The park is home to several interconnecting loops and trails that can be combined together or cut down to make rides of varying lengths and difficulties. In addition, if you utilize the A2B trail and just a little pavement, you can easily pedal down to the Blue River Parkway Trails and put together a 30+ mile ride, right here in the heart of Kansas City!

But if you only ride in Swope Park proper, you'll still be treated to a fantastic mountain bike experience. The black dirt trails swoop and flow through the woods, rolling up along the ridges then plummeting down short, fast descents before swooping up the next one. One wonders if the "Swope" is onomatopeia for the sensation of mountain biking through these woods!

The vast majority of the trails here are relatively smooth and non-technical, but they are punctuated by rock gardens, both small and large. The most substantial rock features are formed by protrusions of limestone bedrock thrusting out of the black dirt. In places, you'll drop into narrow gulleys between upthrust bedrock, clamber up and over exposed rock ledges, and launch your bike off of rock drops on the short downhills.

While the trails won't brutalize you with rock obstacles all the time, the average difficulty of the riding here at Swope isn't for the faint of heart. While I can't quite give it a "Severe" FATMAP difficulty rating, negotiating these rocks will require both adept bike handling and respectable fitness for the uphill power moves. If you're looking for true long-distance non-technical cross country riding in Kansas City, it can be found... just not here!

The incredibly entertaining technical mountain biking and endless singletrack found here in the outskirts of the metropolis will surprise out-of-town visitors, but the locals know: Kansas City is a hotbed for mountain biking!