A 38,000-pound granite boulder serves as the centerpiece of Riverfront Boulder @ Berkley, a new urban bouldering park where officials held a ribbon cutting Wednesday at the Berkley Riverfront in Kansas City. Plans call for the park to open on Thursday.
Tammy Ljungblad
Tljungblad@kcstar.com
Officials from JE Dunn Construction and Port KC gathered in blustery winds for a ribbon cutting Wednesday for the new Riverfront Boulder @ Berkley, a new urban bouldering park on the Berkley Riverfront.
The project, funded in part by JE Dunn’s centennial $100,000 grant and supported by its Groundbreakers group, features a 38,000-pound granite boulder in a recessed pit with poured-in-place surfacing. The Canadian firm OnSite, which installed the 12-foot-tall boulder last week will return to Kansas City in 2025 to carve hand and footholds into the stones’ surface.
Attendees of the park ribbon cutting check out the giant boulder the park is built around. Tammy Ljungblad Tljungblad@kcstar.com
Bouldering is a type of rock climbing performed on small rock formations or artificial climbing walls without the use of ropes or harnesses on an area surrounded by a soft surface.
“This is really meant for people who are experienced climbers,” said Meredith Hoenes, Port KC Director of Communications, of the 12-foot tall boulder. “This is meant to give climbers a natural surface inside an urban setting, an outdoor option closer to home.”
Councilman Eric Bunch, from left, Gordon Lansford, CEO, JE Dunn Construction, Jeff Blaesing senior VP JE Dunn Construction, and Jon Stephens, Port KC President and CEO, far right, and others react after cutting the ribbon on Riverfront Boulder @ Berkley, a new urban bouldering park on Wednesday at the Berkley Riverfront in Kansas City. Tammy Ljungblad Tljungblad@kcstar.com
The project was funded in part by JE Dunn’s centennial $100,000 grant and supported by its Groundbreakers group. Tammy Ljungblad Tljungblad@kcstar.com
Hoenes said crash pads and spotters will be recommended for climbers, which is for adults only. It will be open to all skill levels, with no equipment required.
The park, located on Riverfront Drive just east of the sand volleyball courts, also includes a natural play area for children that features smaller boulders.
A 38,000-pound granite boulder at the center of the park is 12 feet tall. Tammy Ljungblad Tljungblad@kcstar.com
Jennifer Lyon left, and Grayson Brucato, both of JE Dunn Construction, use rollers to smooth out indentations in the poured-in-place surfacing at Riverfront Boulder @ Berkley. Tammy Ljungblad Tljungblad@kcstar.com
Due to KC streetcar construction, park access, set to open to the public Thursday, is via a sidewalk across from the recently opened Origin Hotel Kansas City. Look for the signs that say Urban Boulder with an arrow point back to the west.
Future additions by January 2025 include an app-supported climbing route and a rope bridge.
The centerpiece boulder is in place but still needs to have hand and footholds carved into the stone’s surface. That process is planned for 2025. Tammy Ljungblad Tljungblad@kcstar.com
This story was originally published November 21, 2024 at 7:48 AM.
Tammy Ljungblad, at The Kansas City Star, since 1989, is a photojournalist producing videos and storytelling photographs covering a wide range of topics including the Kansas City Chiefs, breaking news, in-depth stories and personality profiles. She is also a FAA licensed drone pilot.Support my work with a digital subscription
