Finding Nature in Shawnee

article by Bob Luder

photos courtesy City of Shawnee

Those driving on 55th Street in the far reaches of west Shawnee on any hot and sunny day last summer would not have been able to miss all the cars. They filled the parking lot, lined both sides bumper to bumper along the 200 yards or so of the serpentine drive, and spilled out along the shoulders of the street. If one didn’t know better, they’d have figured a county fair or farmers market was occurring daily.

Welcome to a typical summer day at Wilder Bluff Park, Shawnee’s 29th and newest fully developed park. And, by all accounts, one of its most popular.

The 41-acre space at 55th and Belmont Park opened July 2021 to great fanfare and, by all indications, was an instant hit for those residents in neighborhoods in the northwest corner of the city, west of K-7. Of particular popularity was the splash pad, a shallow wading pool perfectly designed for children to cool their feet and splash with playmates, parents, or guardians.

While the park always seemed full of children and their caretakers, it was the splash pad where they all seemed to congregate, especially under the blazing summer sun.

“I went out there several times and walked around just to watch people play,” says Neil Holman, who, as the director of the Shawnee Parks and Recreation Department, helped create the park. “The splash pad was a huge hit. But there are a lot of other features everyone seemed to enjoy. The park just turned out really nice.”

The concept of Wilder Bluff Park came about several years ago because of a need for a good-quality green space in northwestern Shawnee. Garrett Park was constructed in 2005 on 47th Street, between Monticello Road and K-7. In 2015, Erfurt Park opened on West 71st Street, just west of Gleason Road. But there wasn’t a park for neighborhoods in the city’s northwest corner.

The city purchased the 41 acres back in 2004, and the total cost of the park was $4 million.

“We’re thankful for Parks and Pipes (a sales tax initiative for the creation and improvement of Shawnee parks),” Holman says. “We’ve always bought land for parks with cash, and we had the money in the fund.”

A series of meetings with surrounding neighborhoods as well as the Monticello Historical Society generated 7 prospective names for the new park. “Wilder Bluff ” won out because of the land’s position atop a bluff overlooking the old town of Wilder, which was founded in 1875 and served as an old Santa Fe railroad stop before being decimated by floods in 1903 and 1951. The park sits partially on land once owned by the Thomas Anderson family. The family’s original Shawnee home, built in 1866 on what is now West 55th Street, still stands near Wilder Bluff Park and is owned by Anderson’s descendants.

The park contains another unique feature in addition to the splash pad — a tree-top canopy playground that gives children the illusion of climbing through trees. A hillside slide is a fun spot, and the natural-themed playground contains a variety of climbing structures, swings, and other equipment.

The park has a 1.38-mile walking/jogging trail that winds back to the north, through tree-covered nooks and prairie grasses. On the far north side of the path, there’s a 60-foot circular pad that could serve as a place to practice yoga or tai chi. The park also includes a covered shelter with restrooms, eight picnic tables, and a fireplace.

“I always have some ideas for how to make each park different,” Holman says. “It’s always good to give kids different options. Prompting kids to use their imaginations and different muscles is always a good combination.”

Wilder Bluff Park has even attracted interest from those in communities surrounding Shawnee. George and Cathy Hess bring their four grandchildren to the park whenever the youngsters come to visit from their Lenexa home.

“They love the splash pad,” Cathy Hess says. “It’s nice to have such a great kids’ playground like this in this area. I think they did a really good job of making equipment that’s age appropriate and something for everyone. I think Johnson County and Shawnee are doing a really nice job with their parks. We think we have the best around here.”

On an unseasonably warm day in early March, Ashley Kozar brought her 12-year-old son, Atticus, to Wilder Bluff from Bonner Springs to walk the trail and play in the tree-top canopy.

“He likes the natural elements incorporated into the playground equipment,” Kozar says. “It makes you feel connected to nature. I really like the walking loop.”

Whether walking or playing, everyone finds something to do at Wilder Bluff Park.

• Park hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Splash pad hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Motorized vehicles prohibited in parks.

• Alcoholic and cereal malt beverages prohibited in park.

• Dogs must be on leash and under owner’s control.

• Skating prohibited on tables, benches, playground equipment and in shelter areas.

• Please utilize recycling and trash receptacles.

Wilder Bluff Park

24200 W. 55th St.

Shawnee, KS 66226

CityOfShawnee.org/Departments/ Parks_Recreation/Parks_and_ Trails/Wilder_Bluff