What we’re about
### Sierra Club Kansas City Outings
Welcome to our Meetup site, where as volunteers we manage activity announcements and sign-ups.
### Our Programs
We offer various outdoor programs, including beginner backpacking. This is typically held in spring and fall, supported by our modern equipment library and a separate wilderness navigation course. Additionally, we organize day hikes, service days, other activities, and backpacking trips.
### Our Mission
Part of the National Sierra Club's "Local Outdoors" program, our outings focus on the Kansas City area community. We are a coalition of the Sierra Club's Thomas Hart Benton, Kanza & Wakarusa groups. We aim to be inclusive and welcome individuals from all backgrounds, with many members committed to conservation, equity, and social welfare advocacy.
If you're looking for advocacy opportunities - check out our Sierra Club | Kansas City | Advocacy | Environment Meetup Group.
### Locations
Our activities take place in well-known locations like Missouri and Kansas, and sometimes farther afield. Historically, these areas had different names and inhabitants. Here are some resources to explore these historical contexts: mapping tool, trail references, and additional perspective.
### Get Involved
Looking to connect with nature, meet new people, or get some exercise? Our local outings are here on Meetup; together with Sierra Club's domestic and international outings, we have something for everyone. Join us today! While membership is not required to participate, joining the Sierra Club for as little as $15 supports our programs.
### Support and Contributions
We may ask for small donations to cover the costs of things like leader training and maintaining our gear lending library. Note, donations to the Sierra Club are not tax-deductible (we're a Section 501(c)(4) non-profit organization under the Internal Revenue Code.) Our leaders are unpaid volunteers who generously give their time. Speaking of that, we're always interested in finding new leaders and assistant leaders.
### Join Our Leadership Team!
🌟 Love the outdoors and having fun? We're looking for additional leaders to join us to take people on amazing adventures! Start as an assistant leader (sweep) and grow into a leadership role, all while building valuable skills and making lifelong connections.
Our training and certification, including Wilderness First Aid, ensures you lead safely and confidently. And yes, there's a bit of paperwork—it's simple.
Join the team, make a real difference, and enjoy the journeys! 🚶♂️🌲💪😉
### Backpacking Trips
In addition to our beginner backpacking program, we host beginner and advanced backpacking trips locally and regionally, with options for national and international outings. These trips offer progression for those who complete the beginner program and provide team-building opportunities for leaders.
### Activities and Leadership
Our volunteer leaders organize diverse activities based on their interests, including both backpacking but also day hikes, cycling, and camping. We also engage in conservation efforts like picking up trash, bird watching, and trail maintenance. And sometimes we take social trips with a community or historical connection. Our leaders are certified and trained in first aid, which sets us apart.
### Participation Requirements
- RSVP: Please RSVP in advance; walk-ins are not accepted.
- Minors: Minors can join some activities with a responsible adult. Please check the outing description to see if it allows minors. Please understand that there is additional work a leader has to complete to include minors.
- Pets: Generally, pets are prohibited unless specified; bona-fide service (versus emotional support) animals are generally permitted, but it also depends upon the venue's requirements and the activities involved. Leaders are not certified or trained in pet first aid or rescue.
- Standards: Leaders may establish the focus for their activity, and may require certain minimums, e.g. for: fitness, experience, and equipment.
### Carpooling
Carpooling is encouraged among participants who use their own judgement on doing so. It is important to note that carpooling arrangements are strictly private and not covered by Sierra Club's insurance. As such, the club assumes no liability for any issues arising from carpooling or ride-sharing arrangements.
### Participation Agreement
All Sierra Club outing participants must sign a standard participant agreement as part of the sign-in process. This agreement will be linked in individual Outing announcements so that you can easily review it beforehand and be ready to sign.
### Medical Form
You must complete a medical form if you plan to go on a backcountry, overnight, or day trip more than an hour away from an emergency medical facility. The trip leader will review the form and respect your privacy. We take the privacy of our participants very seriously and ensure that the responses on the form are kept confidential. In emergencies, the form will be available during the trip. After the trip, we will either return or delete the form. Whenever possible, we prefer to collect medical forms at the trailhead. However, for backpacking trips, we need to conduct a more thorough advance vetting process of the participants to ensure everyone's safety, so we can be happy and inspired along the way. Therefore, we require the medical forms to be filled out and submitted upfront for backpacking trips. If you feel unwell or show symptoms of illness, please do not attend outings.
