One of the larger forest/woodland complexes in the Missouri River bluffs north of Kansas City, roughly 3/4ths of this area is forested with the remainder being a mix of small open grasslands, shrub lands & young forest. The bluffs are loess capped with a mix of limestone and shale bedrock at their base. The area is heavily dissected by a number of small, rock-bottomed, low flowing to intermittent streams and has approximately 200 feet of vertical relief within it’s boundaries. Despite the apparent ruggedness of the area from the roads dissecting it, the areas noted below offer low to moderate grade trails providing much easier access than might at first be expected.

The Forest Nature Trail (parking lot E) is accessed from Bethel Rd. in the northeastern part of the area. It is a paved trail starting at the parking lot and has three loops labeled as Prairie Trail, Meadow Trail, and Bluff Trail on the area map. The first loop, Prairie Trail, encircles a small planting of native grasses & wildflowers. The second loop, Meadow Trail, encircles another small planting that is more shrubby while the third loop, Bluff Trail, is primarily woodland and forest.