Youre there! Micka Burkhart was fishing on the Very muddy today. During the Civil War, the Blue River was the site of the Battle of Byram's Ford. The Blue River is a little spot right in the middle of south Kansas City. The parkway also serves as an Kansas City It includes geographical information as well as urban waters project locations. WebThe Blue River is a little spot right in the middle of south Kansas City. An Okie. Volunteers will again roll up their sleeves this year on April 1 for Project Blue River Rescue, a tradition that began with the Friends of Lakeside Nature Center and a local chapter of the Missouri Stream Team program. Locked padlock FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Coco Chiu's last name. On the high bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Blue River and the Missouri River can be found a large Native American mound structure, designated as Indian Mound Park in the Indian Mound neighborhood of Kansas City, Missouri. On a warm morning last April, several hundred people fanned out along a waterway in Kansas City. An association of Southern Baptist churches in the Greater Kansas City area who are partnered together to accelerate hope to Two thirds of the water in the Kansas City metropolitan area drains into the Blue River. Got off course a couple of times but app made it easy to get back on. Along the blue river, nice look out spots of the water. Coco Chiu, an 11-year-old volunteer, pointed to the three garbage bags she had helped fill and lamented that most of the contents were not biodegradable. Winding up the slopes above the Blue River, this longer trail system features a variety of terrain, rock features, and river views. WebThe Blue River Parkway Trail winds along both banks of its namesake river on the southern outskirts of Kansas City. Channel catfish and carp are two of the more important sport fishes, but the Blue River also offers fishing opportunities for largemouth bass and green sunfish, especially in the reach upstream from the confluence with Indian Creek. Turn right (south) on Blue River Road and continue for approximately 0.2mile to the Minor Park Tennis Courts and RC Field entrance on the right. Thirty-eight species of fish have been sampled from the Blue River and its tributaries. WebGet to know this 5.6-mile loop trail near Kansas City, Missouri. Locally, the map features the Blue River and its tributaries, including Tomahawk and Indian Creeks in Johnson County, Kansas, and Indian and Brush Creeks in Jackson County, Missouri. It was a short ride by streetcar, automobile, or wagon for Kansas Citians to enjoy the serenity of the Blue Rivers wooded banks and picturesque scenery. A destructive flash flood in 1928 spurred the need to straighten and widen the river to protect manufacturing interests in the lower Blue Valley from high water. Still pretty muddy from the rain the other day. A well marked trail in Missouri- I was starting to think it wasn't possible! Healthier creeks and a healthier Blue River would feed cleaner water into the Missouri River, the single most important source of drinking water in the state of Missouri. I did however really enjoy it! During low flows, the lower three miles of the Blue River is so grossly polluted by another large sewage treatment plant and industries that it sometimes cannot support fish and many other aquatic organisms. More than $8 million over nearly five years was expended on manpower, with an average of 3,000 laborers per day working on the project. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. In 1930, the park board again pushed to make the Blue River Parkway a reality. A bit muddy in places, bit gorgeous. Treat these features as you would a low water bridge and avoid the hydraulic. Fish kills associated with depressed dissolved oxygen levels and chemical spills are common. Took me and a friend 3 hrs today to complete this loop. It was identified as Blue Water River when the Lewis and Clark Expedition encountered the tributary in 1804. Very rocky and a lot of roots in trail. Whats your KC Q is a joint project of the Kansas City Public Library and The Kansas City Star. Dirt in the riparian forest along the Blue River. The Blue River valley would be protected from further encroachment by incorporating it as part of the park system. If the weather stays dry it'll take at least 2-3 more days before it's not a slog! WebSC58 Accompanying Article The houseboat and river scene pictured on this 1910 post card was titled Blue River, near 15th St., Kansas City. The second half on the way back was too rocky to ride unless youre good at super technical riding. WebWith our superior level of amenities and unmatched aesthetic refinements, Blue River looks more like a 5-star hotel than it does a traditional medical facility. A quarter of the land in that upstream segment of the river system remains undeveloped, but not for long. Fortunately, there is a large amount of public park land along the Blue River and, to a lesser degree, along some of its major tributary streams. Despite ambitions to make it one of the most scenic waterways in the country, flood control and pollution ultimately led to its demise as a recreational stream. And now, shall we, His children, within a few years, through ignorance and lack of vision, permit that stream and that Valley to be contaminated and that beauty destroyed merely that we may have misplaced railroad yards and industries and use that river channel as a place for dumping the refuse of factories?. 1 - trash, turned around and left before the first .5m. My goal is to explain why these stories matter to Kansas, and to report on the farmers, ranchers, scientists and other engaged people working to make Kansas more resilient. All those rooftops, pavement and lawn mean theres less penetrable ground to absorb rainfall. But when the Mighty Mo was running low, much of the Blue was unnavigable. JavaScript appears to be disabled on this computer. HOURS: 5a - Midnight every day. Put-in: park entrance on Blue Ridge Road by Holmes Road.Take-out: Red Bridge Park on Red Bridge Road. In 2019, we expanded to 17 acres making us the largest residential program in the Midwest. Dogs are welcome and may be off-leash in some areas. Blue River (Missouri River tributary) I write about how the world is transforming around us, from topsoil loss and invasive species to climate change. The three western trails, the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails crossed the river just north of Red Bridge Road and Minor Park. Greater Philadelphia Area / Delaware River Watershed (PA, NJ, DE), Lake Pontchartrain Area / New Orleans (LA), The Meramec River and Big River (Missouri), Patapsco Watershed / Baltimore Region (MD), San Antonio River Basin within Bexar County (Texas), South Platte Watershed, Headwaters to Denver Metropolitan Area (CO), Western Lake Erie Basin, near Toledo (OH). Secure .gov websites use HTTPS guest-paddler, A self-supported trip created by If I'd have known better we would have stayed off it. This improved line is now the Union Pacific - Kansas City Southern Mainline and generally parallels the Blue river into the bottoms railyard near Front Street in Kansas City. Looking forward to getting out there again with better conditions! A Tennessee fisherman has broken his own state record after reeling in a monster blue catfish, wildlife officials announced. Blue River Park & Athletic Fields Interesting and challenging hike. The Heartland Conservation Alliance publishes the report with The Missouri Department of Conservation and The Nature Conservancy. The Blue River is a little spot right in the middle of south Kansas City. Huge strainer debris forms above bridge near take out. Pleasure Boating on the Blue River? KCQ Navigates This Interesting More recently, the Renew the Blue campaign was launched to clean up and protect the Blue River and restore the surrounding habitat. Litter and garbage illegally dumped in this watershed can travel many miles, emptying into the Missouri River and even traveling on to the Gulf of Mexico. It was a great morning for a hike! There would be no bathing beaches, gondola rides, or scenic drives along its banks. enrollment page The Blue River is a fifth order stream which flows 41 miles in a northeasterly direction through the Kansas City metropolitan area and enters the Missouri River at river mile 357. Fortunately, most of the 18-mile reach from 63rd Street upstream to the Missouri/Kansas state line is in public ownership. Some surfing waves are created by pipelines running across the river. 64101 Under the control of Jackson County Parks and Recreation, the multi-use, 2,255-acre parkway featured several miles of biking and hiking trails, picnic shelters, and other amenities. Over $1 million dollars was proposed in a general bond initiative for land acquisition, flood control, and stream beautification. guest-paddler. An official website of the United States government. Lots of changes in the trail. Boating clubs flourished during this period. The Blue River partnership (previously known as the Middle Blue River partnership) is focusing on three areas: Heartland Conservation Alliance - Blue River UWFP, Middle Blue River Steering Committee Meeting Summaries, Middle Blue River Application Process Story, Greater Philadelphia Area / Delaware River Watershed (PA, NJ, DE), Lake Pontchartrain Area / New Orleans (LA), The Meramec River and Big River (Missouri), Patapsco Watershed / Baltimore Region (MD), San Antonio River Basin within Bexar County (Texas), South Platte Watershed, Headwaters to Denver Metropolitan Area (CO), Western Lake Erie Basin, near Toledo (OH), connecting the river to the revitalization of, engaging the community to connect people to the river especially river neighbors, Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). Two years later, in 1927, former park board president William C. Scarritt took to the airwaves to advocate for the preservation of the Blue. [6] making it the 37th most-populous city in the United States. The flood-inundation maps will encompass nearly 60 miles of the Blue River and its tributaries, and is the largest contiguous-mapped network of its kind in Circuit Court Judge Jules Guinotte, an avid boater who operated a launch and rental service, expressed this sentiment in a 1908 Kansas City Star interview. Blue River flows tend to be flashy and the stream frequently floods. It has also been commonly referred to as Big Blue or simply the Blue. The river banks and the plants and creatures that live there take a beating. Blue River Family thoroughly loved the scenery and mixed trails from flat to rocky, some gains and losses in elevation but nothing difficult. WebCoordinates: 390559N 943442W Kansas City, Missouri ( KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. Learn More 1 2 3 4 5 Micro Aeration = Renewable Energy Apr 18, 2023 What does it all mean? Review your American history with over 5,000 videos! Kansas City, It was endorsed by park officials, city engineers, and transportation authorities. You can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia (at) kcur (dot) org. Muddy and water covered in a few places due to recent rains. And pesticides wash off Johnson County farmland into tributary creeks. WebMCC-Blue River is located in Independence and offer programs in police officer, firefighter, EMT, lineman, music, theater and much more. DeSotos 4th of July Celebration at Riverfest Park. The Nature Conservancy works with private landowners to protect some land in Johnson County, where development is encroaching fast on the Blue Rivers dwindling natural surroundings. The trail was in great shape. The project aspired to make the Blue River one of the most useful and beautiful waterways in the country, comparable to the Charles River in Boston and the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. 226 acres with 2.59 million square feet of projected Class A industrial product. Web10921 Blue River Rd, Kansas City, MO 64131 | MLS #2349380 | Zillow By Agent By Owner New Construction Coming Soon Coming Soon listings are homes that will soon be on the market. The upper Blue River has an almost Ozarkian character cascading over ledges of limestone and shale as rocky riffles intersperse with deeper pools. Much of the boat traffic was concentrated near Independence Avenue, 12th Street, and 15th Street, the primary east-west arteries used to reach the river. Trails Gear Community Tips Deals Latest Support A key component was the construction of a dam at 15th Street, creating a 140-acre lake for recreation and opening 15 miles of boating upstream to Swope Park. Set up a campus visit to learn more. Kansas City Star reporters and Kansas City Public Library researchers will investigate the question and explain how we got the answer. The river enters Missouri, coming from a largely agricultural and exurban upper watershed in Kansas, flowing largely through tracts of park land dotted with small industries. The Blue River itself is 3 miles and with a good rain one can expect a class I(II)ride. WebBlue River. It runs next to 12+ miles of bike trails, from beginner to intermediate, with everything in between flat and fast to some technical downhill. Had its challenging areas but over all a really awesome trial to bike or hike, Park at the Minor Park Tennis Courts. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Metropolitan Community College, Facilities services request (grounds, maintenance, custodial), Secure Systems Administration and Engineering (Cybersecurity). All Rights Reserved. By 1908 there were 65 launches, four boathouses, and fleets of rental craft operating on the Blue. Some 50 years after Kessler and other park officials first proposed a parkway along the Blue River, action was taken to preserve the southern section of the stream and adjacent lands as a public park. City bond money and federal funding dried up or was misspent, some critics alleged, by a corruptible local government lining the pockets of political boss Tom Pendergast. To attend the Blue River cleanup on April 1, register online. The river rises in Johnson County, Kansas at the confluence of Coffee Creek and Wolf Creek near the border of the states of Kansas and Missouri. The Blue River not only had the potential for commercial traffic, but also provided swimming, fishing, and other outdoor recreation for the residents of these emerging communities. Flowyy but theres climbs and rock some part of it. Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 1 h 49 min to complete. When: 7-10:30 p.m. July 4. Trails are shared between hikers and bikers with lots of blind corners, make sure to keep an eye and ear out! The Blue River got its name from the one-time blue waters flowing from its headwaters in Johnson County, Kansas, northeast to the Missouri River. LOCATION: I-470 & Holmes Kansas City. DeSotos 4th of July Celebration at Riverfest Park. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Rapid development in the Martin City area and Johnson County continues to replace penetrable ground with yet more pavement, rooftops and lawns. The Upper Blue River is expected to be completely built out by 2030, a biannual report on the state of the river warns. Blue River Probably needs a couple days to dry. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The spring and summer months also attracted swimmers, campers, and picnickers. When: 7-10:30 p.m. July 4. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Blue River Overall good experience. Readers submit questions, the public votes on which questions to answer, and our team of librarians and reporters dig deep to uncover the answers. Earthen banks cause loose soil and changing conditions as trees are washed away. Each year, volunteer crews remove tons of tires and trash from the stream to keep it healthy. Kansas City, MO 64111816.604.1000, Copyright Low water was frequently a hindrance to recreational boating on the Blue. Mother Natures always finding a way to get back to what it used to be like, Heartland Conservation Alliance program manager Magali Rojas said while helping with the cleanup. Rain pummeling oil-stained streets and fertilizer-laced lawns picks up chemicals and carries them into the river. All Trails mapping is not always spot on. Here's where to get started, After 10 years in Midtown, Ragazza has grown from 'a mid-life crisis' to a loyal following, Missouri will exempt Social Security and public pension payments from state income taxes, Kobach sues governor for letting trans Kansans change the gender on their IDs, Making room for the river: Communities look at nature-based solutions, To stay or to go: Increased flooding forces towns to make hard choices, The Mississippi River basin is getting wetter as climate change brings era of extreme rain, floods. Awesome trail - a bit rocky at times but thats good. It took the Lord something like fifteen million years to create the Blue Valley, he said in a radio address. Later, Kansas City bought the land and tore down the strip mall to make way for green space that could help absorb rainfall. You can park at the tennis courts at Minor Park. Visit our Alex George (Blue Swope Connector) access: An estimated 2.6 miles of the Blue River have been lost due to channelization. One could easily get lost if one doesnt have a good trail map and sense of direction. Current conditions of Discharge and Gage height are available. Blue River This is a very popular area for hiking, mountain biking, and running, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. Its major tributaries are Brush Creek, Tomahawk Creek, and Indian Creek. nice trail that was nearby for me. COUNCIL DISTRICT: 6. The annual effort takes on the visible scars of overdevelopment and neglect, removing nearly 2,000 tons of litter and illegally dumped trash over the past three decades. Indian Creek Trail: Pinehurst West Park to Nall Hills Park, Three Trails Corridor Trail via Hart Grove Creek Campground. The disrupted hydrograph which is typical of urban streams also has adverse effects on aquatic fauna. Pleasure Boating on the Blue River? Sometimes Id rather be ignorant., The Nature Conservancy calls the Blue River Kansas Citys river.. This linear parkway of over 2,300 acres lines the upper Blue River and is primarily forested. Map of Blue River (Kansas City, Missouri) Blue River Parkway and Minor Park Trail Thanks to multiyear grants through the Missouri Department of Conservations Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative, KCWL is currently conducting an accelerated restoration effort in the bottomland forest of the corridor south of Red Bridge Road, including intensive honeysuckle eradication, indigenous tree and shrub planting and monitoring. Not from Muskogee;). Would be swampy and gross when wet. Explore this 5.6-mile loop trail near Kansas City, Missouri. Love this trail. Oak, pecan, cottonwood and pawpaw trees can do yeomans work by deploying deep root systems into the earth. But the story of the Blue does not end there. One million dollars was allocated to begin clearing the Blues heavily forested banks. The river below the dam would be utilized as a canal for the transportation of industrial freight. In the span of a few hours, they collected about 30 tons of garbage along the Blue River. 3/5 on my personal rating scale: (For Mapquest users, the address is E 118th St & Lydia Ave, Kansas City, MO 64131). Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Brush Creek begins near West 80th Street and Lamar Avenue in Overland Park, Kansas, and drains to the Blue River at Blue Banks Avenue and Hardesty Avenue in Kansas City. Parkway lands are threatened by litter and dumping as well as a number of invasive exotic plant species. MCC-Blue River Campus Numerous access points along Blue River Road, Blue Ridge Blvd, Holmes Road and Minor Park (Red Bridge Rd). didnt see any other people. The Blue River (also known as the Big Blue River) is a 39.8-mile-long (64.1 km) stream that flows through Johnson County, Kansas, and Jackson County, Missouri, in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Brush Creek (Blue River tributary Portions of these trails trace the path of a former steam railroad track of the Missouri Pacific Railroad line that ran from Dodson, Missouri south to Martin