With nod to biking and barbecue, KC joins outdoor magazine’s ‘25 Best Towns of 2017’

Kansas City has good barbecue — that is no secret.

But it also has a number of noteworthy biking trails, according to a new ranking of the “25 Best Towns of 2017” by an outdoor magazine.

The combination of biking and barbecue elevated Kansas City, placing it among such cities as Seattle; Salida, Colo.; Portland, Maine; and Missoula, Mont.

Outside Online wrote that KC has the “best mix of barbecue and biking.” Seattle was the best big city with “bona fide adventure,” and Missoula had the “best big sky.”

But the “Special Advisory Council” that nominated the cities wrote that KC may be the “most livable city in the country.” The magazine cited a newly revamped downtown, emerging food and art scenes and a low cost of living.

Attractions such as the Royals and Sprint Center concerts also received a shout out.

“You may be thinking, But it’s in the plains! There’s nothing to do! Wrong,” the magazine wrote. “You can climb in a bouldering gym located ten stories underground in a former limestone mine or mountain-bike along more than 130 miles of singletrack that twists through the city from Swope Park to Minor Park. Thanks to a soon-to-be-completed link trail, you’ll be able to hike or bike all the way from Kansas City to Saint Louis via the 238-mile Katy Trail. Ready to move? We thought so.”

Other notable biking routes in and around KC include the Line Creek Trail north of the river, Levee Trail in Riverfront Park and running along the Missouri River, the newly implemented bike lane down Grand Boulevard through downtown and Riverfront Heritage Trail that links Kansas City and Kansas City, Kan.

For a complete map of biking trails and routes in the area, visit the city’s website.

This story was originally published December 27, 2017 at 1:31 PM with the headline "With nod to biking and barbecue, KC joins outdoor magazine’s ‘25 Best Towns of 2017’."