Kansas City Parks and Recreation

Kansas City WildLands has been involved in an active restoration of the limestone glades and oak savanna south of Camp Lake of the Woods. Workdays in recent years have aggressively cleared woody invasive plants – both native and exotic – that severely threaten the native flora and open character of these natural communities. The proximity of the more floristically diverse Blue River Glades Natural Area serves as a seed collection source for restoring a number of native plants to Rocky Point glade. This area is also managed with prescribed burning.

Swope Park also contains rich mesic forest and wetland areas worthy of restoration work. Most of the remnant natural communities within Swope Park are located along Oldham Road. The goal of KCWL is to return this portion of the park to its 1800’s appearance—before Colonel Swope donated the land to the city. Kansas City WildLands conducted its first BioBlitz all-species inventory in Swope Park in 2002.
 

Regulations:

Hours: No closed hours
Pets: On leash only

Directions from inside Swope Park:

Access points to trails into the glades and remnant forest are located along Odham Rd. Access to the wetland/marsh area is located behind the old Lakeside Nature Center building at the intersection of Oldham Rd. and Gregory Blvd. Lakeside Nature Center, located on Gregory Blvd., provides access to renovated savanna/ bottomland forest trails.

Current Access Point for KCWL Rocky Point Glade workdays:

From Highway 71, head east on Gregory Boulevard. Where Gregory turns left at The Lake of the Woods, veer right onto Oldham Road. From Interstate 435, take the Gregory Boulevard exit and head west for approximately 1 mile. Gregory will turn left at the Lake of the Woods and then turn a sharp right at the Oldham intersection. Take a left here onto Oldham. Continue on Oldham for approx 0.5 mile. The Rocky Point Glades/Camp Lake of the Woods entrance will be to your left, a little east of shelter house 7.

Click here for specific directions from your location.