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Inside JCPRD: Winter weather opens the door for outdoor recreation opportunities

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By David Markham

It’s already snowed a few times in late 2020, and chances are winter precipitation will be back before long. When winter transforms JCPRD parks into winter wonderlands, it opens the door to seasonal recreation opportunities including, but not limited to, sledding, cross-country skiing, and winter hiking.

These are not only fun activities, but they also provide people reasons to go outdoors when they usually wouldn’t, and support a healthy lifestyle by encouraging exercise.

Whenever you’re outside in the winter, be sure to keep safety in mind by dressing in layers, covering exposed skin, applying sunscreen, hydrating regularly, and continuing to observe physical distancing with people outside your immediate household.

Sledding

 Johnson County doesn’t have a lot of hills suitable for sledding, but JCPRD added one when it opened Meadowbrook Park in 2018. Called Meadowbrook Hill, this grass-covered mound consisting of silt removed from the park’s lakes is located east of the park’s clubhouse, and gets very popular for sledding and snowboarding on snowy days.

Shawnee Mission Park has several hills which are popular for sledding. One is just north of 79th Street in the small lakes area west of the restroom by Shelter #2, while another is east of John Barkley Drive just south of the park’s 79th Street entrance near the intersection with 80th Terrace.

When Shawnee Mission Park roads are closed temporarily during regular hours for safety reasons following winter weather, patrons can still park either near the John Barkley Plaza or in front of the JCPRD Administration Building parking lot and walk to the sledding sites. Be sure not to park in front of gates or otherwise block roadways.

Locations commonly used for sledding in other JCPRD parks include: a hill near Shelter #1 at Antioch Park, and small hills near the multipurpose fields just east of the park entrance at Thomas S. Stoll Memorial Park.

For safety reasons, sledding is not allowed on the Shawnee Mission Park lake dam or at the Tomahawk Hills Golf Course. Violators are subject to possible tickets.

Cross-country skiing is common in Shawnee Mission Park’s Bluegrass Field, in Thomas S. Stoll Memorial Park, as well as on or along the Mill Creek Streamway Park.

Cross-Country Skiing

No groomed trails are offered, but cross-country skiing is common in Shawnee Mission Park’s Bluegrass Field north of the JCPRD Administration Building, in Thomas S. Stoll Memorial Park, as well as on or along the Mill Creek Streamway Park. Cross-country skiing is not allowed on JCPRD’s two golf courses.

Winter Hiking

Heat, humidity, and insects aren’t a concern for winter hiking and the lack of foliage on bushes and trees means sight distance is much greater. Especially when it snows, animals and their footprints are also much easier to see. The Gary L. Haller Trail in the Mill Creek Streamway Park, the Southside Trail at Shawnee Mission Park, and trails at Kill Creek Park, Kill Creek Streamway Park, Big Bull Creek Park, Coffee Creek Streamway Park, Lexington Lake Park, Ernie Miller Park, and in Meadowbrook Park are all good choices for winter hikes.

JCPRD off-leash areas are open throughout the year and give both the dog and their humans a chance to explore the wintery landscape. Off-leash areas are located at the Kill Creek Streamway Park in De Soto, and at Shawnee Mission, Heritage, and Thomas S. Stoll Memorial parks.

Other activities which let you take advantage of winter include snowshoeing, photography, building snowmen, of course, and making snow angels.

Ice Activities

Due to relatively short winter seasons that often do not allow ice to thicken to the suggested level of at least four inches thick, ice skating, ice fishing, and other ice activities are not recommended on JCPRD ponds, lakes, or streams. JCPRD officials do not certify ice safety because ice thickness can vary greatly within a body of water. Those who take part in these activities do so at their own risk. Winter anglers should be aware that state license and JCPRD fishing permit requirements still apply and will be enforced.

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