Cedar Niles Park opens in Olathe

Cedar Niles Park, 12650 South Clare Road, in west Olathe is the Johnson County Park and Recreation District’s newest park . It is the 18th county park in a district with more than 10,000 acres.

Dedication of the new park is scheduled at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 9. Located west of K-7, stretching from approximately 119th Street just past 135th Street, the park property totals 1,030 acres and contains many natural assets including streams, dramatic topography and diverse plant life. The park is open from dawn to dusk year-round.

Cedar Niles Park offers four miles of multi-use paved trails. It also features 4.5 miles of single-track trails for mountain biking and hiking called the Columbine Loop. It is an unpaved medium-difficulty trail named after the native wildflower which can be found abundantly on the northern portion of the trail.

Amenities at the 135th Street Access include a shelter and playground. Other access points are at 127th Street and Clare Road and at 119th Street west of K-7. Each of the access points offers bike fix-it stations.

The master plan for Cedar Niles Park was first developed in 2008. The predominate public opinion was that the park should include mostly passive uses, with a strong interest in a variety of trails. Work to develop the first phase of the new park began in 2019.