Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area
Managed by Missouri Department of Conservation
280 acres4.8 mi of trail
No dogs
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: TheCatalyst31 with modifications by Kbh3rd · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Independence
Independence has 46 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area (4.8 mi), George Owens Nature Park (2.2 mi), Independence Athletic Complex (1.9 mi). 2,351 acres are parks and preserves, 19 per 1,000 residents. 5% of Independence’s land is conserved, about 2,395 acres.
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns · #46 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
2,395 acres · of 78.0 sq mi of land
Trails
46 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,351 ac
19 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
74%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
36 mi
0.2 mi lanes · 35 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
8
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Independence have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Independence is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns, #46 of 247 in Missouri. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Independence’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical MO town 2% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (46 mi) · MO 0.3 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land19 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,351 acres) · MO 11 · U.S. 13BParks close to home74% of residents within a half mile of a park · MO 74% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 69%
LessMore
Missouri towns of 2,500+ (247)Ahead of 82%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Independence ranks #271 on Outdoors.
Few Missouri towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Independence’s 5% is ahead of 82% of Missouri towns, while its trails per square mile lead 72% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be B+. 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 Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area, with 4.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
George Owens Nature Park
Managed by Independence Parks, Recreation, Tourism
87 acres2.2 mi of trail
Butterfly Trail unpavedPawpaw TrailHollow Stump TrailChonkeh Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Independence Athletic Complex
Park
136 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
McCoy Park
Managed by Independence Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Department
22 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Van Hook Park
Park
108 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 51 parks & preserves
Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area280 acres · 4.8 mi of trail · Missouri Department of Conservation
DirectionsGeorge Owens Nature Park87 acres · 2.2 mi of trail · Independence Parks, Recreation, Tourism
DirectionsIndependence Athletic Complex136 acres · 1.9 mi of trail
McCoy Park22 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · Independence Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Department
DirectionsVan Hook Park108 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Santa Fe Trail Park37 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsAdair Park39 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHill Park21 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsBingham-Waggoner Estate22 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsRotary Park6 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsLipton Conservation Area40 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Missouri Department of Conservation
Bundschu Park20 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Country Club Park10 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Choplin-Hood Park33 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Carriage Hills Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Randall School Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Sycamore Hills Park5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Glendale Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsClothier Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Waterfall Park26 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Phil Roberts Park20 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNoland Park4 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Saint Clair Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Maple Forest Community Park3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Young Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsLittle Blue Trace Nature Preserve1,063 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Jackson County Parks + Rec
DirectionsMill Creek Park44 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsStover Park16 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsDickinson Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Hiram Young Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsBund-Jack Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Heart of America Pop Warner Football Park39 acres
DirectionsCampus Park17 acres
DirectionsFairmount Park15 acres · Independence Parks and Recreation
DirectionsCrysler Park12 acres
Hink Park10 acres
Firehouse Park9 acres
Curtis Park9 acres
DirectionsBlackburn School Park8 acres
Beckett Park7 acres
Little Blue Park6 acres
Davis Park4 acres
DirectionsStadium Park and Campground2 acres
Adventure Oasis Water Park2 acres
Charles Long Park2 acres
High Ridge Park2 acres
Temple Lot2 acres · Church of Christ (Temple Lot)
DirectionsFleming Park1 acres · Jackson County Parks and Recreation
Hidden Valley Sports Complex Park1 acres
Pitcher Park1 acres
UN Peace Plaza1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
2,395 conserved acres
5% of Independence’s land. Who manages Independence’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city2,080 ac
National Park Service4 ac
Not recorded311 ac
Local Park · 2,080 acState Conservation Area · 311 acHistoric or Cultural Area · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lttle Blue Trace Local Park | Town or city | 1,146 | Open |
| Indep Athletic Complex Local Park | Town or city | 316 | Open |
| Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area State Conservation Area | Not recorded | 279 | Restricted |
| Van Hook Park Local Park | Town or city | 98 | Open |
| George Owens Nature Park Local Park | Town or city | 69 | Open |
| Independence Events Center Local Park | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Dickinson Park Local Park | Town or city | 46 | Open |
| Mill Creek Park Local Park | Town or city | 43 | Open |
| Adair Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Woodland Cem. Local Park | Town or city | 32 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
109 places to go in Independence
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Independence
102 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Independence
Dog Park at Santa Fe ParkIn Santa Fe Trail Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Waterfalls in Independence
1 waterfall without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Independence
Lookout PointIn George Owens Nature Park
DirectionsPicnic areas in Independence
Family Picnic AreaIn George Owens Nature Park
DirectionsCampgrounds in Independence
Organized Camp AreaIn George Owens Nature Park · Independence Parks, Recreation, Toursim
DirectionsCommunity gardens in Independence
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
6 named trails and 8 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 9.5 mi
Butterfly Trail unpaved0.8 mi
George Owens Nature Trail0.5 mi
Pawpaw Trail0.5 mi
Hollow Stump Trail0.4 mi
Chonkeh Trail0.3 mi
Wapiti Trail0.1 mi
Biking & sports
36 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.2 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
35 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
42Tennis
40Baseball
23Soccer
21Football
20Basketball
10Pickleball
4Beach volleyball
2Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →25 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 48 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Harvey M. Vaile MansionBuilding · listed 1969
About itJackson County Jail and Marshal's HouseBuilding · listed 1970
About itTemple SiteSite · listed 1970
About itJackson County CourthouseBuilding · listed 1972
About itOverfelt-Campbell-Johnston HouseBuilding · listed 1975
About itMissouri Pacific DepotBuilding · listed 1979
About itTrinity Episcopal ChurchBuilding · listed 1979
About itBingham-Waggoner House and EstateBuilding · listed 1980
About itCharles Minor HouseBuilding · listed 1984
About itKritser HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itHarry S Truman National Historic SiteDistrict · listed 1985
About it13 more on the History page.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Independence
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 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 12.4 | 11.1 | 10.0 | 9.4 |
| High (°F) | 38 | 44 | 55 | 65 | 75 | 84 | 88 | 86 | 79 | 67 | 54 | 42 |
| Rain (in) | 1.3 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 4.2 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 1.8 |
January is the driest month (1.3 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.5 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Independence →
Next door
Independence and its neighbors
Independence has the second most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Kansas City198 miIndependence46 miLee's Summit38 miBlue Springs32 miSugar Creek8.1 miBlue Summit0.2 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independence | 5% | 0.6 | 19 | 74% | B+ |
| Blue Springs | 9% | 1.4 | 13 | 84% | A− |
| Kansas City | 7% | 0.6 | 25 | 89% | A− |
| Sugar Creek | 7% | 0.7 | 157 | 94% | A |
| Lee's Summit | 11% | 0.6 | 31 | 79% | A− |
| Blue Summit | under 1% | 0.4 | 1 | 99%+ | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Independence
Where can I hike in Independence?
The longest trail networks: Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area, 4.8 miles; George Owens Nature Park, 2.2 miles; Independence Athletic Complex, 1.9 miles; McCoy Park, 1.9 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Independence is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 2% for a Missouri town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Independence’s trails?
Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area and George Owens Nature Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Independence?
36 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.2 of painted or protected lanes and 35 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Independence?
28,147 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Independence or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 2,351 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Independence have?
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #46 of 247 in Missouri. 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 Independence 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 →