PARKS & RECREATION W
hether you are young or young at heart, Liberty's 10 parks covering more than 500 acres offer something for everyone. Residents and visitors can avail themselves of playgrounds, spraygrounds, tennis courts, ball fields, a dog park, disc golf course and many miles of trails for walking, running or biking. Funded by a use tax passed by city voters in April 2018, the 10 neighborhood parks, as well as the destination park, City Park, are gaining significant upgrades. For those looking for walking trails, there will be a chat loop trail at Arthur’s Hill Park and a pedestrian link at Clay Ridge. Jefferson/ Cates Greenway will gain swings and Westboro/Canterbury now has playgrounds for younger and older children. In City Park, located at 970 S. Missouri Highway 291, improvements include an all-inclusive playground, sprayground and other amenities so children of all abilities can have fun. PARKS & TRAILS DOG PARK: Dog owners and their fourlegged friends can make use of the Liberty Dog Park, a popular 3-acre fenced area in Stocksdale Park at 901 S. La Frenz Road. Thanks to a local Eagle Scout, the dog park also has a number of refurbished pieces of agility equipment. There’s even a 5,400-square-foot section dedicated to smaller dogs so everyone’s furry friend can romp. Amenities include agility obstacles, benches, shade structure, fire hydrant, water spigot, gated entrance and exit, waste bags and trash cans. TRAILS More than 13 miles of asphalt trails and 6 miles of primitive trails provide walkers and runners with citywide opportunities for recreation and fitness. Trails range from less
than a quarter mile to 2.5 miles, and many of the trails connect with neighborhood sidewalks. BIKE TRACKS: In Stocksdale Park, mountain bikers will find one of the region’s most extensive, single-track trail systems and the adjacent Walnut Woods Conservation Area. The park also features flow and pump tracks, each offering a different experience for athletes of all ages and skill levels. Many volunteers who are also members of the Urban Trail Co. and the Earthriders Mountain Bike Club provided the design and labor to build the tracks. The flow track is designed to create a rhythm for the bikers and involves less pedaling due to a largely downhill course. It provides bikers with more of an anaerobic workout than an aerobic one. Flow tracks are
City Park's update rendering
Stockdale Park flow and pump track
for bikers of any skill level or for any kind of mountain bike, no matter whether beginner or expert. The pump track offers a different kind of experience for park patrons. Pump tracks feature a series of rollers and berms that allow bikers to gain and maintain speed through the track without pedaling at all. Momentum is gained by pumping the track’s terrain transitions. DISC GOLF: Enthusiasts of a fast-growing sport can enjoy Bad Rock Creek Disc Golf Course, an 18-hole disc golf course in Stocksdale Park that is fun for all skill levels. Disc golf requires little equipment and appeals to sports people of all ages. CRICKET PITCH: Stocksdale Park also features a cricket pitch. On many weekends from April to mid-October, the Midwest Cricket League can be seen on the pitch not far from the main drive through the park. While there are similarities to baseball, there are differences as cricket is played with two teams of 11 players each. All the fielding team’s players take the field, along with two from the batting team and two umpires. SPRAYGROUNDS: Along with the new and improved spray park coming to City Park, the feature in Ruth Moore Park, 410 N. Morse Ave., was updated in 2017 with a firefighter theme. Admission to the sprayground, which is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, is free. For more information on parks and trails, visit libertymissouri.gov/1714/Parks-Trails.
Explore Liberty
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