Clay: Water, Trails and History

Clay County Parks, Recreation, and Historic Sites manages more than 6,000 acres of parkland. A stay in Clay offers different ways to explore trails and water, historic sites, and wine and spirits experiences.

Trails and Water

The Camp Branch Trail System includes Bonebender Trail, Campground Trail and Eagle’s View Trail, and is 10.4 miles long in total. Camp Branch Beach is accessible by vehicle; from Camp Branch Campground, it can be reached via Bonebender Trail. Little Platte Beach is also accessible by vehicle or by a named trail, Little Platte Trail. Both beaches therefore offer access by car and by trail.

Smithville Lake also offers several ways to enjoy a stay by the water: The recreational lake covers 7,190 acres and has two full-service marinas with boat rentals. Crow’s Creek Campground on the lake has 406 campsites. Boat rental reservations at Camp Branch Marina are available from May 1 through October 1, weather permitting.

Williams Creek Lake in Watkins Mill State Park has a boat ramp and a free courtesy dock. Kayaks are rented there at the campground control station from April 15 through October 31. In summer, the park also offers interpretive programs. Check the kayak rental information and program dates before your trip.

Historic Trails and Sites

In Liberty, the city provides downloadable and printable self-guided tours and maps of historic Liberty. The African-American History Tour covers 175 years of African-American history. The tour of the Dougherty Historic District is about 1 mile long. The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated as one of Liberty’s five local historic districts. Liberty also hosts the Historic Walking Tour Series annually.

The visitor experience at Historic Liberty Jail includes a scale model that illustrates the jail’s dimensions and construction. Mt. Gilead School offers field trips featuring lessons in a historic classroom with a teacher in period clothing. The Garrison School Cultural Center in Liberty was established in 1877 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

At the Jesse James Bank Museum, visitors see the bank as it looked in 1866. The museum is located at the site of the first successful peacetime daytime bank robbery in the United States. Jesse James Birthplace houses the world’s largest collection of James family artifacts; a paved, curved path leads to the farmhouse. Atkins-Johnson Farm and Museum is one of the oldest continuously inhabited homes in Clay County. It also has a heritage garden with herbs, strawberries and asparagus.

Clay County Museum houses historic artifacts from across the county and has a reading room where visitors can view historic documents and articles. Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site preserves a 19th-century woolen mill with its original machinery fully intact.

Wine and Tastings

Tasting options also vary. At Belvoir Winery & Inn, visitors can order locally made wines and taste Boo’s wine. Ladoga Ridge Winery offers wines made from grapes grown in its own vineyard, which visitors can also taste. Restless Spirits offers distillery tours with spirits tastings and cocktails.

Explore more destinations: Liberty, Randolph, North Kansas City, Excelsior Springs, Trimble, Holt, Warren County, Nodaway County

For the broader travel overview: Missouri.