### Feedback and Concerns
If you have any concerns during or after an outing, inform the outing leader immediately. For unwelcome messages on Meetup, follow Meetup’s guidance and contact us if needed.
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Missouri Wildflowers Blooming in JuneAnita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center, Kansas City, MO
This month we will learn to identify Missouri wildflowers blooming in June. We will discuss the flower color, shape, leaf arrangement and habit of growth. Rachel Mandi, naturalist, will give us tips inside at the Discovery Center before we go outside to the native gardens to see how many we can identify. If you like, bring your phones to practice the basic photography skills of good lighting, the rule of thirds, using a tripod and knowing the dates of recurrent flowering of plants in season.
At the end of the evening, one lucky person will win the “Missouri Wildflowers” book by Edgar Denison. This book is also on sale at the Discovery Center.
At sign-in, all participants on Sierra Club outings are required to sign a standard participant agreement you can read here, if you would like to read it b4 you choose to participate, www.tinyurl.com/sonsite
About the Sierra Club : The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
Why America must protect 30x30 (w/ Sen. Tom Udall, Dr. Enric Sala): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4VmOchhp8o
- Lawrence River Trail: National Trails Day HikeLawrence River Trails Trailhead, Lawrence, KS
Outing Overview
For National Trails Day on June 7th, we will hike part of the Lawrence River Trail. The Lawrence River Trail follows and has views of the Kansas River from the north side of Lawrence. Since the trail follows the river, it's mostly flat with only a few hills.We will hike a section of the trail for 4.3 miles. The outing officially ends after the hike, but we will also visit Massachusetts Street in Lawrence for lunch after the hike as an unofficial second part to the outing.
The Hike
We will hike a 4.3 mile section of the trail known as the "Race Loop" The hike starts out next to the river, then comes back on a parallel trail section.
The hike will last around 2 hours. Almost all of the trail is covered with trees, and it should be cool and shady in the morning. Dogs are not allowed on the hike.Optional Lunch
The outing officially ends after the hike, but there will also be an optional lunch in Lawrence after the hike. The trail is just across the river from Massachusetts Street, (Mass Street for short) the main restaurant area in Lawrence. Anyone who would like to join can meet together at a restaurant we will pick after the hike. Each person will be responsible for their own ordering and bill.What to Bring
Make sure to bring closed toe hiking shoes, hiking sandals, or boots that are broken in.
The trail is not suitable for open toe sandals or flip flops. Make sure to also bring sunscreen, bug spray and water.About the Sierra Club
Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet 🌎
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit [www.sierraclub.org.](http://www.sierraclub.org./)
Why America must protect 30x30 (w/ Sen. Tom Udall, Dr. Enric Sala) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4VmOchhp8o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4VmOchhp8o) - KC-area Beginning Backpacking Program | Fall 2025 | RSVPs Start May 22!Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center, Kansas City, MO
Unlock Adventure—Learn, Level Up, and Find your Crew | RSVPs start May 22!
This isn’t just one-time program—it’s a gateway to adventure. You’ll gain the skills, confidence, and practical know-how to engage the backcountry, whether solo, by forming your own tight-knit crew, joining organized trips, or crossing paths with others who match your energy, drive, and ambition.
Over the course of this KC-area Beginning Backpacking Program, we’ll break down key skills, tackle a weekend backcountry trip, and see who’s ready to embrace the backpacking lifestyle. Some will take what they learn and venture out on their own, while others may find the right mix of people with whom to keep exploring—because when the right combination of experience, mindset, and enthusiasm comes together, the trail has a way of leading to more.
If you’re injury-free, in good health, and already comfortable with hiking—or keep your fitness high —this is your chance to level up. Whether you’re looking to dive into backpacking as a lifelong pursuit or want to rebaseline your skills and connect with the right people, this is built for you.
