One of the Shortest Scenic Drives in America is in Missouri
Do you enjoy scenic drives, but don't have a lot of time to devote to a road trip? If that's your situation, I may have found the perfect one for you. It's one of the shortest scenic drives in America and it's located in Missouri.
I have to confess that I had never heard of Cliff Drive Scenic Byway in the Kansas City area. I saw the Legends of America website reference it as "one of the shortest scenic byways in America". They say it dates back to 1895 when it was horses and buggies that would traverse it.
It's a road that has trees cascading down around it plus it now has a disc golf course along its route, too. Oh, and there are waterfalls. It's only 4.27 miles long and goes right through a part of Kansas City.
Now for the bad news. The KC Parks website says the trail is closed to motorized vehicles right now. Here's how they describe this historical route:
Cliff Drive preserves natural features unique to this portion of the Missouri River Valley including limestone bluffs, natural vegetation, and wildlife, particularly unusual because it is located immediately adjacent to the city core within a heavily urbanized environment.
They simply don't create roads our routes like this anymore. It's one of the more unique roads you'll ever find in Missouri or America for that matter.