Hiking Rock Ledges Trail(s) in Kansas City’s Fleming Park
Hiking Rock Ledges Trail in Fleming Park, Kansas City
My trio of Kansas City hikes concludes with a trip to Fleming Park beside Lake Jacomo to hike the Rock Ledges Loop Trails, two trails that form a 3.1 mile hike atop and below a ledge of lovely rock formations.
Rock Ledges Loop Trail
Type: Loop | Rate: Easy/Moderate | Traffic: Light/Moderate | Distance: 3.1mi | Elevation Gain: 177ft
Two trails, but which one to hike??
View the full route on AllTrails.
Fleming Park
Roughly 15 mile southeast of downtown Kansas City, surrounding both Lake Jacomo and Blue Springs Lake resides Fleming Park. The 7,809 acre park is the largest park in Jackson County featuring a plethora of outdoor activities including: hiking trails, fishing, kayaking/canoeing, camping, picnic shelters, and more. It’s a beautiful park for outdoor enthusiast looking for a close escape from the KC metropolis.
Lake Jacomo
Inspiration for the park was born in 1932 by then Presiding Judge of Jackson County, Harry S. Truman. It took more than 20 years until the park was officially opened in May 1959 under the name Lake Jacomo, which is an acronym for JAckson COunty, MO. The park was renamed Fleming Park in honor of Judge Harry M. Fleming who helped develop the park in the 1950s.
Rock Ledges Trail System
Rock Ledges Loop Trails are two trails that circle around a peninsula on the southwest corner of Lake Jacomo. Rock Ledges Nature Trail (3.1mi) (sometimes referred to as Lower Rock Ledges) runs along the shoreline itself with the named rock ledges to hikers’ left roughly 30 yards away. Upper Rock Ledges (2.7mi) trail parallels Lower Rock Ledges, simply on top of said rock ledges. This creates somewhat of a dilemma, as when hiking Lower Rock Ledges trail, the rock formations are obscured by foliage. When hiking Upper Rock Ledges one can’t see the formations either as one is on top of them. What I would love is a middle trail that runs alongside the base of the ledges.
Which Trail to Hike?
After a frustrating hike diving in and out of both Upper and Lower Rock Ledges trail, it’s this humble hiker’s opinion that Lower Rock Ledges is the trail to take for three reasons: 1) The banks of Lake Jacomo are quite beautiful, 2) In times of low foliage, or when the trail does swing by the rock ledges, the are also quite beautiful to gaze upon, and 3) The Lower Rock Ledges section of trail between the 1.7mi to 2.7mi marks that passes by the marshlands is frankly, the most beautiful and enjoyable section of the entire trail system.
More Youtube Hiking Videos
Wudchuck Run in KC’s Swope Park
Rocky Falls to Klepzig Mill
Hiking Gear List
Long Sleeve Shirt - REI Co-op Midweight Base Layer
T-Shirt - REI Co-op Sahara T-Shirt
Pants - KUHL Renegade Rock Pants
Underwear - REI Co-op Everyday Boxer Briefs
Shoes - The North Face VECTIV Fastpack FUTURELIGHT Hiking Shoes
Pack - REI Co-op Flash 22 Pack
Water Bottle - REI Co-op Nalgene 1L
Headlamp - Petzl Tikka Headlamp
Camera Gear List
Camera - iPhone 14 Pro
Follow me on Instagram @mshepjordan9 for more photos from this hike!
Subscribe to my YouTube channel for weekly solo hiking videos.
VIDEO MUSIC (AudioHero) - Get a FREE AudioHero membership when you purchase TubeBuddy Pro
DISCLAIMER: These links are affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission which helps me out and is no cost to you! Thank you for supporting my journey.