Sar-Ko-Par Trails Local Park | Town or city | 49 | Open |
| Oak Valley Local Park | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| Coon Creek Greenway Local Park | Town or city | 41 | Open |
| Freedom Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 38 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
130 places to go in Lenexa
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Lenexa
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Public pools in Lenexa
Ad Astra PoolIn Ad Astra Park
DirectionsPlus 2 public pools without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Lenexa
Little Mill Creek North PlaygroundIn Little Mill Creek North Park
Directions94 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Lenexa
Shawnee Mission Park Dog BeachIn Shawnee Mission Park
DirectionsShawnee Mission Park Off-Leash Dog ParkIn Shawnee Mission Park
DirectionsWaterCrest Dog Park
DirectionsPlus 3 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Lenexa
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Lenexa
4 waterfalls without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Lenexa
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Lenexa
1In Shawnee Mission Park
Directions2In Shawnee Mission Park
Directions3In Shawnee Mission Park
Directions4In Shawnee Mission Park
Directions5In Shawnee Mission Park
Directions8In Shawnee Mission Park
DirectionsStartIn Shawnee Mission Park
DirectionsPlus 10 disc golf without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Lenexa
Sar-Ko-Par Trails Community GardenFee · In Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park · City of Lenexa
DirectionsPlus 2 community gardens without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 9 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 4.3 miHorses · 2.6 miUnpaved · 8.4 mi
South Shore East Loop2.8 mi
Equestrian Trail2.0 mi
South Shore Middle Loop1.0 mi
South Shore Trail0.9 mi
Connector0.7 mi
South Shore West Loop0.7 mi
Ridge Drive Trail0.6 mi
Biking & sports
56 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.1 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
42 mi
off-road bike paths
11 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
24Baseball
24Basketball
24Tennis
8Pickleball
6Multi-sport
6Soccer
5Beach volleyball
3Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Lenexa
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.7 | 10.7 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.3 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 39 | 45 | 56 | 66 | 75 | 85 | 89 | 88 | 80 | 68 | 54 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 1.1 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 1.6 |
January is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 5.4 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Lenexa →
Next door
Lenexa and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenexa | 8% | 0.6 | 36 | 90% | A− |
| Shawnee | 9% | 1.1 | 40 | 84% | A |
| Olathe | 5% | 0.4 | 15 | 89% | B+ |
| Overland Park | 5% | 0.6 | 13 | 93% | B+ |
| De Soto | 2% | 0.1 | 48 | 69% | B− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lenexa
Where can I hike in Lenexa?
The longest trail networks: Shawnee Mission Park, 9.7 miles; Black Hoof Park, 1.3 miles; Buffalo Meadows Park, 0.8 miles; Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lenexa is conserved land?
8% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Kansas town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Lenexa’s trails?
Shawnee Mission Park and Black Hoof Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Lenexa?
56 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.1 of painted or protected lanes, 42 of off-road paths and 11 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Lenexa?
20,460 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lenexa or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,119 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Lenexa have?
Ahead of 84% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #9 of 151 in Kansas. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Lenexa neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →