Nature in the city: Indian Creek Trail

One of the busiest Saturdays of my life started off with a walk on the Indian Creek Trail.

That was just last Saturday, by the way.

Early in the morning, the sky looked ominous, but the KC Pittie Pack was undeterred.

Well, three people and two dogs were undeterred: Emily from Our Waldo Bungie and her dog Turk, our friend Deanna and me.

Minnie led the way.

Minnie on a mission.

Indian Creek Trail is a 17-mile paved trail that straddles both sides of the Kansas-Missouri border. We chose an entrance at 99th and Holmes in Kansas City, Missouri.

The trail's beginning.

None of us had ever been on this trail before, although I had heard it was a nice respite from the surrounding urban and suburban area. Having just biked part of the Katy Trail the weekend before, my expectations were pretty high.

To my surprise, Indian Creek met them.

Just a few feet into the trail, the world seemed to become at once more still and more alive.

A calming creek.

We saw a few wild things.

Green-headed mallards fishing.

This might actually have been someone's cat.

Because they’re gal pals, I handed Minnie off to Deanna for a while.

Just a peaceful stroll.

Check out the super tall tree they're about to pass.

So high!

The weather ended up being quite lovely. We passed a few bicyclists and other walkers who seemed to also appreciate the super flat, smooth trail.

Zero steepness here.

Had we followed Indian Creek Trail into Overland Park, Kansas, (where Turk the pit bull dog would not technically be permitted due to silly breed-specific legislation), we might have eventually reached the point where it connects to the Tomahawk Creek Trail.

But we hit an end to the road, where some construction is being done to improve the trail.

I had a million places to go after that, but our quiet, hourlong excursion started my day off right.

I was bummed that more members of our dog socialization group hadn’t braved the morning weather threat but also kind of glad to have experienced this serene trail for the first time with just a couple friends.

Deanna wanted to remember the day, too.

Now that we’ve disovered this lovely patch of nature in the city, I look forward to bringing more members of our pack on a walk along Indian Creek Trail. I know the people and the dogs will all love it.

If you live in the Kansas City area (or don’t but plan to visit) and would like to join the KC Pittie Pack, check out our Meetup page and RSVP for our next walk. Your dog will thank you.