City, Missouri. In 1912, the Board of Park Commissioners drew up an ambitious plan to address these concerns. Suite 201 The river rises in Johnson County, Kansas at the confluence of Coffee Creek and Wolf Creek near the border of the states of Kansas and Missouri. Alvarez was one of several people from Heartland Conservation Alliance, one of many local groups and businesses that pitch in to haul away tires, toys and household appliances year after year. In a time when travel was prohibitive for most Kansas Citians, the Blue was a convenient and affordable getaway. The parkway project was part of Kansas Citys Ten-Year Plan to improve roadways, sewers, parks, and other public works. Blue River Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the A great place if you live nearby and only have an hour or two to get out. Overall one of my favorites for the kc metro so far. Submit it now , by Jeremy Drouin | lhistory@kclibrary.org. The channeling of the Blue River was the beginning of its demise as a recreational stream. It is a tributary of the Blue River . It starts near the Overland Park Arboretum and cuts northeast, flowing 40 miles to the Missouri River. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. It is true that the Blue River was once a haven for pleasure boating and other outdoor pursuits. The Missouri Department of Conservation, Heartland Conservation Alliance, Kansas City and other groups and agencies are restoring wetland, marshes and woods to downstream areas that were heavily industrialized. WebBRKC | Blue River - Kansas City Baptist Association. WebEngage The Blue River offers many benefits to our community including habitat for wildlife, drinking water, and outdoor recreation. Fall 2023 classes now enrolling! 10921 Blue River Rd, Kansas City The parkway also serves as an uninterrupted public land corridor from Swope Park south to the state line. A lock ( The capstone would be a picturesque, 8-mile boulevard for park visitors who preferred to take in the Blue Rivers scenery by automobile rather than boat. Anytime rain falls on the metropolitan area, most of the water ends up here. When heavy rains pound the area, the price of too much concrete and too few trees, shrubs and native grasses becomes clear. There is also a need to increase public awareness and appreciation for these resources to promote advocacy for watershed streams. Monitoring location 06893500 is associated with a Stream in Jackson County, Missouri. The Star, reporting on the completion of the WPAs channeling project in 1940, called the promised parkway a faded civic dream. The April 28 headline PLAIN, BUT SAFE reflected the unfulfilled vision for the Blue River and forecast its future as an underutilized waterway. Thats because, for miles around, every stream and creek flows toward the Blue River, creating a basin that covers nearly 300 square miles in three counties (Johnson in Kansas and Jackson and Cass in Missouri). Kansas City river The Blue River is a fifth order stream which flows 41 miles in a northeasterly direction through the Kansas City metropolitan area and enters the Missouri River at river It was identified In 1920, The Star referred to it as one of the citys most underutilized assets, describing it as a stagnant little stream poisoned by sewers, sick with trash and inaccessible along much of its course.. Water data back to 1928 are available online. Please click here to see any active alerts. I enjoy it here. Kansas City, Missouri I would have given this trail 5 stars if not for all the traffic noise nearby. A Tennessee fisherman has broken his own state record after reeling in a monster blue catfish, wildlife officials announced. Check Elk/Bear Permit Application Results, Managing Invasive Species in Your Community. This is more of a bike trail, it was still nice though. 2 - finished it, never going back Bird life along the parkway includes nesting species like the barred owl, prothonotary warbler, spotted sandpiper, wood duck, belted kingfisher, green heron and pileated woodpecker. 4 - would hike again Blue River - Program Updates | US EPA Average stream gradients range from 4 feet/mile for the Blue River to 68 feet/mile for Round Grove Creek. Dramatic flooding along Indian Creek trapped two people inside a bar at the intersection of 103rd Street and Wornall Road in 2017. Average annual precipitation in the basin is 36 inches while average annual runoff is about seven inches. Turn left (south) onto Blue River Rd. A large sewage treatment plant on Indian Creek chronically degrades water quality in the lower half of the Blue River. Efforts are underway to preserve or restore native plant corridors along the Blue and its tributaries to mitigate pollution, erosion and flooding. Backwater from the Missouri River created deep, slow-moving flows from the mouth upstream to Leeds. Trail was way too muddy but beautiful. Accurate to + or - .5 sec (PLGR/PPS GPS). It is just two trash bags worth of trash less the banks of your Blue River. This made for ideal float conditions and created depths sufficient for motorized craft.