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Reply to Bike route from Lee's Summit to Pleasant Hill
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PFCharles from Pflugerville on 4/1/2017 10:25:28 PM:
Has anyone ridden from Lee's Summit to Pleasant Hill? That looks like the closest stop to the Pleasant Hill trailhead.
Please let me know what you think would be a good route.

 
Nate Hammer from Lee's Summit on 4/4/2017 12:43:22 PM:
Get to Todd George road and head south. Turns into Ranson Road in Greenwood and turn left on 150. Head to Smart Road and head south to about 167th. The start of the Mo Pac Trail is at that corner and will take you into town.

 
@cknewman from Kansas City on 4/4/2017 8:22:53 PM:
Here's a shareable route from Nate's description.
https://www.plotaroute.com/route/388487

 
Aaron from new bloomfield on 4/4/2017 8:36:06 PM:
Thank you. I will use this route. Is there shoulders along the route.

 
@cknewman from Kansas City on 4/5/2017 7:24:43 PM:
I'll record a video of the route and post it here in the next week or so.

 
Aaron from new bloomfield on 4/5/2017 10:28:15 PM:
That's awesome. Thank you.

 
Jeff from Greenwood, MO on 4/11/2017 9:54:10 AM:
Be very careful on both Ranson and 150. They are 2 lane roads with hills, I have cycled on them twice and it is not comfortable. Smart Road is very quiet but is also very thick gravel on the south side.

 
@cknewman from Kansas City on 4/12/2017 9:25:21 PM:
Aaron,

So here is the video of the route from the Lee's Summit Train Station to the Cass County Fairgrounds in Pleasant Hill:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CqA-TwZwZg

I would echo Jeff's comments. I recorded my video early on a Saturday morning so traffic is fairly light. On my return trip, Ranson Road north of 50 Highway (where it is called Todd George Road) is pretty busy as is 2nd Street. 2nd Street does have some bike lanes but only near the train station. You can also see in the video the quality of Smart Road is pretty bad in places particularly by Pleasant Hill Lake. I didn't realize that Smart Road became a bike path so I turned left on 167th which had a couple big hills and was rougher terrain. May try to scout other locations but I think this should give you a good idea. Chris

 
Aaron from new bloomfield on 4/12/2017 9:50:55 PM:
Thank you Chris. Looks like much more traffic than I expected. I will have to think about my safety here. I am not used to riding on hwy in traffic. Do you know a local shuttle service in the area that could transport me.

 
McGuirk from st. paul on 4/17/2017 1:48:24 PM:
Does 291 allow for bike traffic? Looking at it with google earth it appears to have a nice wide shoulder. Also HWY 150 eastbound into Greenwood appears to have a nice shoulder as well. I would rather have a shoulder and faster traffic, than no shoulder.

 
@cknewman from Kansas City on 4/17/2017 10:47:42 PM:
291 is not good for biking between 50 and 150 HWY. It is truly a highway with speeds of 60MPH+. I can't speak to the consistency of the shoulders though but would not advise it. I would categorize 150 east of 291 as more of a country highway and although there is a bit of traffic it is much more bike friendly. My video from above shows 150 HWY east of Ranson Road starting at the 6:18 mark.

 
KBLS from Lee's Summit on 4/18/2017 2:12:03 PM:
I took the following route last weekend and found it to be minimal traffic and a pretty direct route. You only have a couple of heavy traffic areas but they are only a block or two long. I want to point out there is a large quarry south of Greenwood and the maps I have seen are not too accurate but easy to figure out when you see the quarry. The directions will start from the Lee's Summit train station:
S on Main to 3rd Street
E on 3rd Street to Douglas
S on Douglas to SE Blue Pkwy
E on SE Blue Pkwy to 291 Hwy.
S on 291 which turns into Hamblen Rd.
E on SE Bailey until you pick up Hamblen Rd again
S on Hamblen Rd to Gambrell St in Greenwood, MO
E on Gambrell to Ranson Rd.
S on Ranson Rd. to Walnut St.
E on Walnut St to 2nd Ave.
S on 2nd Ave which becomes Kimmel Rd. to Quarry or Cement Rd (can't remember for sure) Map says Airport Rd. but it is not marked that way. If you keep going straight you would ride into the quarry gates. There is a road off to your right around the quarry.
S on this road to 163rd Street
E on 163rd St to BB Hwy
S on BB to 175th Street
E on 175th Street to Boardman Rd.
S on Boardman which will take you into Pleasant Hill.
It is only about 12 miles but lots of turns but an easy logical ride.
Hope it helps, Enjoy!