Burr Oak Woods: Narnia on Earth
You are in Narnia. Thick trees tower above you, lushly filled with the darkest, greenest leaves imaginable. A herd of deer darts in front of you, running swiftly through the forest. Far off, frogs croak a never-ending tune in their pond…in the distance you see a flock of turkeys. Through the woods, you spot a huge Pileated Woodpecker scampering up a tree.
Sounds like THE place to be, right? You probably wish you could literally experience what is written above. What if I said you could experience all that is written and more--for free?
There is one place you can go to quench this dream: Burr Oak Woods.
Burr Oak Woods Conservation Center is a convenient nature park 20 miles east of downtown Kansas City. Burr Oak is kept well maintained thanks to the Missouri Department of Conservation. With this help from the MDC, Burr Oak becomes a wonderful place to relax and to enjoy nature.
Located in Blue Springs, its 1,071 acres of forests, trails, and picnic tables make Burr Oak the ideal place for a visit. Burr Oak Woods offers miles of hiking, with five main trails overflowing with wildlife. Take a walk through a leafy forest trail and you will find deer, fox, rabbits, bobcats, and roughly around 180 bird species- including bald eagles if you are lucky.
The five main trails at Burr Oak offer convenient resting benches along the way. The Bethany Falls Trail has giant limestone boulders, and remains of houses built in the late 1800’s. Beautiful bridge overlooks are scattered about Burr Oak Woods and its trails, boasting quick drop-offs and its natural beauties. There are many wildflowers covering Burr Oak Woods, and mighty foliages housing the prettiest birds in Jackson County. Birds are not the only thing borne by Burr Oak’s trees. Papaws, buckeyes, and acorns all grow in abundance at Burr Oak Woods. Seriously, this place is beautiful! Now you are probably thinking, “Yeah, it sounds pretty, but what can I actually do there?”
Well, you can bike through the streets of Burr Oak with almost no traffic to slow you down, hike a beautiful nature trail, check out the Main Conservation Center building to see live snakes, turtles, frogs, and a huge fish aquarium, or look into some classes offered by the Conservation Center!
These Conservation classes (mentioned above) offer fun activities for youth, such as special hikes and campouts, supervised canoeing, marksmanship, etc and they are all FREE.
Furthermore, Burr Oak is a great “Narnian” retreat to be enjoyed whether you are seven or seventy! Come see Burr Oak! It is calling your name!
To learn more about Burr Oak Woods and Burr Oak Woods Conservation Center, call for information at: (816) 228-3766
Anny Hiestand, Teen Blogger
Burr Oak Woods Nature Center
1401 NW Park Rd., Blue Springs, Missouri
Nature Center Hours The Nature Center is open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The building is closed on Sunday, Monday, and all State holidays. Area Hours open daily from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. during Daylight Savings Time, and 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. Central Standard Time. Hours are subject to change during managed hunts.