Swope Park is a 1,805-acre park established in 1896 and managed by Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department. In addition to a general hotspot for the park, there are three separate birding hotspots recognized--the Kansas City Zoo, Lakeside Nature Center, and Rocky Point Glades Trail--which are described with their own entries. The main park entrance is on Meyer Boulevard at Swope Parkway (N39o0'26" W94o32'33"). This provides access to the Swope Interpretive Center, a 1915 Flag Staff with the Gettysburg Address, Star-Spangled Banner, and Declaration of Independence on the pedestal, the Band Pavilion, the Starlight Theatre, Picnic Shelters 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9, and the Kansas City Zoo. This area is generally open with scattered trees. A grove of walnut trees is to the east of Shelter 2 (N39o0'33" W94o32'3"). East 63rd Street Trafficway is the northern boundary of the park. It provides access to the Southeast Community Center and Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden on East 63rd at Jackson Avenue and the Swope Soccer Village on Lewis Road. Gregory Boulevard bisects the southern portion of the park. It provides access, from west to east, to Kansas Community Gardens and Beanstalk Children's Garden on Kensington Road, Lakeside Nature Center, KC Pet Project, and Swope Dog Park west of the Blue River Bridge; and Lake of the Woods and PIcnic Shelter 10, Thomas H. Swope Memorial, and Swope Memorial Golf Course. Oldham Road intersects Gregory Boulevard east of the Blue River bridge and provides access to the Shelter 7, the Swope mountain-bike trails, Go Ape Zipline Adventure Park, Camp Lake of the Woods and Rocky Point Glades. Blue River Road intersects Oldham Road and provides access to Heart of America Golf Course and Tom Watson Golf Academy.

At 1,805-acres, Swope Park is the crown jewel of the KC Parks system. As Kansas City’s largest park, and one of the largest municipal parks in the United States, Swope Park is home to many of Kansas City’s finest attractions and annually hosts more than 2 million visitors.

Hiking trails wind through woodlands and grassy meadows encompassing soccer fields, golf courses, community gardens, fountains and a treetop adventure park. Within the park is Starlight Theatre, an outdoor amphitheater featuring musicals and concerts, and the Kansas City Zoo with more than 1,000 animals from around the globe. The Lakeside Nature Center, Missouri’s largest native species rehabilitation center, is also located in Swope Park.

(1) Swope Trails are three trails in a concentric loop system winding among limestone rocks and bluffs. Parking is at the junction of Oldham Road and Oakwood Drive. A map of the Swope Trails may be found at The Trails | Urban Trail Co. | Kansas City Trails. 

(2) A 10-foot-wide bicycle-pedestrian trail is separated from Blue River Road and extends from the Heart of America Golf Course parking lot (N38o59'15" W94o31'42") south 0.8 miles to the Blue River Glades State Natural Area and Eddy-Ballantine Trail junction. The latter two sites are in the Blue River Parkway County Park (Jackson County). 

(3) Additional trails are described under the Lakeside Nature Center, Rocky Point Glades, and Kansas City Zoo birding hotspots.