For Those Ready to Take Backpacking Seriously
We have content for several learning styles. We’ll provide a curated reading list and expert content to review, but it’s on you to study up. The more effort you put in, the faster you’ll accelerate your backpacking chops—and trust us, that’ll pay off on the trail. The classroom day is part discussion, part hands-on skill demos—because reading about pitching a tent won’t help when it’s 2 AM and your rainfly is upside down. And then we get repetitions in out in the field on the trip.### How Do You Get In?
First, read everything—seriously, don’t skim. The details matter.
Then, join the waitlist. If we’re in sync, you’ll get a survey to complete. Make sure you use an email that lasts—it’s how we’ll stay in touch.
Sign-up workflow: RSVP on the Meetup waitlist — Complete the Google survey promptly when we send it — Get approval confirmation — Pay $75 via Paypal — Accept the Slack invitation but also continue to monitor this Meetup site throughout. [Please note: One person handles the sign-up drudgery for us—it’s a total PIT*, and we don’t monitor or respond 24/7. Expect our actions in the workflow to come through as time allows, not at lightning speed. So sign up properly, be patient for the steps to unfold in the sequence shown, and we’ll get back to you.]
There are spots for ≈14 people who fully sign up quickly.
About that organized group thing: you'll find National Sierra Club offers a variety of big-league adventures!
Need gear? We’ve got (some of) you covered—literally.
Our small but mighty gear library has sleeping bags, pads, tents, backpacks, and stoves available for Sierra Club members. Since this is just for a couple of folks, sorting it out takes time, which can influence the pace of the sign-up process as we work through things [wouldn't want to sign someone up who needs this kit if it's already commited...] Want in? Join the Sierra Club for as little as $15 and unlock access to the essentials.About the program price: We're holding the line at $75 this last time but it will go up in 2026. The $ helps to finance the gear library, support leadership training & trail maintenance. The instructors volunteer their time w/o compensation. Refunds are not available if requested less than 30 days b4 the 1st activity.
### Activities: Learn by Doing
We’ve streamlined the time commitment—focused discussion plus hands-on kinetic learning. Expect essential backpacking concepts explained up front, then reinforced through practical how-to sessions. It’s about building skills, gaining confidence, and getting repetitions in —because there’s no substitute for learning by doing.
#### 📍 8/16/25 – Backpacking Skills Class
🕘 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM | Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center, KCMO
We’ll cover key backpacking principles before diving into hands-on skill demos on select essential skills—things like filtering water, pitching tents, preventing blisters, hanging bear (varmint) bags, firing up a stove, lacing footwear properly, setting up a sleep system, staying warm at night, using hiking poles, seam-sealing a tent, loading a backpack, and more. The exact lineup may vary, but expect to get plenty of practical experience. You'll have AMPLE time to get your gear together after the class for the actual trip. We would have had the class closer to the backpacking trip, but we'll be out backpacking.Late September or Early October - Shakedown Hike at Shawnee Mission or Kill Creek Park TBA. Bring your loaded backpacks and walk five miles with us, to get the feel of it all before the backpacking trip. This can help you dial it all in, for real. Probably on a weekend day. We will schedule this for fair weather, so about a week ahead of time. Possibly two of these, TBD.
#### ⛰️ 10/24/25 – 10/26/25 – Backpacking Trip (TBA)
🕣 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM | ≈ 4 hours from KC This is the real deal—time to apply everything in a live backcountry setting. The leader(s) might bring a dog(s) for trail companionship. You will PROVIDE AND USE ALL YOUR OWN KIT [READ THE LIST AT THE LINK!] and consumables like food, water, 1st aid kit, meds, and stove fuel.
PRIOR SESSIONS GIVE YOU A SENSE OF THINGS
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f 2024Participants complete a standard participant agreement & medical form in class.
Bring a personal 1st aid kit to all activities.
The activities officially begin & end @ the locations designated by Sierra Club, & don't include carpooling, transportation, or transit to & from them; each participant is personally responsible for all risks associated with this travel. Account for travel time when planning.
