Stocksdale Park
Managed by Liberty Parks & Rec
110 acres4.4 mi of trail
StocksdaleSkills Loop and Pump TrackConnector
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Chiefs190 · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Liberty
Liberty has 588 acres of parks, 19 for every 1,000 residents
95% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Stocksdale Park (4.4 mi), Martha LaFite Thompson Nature Sanctuary (2.6 mi), Walnut Woods Conservation Area (2.4 mi). 13 miles of mapped trail cross Liberty, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 69% of U.S. towns · #46 of 247 in Missouri. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
505 acres · of 29.7 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
588 ac
19 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
17 mi
17 mi paths
Highest peak
909 ft
Arsenal Hill
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Liberty?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Liberty have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Liberty is ahead of 69% of U.S. towns, #46 of 247 in Missouri. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; conserved land pulls it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Liberty’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical MO town 2% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · MO 0.3 · U.S. 0.4BPark land19 acres of park per 1,000 residents (588 acres) · MO 11 · U.S. 13BParks close to home95% of residents within a half mile of a park · MO 74% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 69%
LessMore
Missouri towns of 2,500+ (247)Ahead of 82%
Few Missouri towns conserve much land (a typical one, 2%; the U.S., 4%), so Liberty’s 3% is ahead of 65% of Missouri towns, while its trails per square mile lead 65% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B 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 Stocksdale Park, with 4.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Martha LaFite Thompson Nature Sanctuary
Nature preserve
105 acres2.6 mi of trail
Pond TrailBluff TrailSycamore TrailCardinal Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Walnut Woods Conservation Area
Managed by Liberty Parks & Rec
60 acres2.4 mi of trail
StocksdaleDangerous
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Fountain Bluff Sports Complex
Park
147 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Cates Creek Greenway/Jefferson Park
Park
14 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 17 parks & preserves
Stocksdale Park110 acres · 4.4 mi of trail · Liberty Parks & Rec
DirectionsMartha LaFite Thompson Nature Sanctuary105 acres · 2.6 mi of trail
DirectionsWalnut Woods Conservation Area60 acres · 2.4 mi of trail · Liberty Parks & Rec
Fountain Bluff Sports Complex147 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsCity Park14 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsCates Creek Greenway/Jefferson Park14 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Arthur's Hill Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Westboro/Canterbury Greenway63 acres
DirectionsBennett Park38 acres
DirectionsClay Ridge Park37 acres
Earnest Shepard Memorial Youth Center Park20 acres
DirectionsClaywoods/Clay Meadows Park15 acres
DirectionsWilshire Park13 acres
DirectionsNorthwyck Park13 acres
Jefferson Park12 acres
DirectionsRuth Moore Park3 acres
DirectionsPlace Liberté Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
505 conserved acres
3% of Liberty’s land. Who manages Liberty’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city505 ac
Local Park · 358 acLocal Recreation Area · 147 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fountain Bluffs Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 147 | Open |
| Stocksdale Park Local Park | Town or city | 107 | Open |
| Green Space Local Park | Town or city | 81 | Open |
| Westboro/Canterbury Park Local Park | Town or city | 52 | Open |
| Bennett Park Local Park | Town or city | 37 | Open |
| Clay Ridge Park Local Park | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Northwyck Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Wilshire Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Jefferson Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Claywoods/Clay Meadows Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
4 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
41 places to go in Liberty
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Liberty
1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Liberty
Canterbury PlaygroundIn Westboro/Canterbury Greenway
DirectionsFun Run
DirectionsWestboro PlaygroundIn Westboro/Canterbury Greenway
Directions32 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Liberty
3 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Liberty
Arsenal Hill909 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Liberty
Historic Rush Creek Campground
DirectionsDisc golf in Liberty
Jewell Disc Golf Course
DirectionsPlus 1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Community gardens in Liberty
1 community garden without a name on the map.
Trails & water
15 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 6.8 miUnpaved · 8.5 mi
Stocksdale5.4 mi
XC Trail1.0 mi
Skills Loop and Pump Track0.7 mi
Pond Trail0.4 mi
Bluff Trail0.3 mi
Sycamore Trail0.3 mi
Cardinal Trail0.3 mi
Polaris Trail0.2 mi
Pawpaw Trail0.2 mi
Columbine Trail0.2 mi
5 more trails
Interurban RR Trail
0.2 miBluestem Trail
0.1 miConnector
0.1 miDangerous
0.1 miMcGowan Bridge Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
17 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
17 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
31Baseball
30Soccer
30Tennis
19Pickleball
10Basketball
8Football
4Beach volleyball
3Tracks
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →15 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Jewell HallBuilding · listed 1978
About itClinton HouseBuilding · listed 1978
About itOdd Fellows Home DistrictDistrict · listed 1987
About itClay County Savings Association BuildingBuilding · listed 1992
About itHughes, Frank, Memorial LibraryBuilding · listed 1992
About itIOOF Liberty Lodge No. 49Building · listed 1992
About itMajor HotelBuilding · listed 1992
About itMiller BuildingBuilding · listed 1992
About itSouth Liberty Courthouse Square Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1992
About itWest Liberty Courthouse Square Historic DistrictBuilding · listed 1992
About itArthur-Leonard Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2001
About itDougherty-Prospect Heights Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2001
About it3 more on the History page.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Liberty
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) | 39 | 44 | 55 | 66 | 75 | 84 | 88 | 87 | 79 | 68 | 54 | 43 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 4.1 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 1.7 |
January is the driest month (1.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 5.4 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Liberty →
Next door
Liberty and its neighbors
Liberty has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 3% | 0.4 | 19 | 95% | B+ |
| Kansas City | 7% | 0.6 | 25 | 89% | A− |
| Claycomo | 1% | under 0.1 | 7 | 99%+ | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Liberty
Where can I hike in Liberty?
The longest trail networks: Stocksdale Park, 4.4 miles; Martha LaFite Thompson Nature Sanctuary, 2.6 miles; Walnut Woods Conservation Area, 2.4 miles; Fountain Bluff Sports Complex, 1.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Liberty is conserved land?
3% 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 Liberty’s trails?
Stocksdale Park and Martha LaFite Thompson Nature Sanctuary don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Liberty?
17 miles of bike routes are on the map: 17 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Liberty?
15,647 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Liberty or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 588 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Liberty 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 Liberty 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 →