Parks & Trails
Need some fresh air?
We've got you covered.
Our area is home to two multi-use trails, perfect for walking, jogging, biking, or just enjoying the natural beauty of our community.
The Ruby Jack Trail was converted from a railroad line to a 16-mile trail that stretches between nearby Carthage, Missouri and the Kansas state line. Open year-round, it features a bright array of wildflowers in the summer and is open to your favorite, four-legged friends, as long as they are on a leash.
Four miles of packed gravel make the Frisco Greenway Trail ideal for running, walking, biking, or rolling. It runs from North Street to Highway 171 in neighboring Webb City, following another former railroad line from the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway.
A wonderful collection of parks is also located in Joplin, featuring a variety of amenities and activity spaces. Each park has its own public parking lot and restrooms.
Campbell Parkway includes a 1.8-mile-long pedestrian trail that crosses the Joplin Creek, perfect for jogging or dog-walking. There are benches alongside the path as well as beautiful greenways and landscaped plots.
With its multi-use basketball and soccer courts, playgrounds, a swimming pool, and a butterfly garden, Cunningham Park is an excellent destination for families. There are also picnic areas, a walking trail, and a memorial to those lost in the 2011 tornado.
Ewert Park offers a picnic shelter, outdoor amphitheater, tennis courts, a family aquatic center, a playground, basketball courts, and a four-zone, 10,000-square-foot outdoor skate park perfect for skateboarding, rollerblading, and BMX biking.
If you’re looking for an excellent picnic spot, Humphrey Park has a covered picnic pavilion and gazebo as well as an open greenspace. Paved paths, a basketball court, and a playground are also available.
Athletes will enjoy the jogging trails, softball field, pickleball courts, sand volleyball courts, and softball field located at Landreth Park. Other amenities include two picnic pavilions, an amphitheater, and a playground.
Leonard Park offers residents a peaceful recreation area. This park features a picnic shelter, a tennis/pickleball court, playground, a paved path, and a large, open play area.
Located on a high, scenic bluff which overlooks Shoal Creek Valley, McClelland Park has two picnic pavilions, horseshoe pits, playgrounds, and a disc golf course.
Built on the former location of Mercy Hospital, which was destroyed in the 2011 tornado, Mercy Park stands as a tribute to the lives tragically lost in the storm. The facility offers three concrete paths, two shelters, and a reflecting pond.
Parr Hill Park is the perfect destination for dog owners with its dog park and trails. Families can enjoy its other amenities, including a picnic pavilion, playground, splash pad, outdoor fitness equipment, and basketball courts.
With three basketball courts, a skatepark ramp, an inline hockey court, two sand volleyball courts, an 18-hole golf course, and a 6-hole disc golf course, Shifferdecker Park is an excellent destination for athletes. The park also has playground equipment, an aquatic center, and is home to the Joplin History and Mineral Museum.
Wildcat Park is home to a three-and-a-half mile walking trail which winds through the scenic, wooded bluffs that overlook Shoal Creek. There are picnic facilities and fishing, swimming, and boating are permitted. The park also contains the Shoal Creek Conservation and Education Center, which hosts educational programming for all ages.