The beautiful hiking areas in and around Kansas City, Missouri bring hikers to relaxing maple wood forests, across beautiful flowing rivers, serene waterfalls, and to the top of challenging peaks offering gorgeous views of the surrounding forests. Having such great hiking trails attracts many hikers from the city. Some local hikers have gone on to create Kansas City hiking clubs and organizations.
Below is a list of the top 8 Kansas City hiking groups that you should definitely check out. Each of these groups will provide a unique experience and perspective on hiking. Use this list as you start your journey on exploring local hiking groups.
- KANSAS CITY HIKING – 11,190+ members
- OUTdoors KC – 3,080+ members
- Kansas City Area Sierra Club Outings – 2,490+ members
- Kansas City Adventure Club – 2,430+ members
- Active! Kansas City – 1,550+ members
- Trail Dames of Kansas City – 640+ members
- Get Movin KC! – 235+ members
- KC North Hiking & Walking Group – 170+ members
KANSAS CITY HIKING
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Kansas City, MO
Link: https://www.meetup.com/hiking-198/
Description: KANSAS CITY HIKING is for those interested in hiking during the day, night hikes, slow paced mornings, full moon hikes and more. This group has hosted over 730+ events in the past and typically has one event every few months.
OUTdoors KC
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Kansas City, MO
Link: https://www.meetup.com/OUTdoorsKC/
Description: OUTdoors KC welcomes the LGBT+, their friends and family for adventures such as hiking, paddling, backpacking, and more. This is a judgement-free meetup open to all backgrounds, ages, and experience levels. This group has organized over 90+ events in the past and typically has one event each week.
Kansas City Area Sierra Club Outings
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Kansas City, MO
Link: https://www.meetup.com/KC-Sierra-Club-Outings/
Description: Kansas City Area Sierra Club Outings have outings lead by Sierra Club volunteers. They have outings ranging from day hikes, biking, backpacking, paddling, and camping. They also do trail clean up, bird watching, caving, or clearing trails of invasive vegetation. This group has hosted over 420+ events in the past and typically has two or three events every month.
Kansas City Adventure Club
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Kansas City, MO
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Kansas-City-Adventure-Club/
Description: Kansas City Adventure Club is a group for semi-normal people looking to explore, exercise, and just have fun. They will try to match different fitness levels with other members to get the best fit for the hikes.This group has hosted over 1,280+ events in the past and generally have one hike planned each week.
Active! Kansas City
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Kansas City, MO
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Active-Kansas-City/
Description: Active! Kansas City is a group for indoor and outdoor fun with adventurous people. They do a mix of events such as walking, hiking, camping, and more. This group has hosted over 390+ events in the past abd typically has one event every few months.
Trail Dames of Kansas City
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Kansas City, MO
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Trail-Dames-of-Kansas-City/
Description: Trail Dames of Kansas City is a hiking club for women of curvy nature, however they welcome all women. This group is just looking for a chance to get out and see the beauty that this world has to offer. They hike slowly and enjoy every second because its not the destination that is important, but the journey. This group has hosted over 40+ events in the past and typically organizes one event every few months.
Get Movin KC!
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Kansas City, MO
Link: https://www.meetup.com/GetMovinKC/
Description: Get Movin KC! Is a group with fun people, fun events, and accidental exercise. They like to go hiking, biking, kayaking, backpacking, camping, and traveling. They prefer to do things at a more leisurely and fun pace. This group has hosted over 610+ events in the past and typically has multiple events each week.
KC North Hiking & Walking Group
Cost to Join: Free
Location: Kansas City, MO
Link: https://www.meetup.com/kcnhwg/
Description: KC North Hiking & Walking Group is for people interested in hiking and walking with an organized group in various locations located north of Kansas City. They enjoy walking in places such as Smithville Lake, Watkins Mill State Park, Happy Rock Park, and more. This group has hosted over 20 events in the past and typically has multiple events during the week.
Why should you join a Kansas City hiking group?
Learn New Skills
Joining a Kansas City hiking group will provide you with more benefits on top of being able to meet other like-minded hikers. The first benefit is you will be able to learn new outdoor skills. There are some hiking clubs that will organize formal workshops to teach you about camping, backpacking, first-aid, hiking layering systems, and so much more. You can also share tips with other hikers and see the helpful tips a bunch of different hikers has with their gear and hiking.
Expand Activities
While you are likely joining these groups to go hiking with others, another added benefit is that you can get started with new outdoor activities that you have been considering. There are groups that go camping, backpacking, kayaking, climbing, and other outdoor activities. This is a great way to be introduced to these activities as you can learn from others who already have a lot of experience.
No Research Required
One of my favorite benefits of joining a local hiking group is that there is no research required. These hiking groups will figure out the hiking trailhead, trail distance, elevation gain, and difficulty rating all for you. You just need to pick the hike that sounds the most interesting and go. This is a nice break from researching trail information all by yourself.
3 things to consider when joining a Kansas City hiking group
Meeting Location
The idea of joining a Kansas City hiking group can be very exciting, but there are three things you should consider before you attend your first event. The first thing you should consider is where the group meets for its events. There are some groups that hike only very local trails while others prefer to meet in the city and hike an hour or two out of town. Look at the group’s past events to see where the group meets so that you can pick the one that is most convenient for you.
Group Focus
Another key thing to consider is what the group’s focus and goals are. There is a wide range of focuses for these local hiking groups ranging from hikes for beginners to fast-paced hiking for more advanced hikers. Find a group that is at or slightly more advanced than your current skill level. This will allow you to enjoy the hike instead of trying to keep up or trying to slow down. You can look at the group’s description and past events to see what their expectations and focuses are.
Hiking Area
The third consideration you should have is where the group hikes. There is a large selection of groups to choose from and some only will hike urban hikes, some just outside of the city, and others will choose to hike in other states. Joining a hiking group that hikes in new areas is a great way to expand your hiking areas to be able to experience new and diverse terrain. You can see where the group organizes its hikes by looking at their past events.
Summary
Kansas City hiking trails will take you to tranquil stream crossings, gorgeous waterfalls, through beautiful forest groves, and to the top of rugged mountain peaks with rewarding views.. The trails offer amazing views and a great hiking experience, but the experience is much better when shared with the other local hikers you will meet in these hiking clubs and organizations.
The list above is only 8 of the many hiking groups located in Kansas City. Use this list as a starting point to help get you going, but know that there are more than 8 hiking groups that are worth checking out. As you hike more trails and gain more experience, your hiking interests will likely change over time. As your interests change, you can check out other hiking groups that align with your new interests. Enjoy all of your hiking adventures with Kansas City hiking groups!
