Trails in Wallace Park
There are three interconnecting trails in Wallace Park: Park View, Rock Stadium, and Bull Creek Trails. Surfaces are primarily of limestone screenings. Each of the trailheads offers parking, trash/recycling containers, and pet waste stations. The kiosks feature a full map of the entire park, as well as a detailed map of that specific trail and how it connects with the other two. Donor-sponsored benches are located at strategic spots along the trails to provide a place to sit and enjoy the restful sounds of rippling water, children at play, refreshing breezes, or the surrounding landscape in general.
Wallace Park Drive is the main entrance to the park — just off Osage Street on the south end of Paola. It is a one-way street with a designated bike lane. The street leads visitors directly to the municipal swimming pool, playground, 10 ball diamonds, basketball and tennis courts, skateboard park, comfort station, portable toilets, picnic shelters, and tables throughout the park. In addition to trailhead parking lots, access to trails can be made from several drive-through parking areas along Wallace Park Drive.
The Trails
Park View Trail – high on the hill
Sponsored by Miami County Medical Center
Distance: 1 mile (outer perimeter loop)
Surface: Limestone screening with short sections of asphalt or concrete
Trailhead location: West of caretaker’s house
Exposure: Mix of sun and shade
Features:
Users pass basketball and tennis courts before choosing to meander (right) toward the skateboard park and playground or (left) through the quieter open meadow
Magnificent views of Wallace Park and the surrounding area
Comfort station (closed in winter) / Portable toilet near playground (year-round)
Rock Stadium Trail – named for historic stadium built in 1934
Sponsored by First Option Bank
Distance options:
Soccer field loop: .9 mile
Stadium loop: .4 mile
Surface: Limestone screening with short, steep grades that dip and rise in and out of timber along creek; circles around soccer fields with straight, level trail
Trailhead location: South of playground and swimming pool
Exposure: Mix of sun and shade
Features:
Trail first leads south then east, featuring two loops
Bull Creek Trail – southwest corner of park
Sponsored by The Baehr Foundation, First Option Trustee
Distance: .5 mile
Surface: Limestone screening; most level grade of park trails — for all ages and abilities
Trailhead location: Near Bull Creek Bridge, south of Wallace Street and S. Silver Street (Old KC Road) intersection
Exposure: Primarily shaded
Features:
Trail first leads south then east through woods following Bull Creek
Towering cottonwood, sprawling sycamore, and majestic oak trees
Abundant varieties of wildlife
We have a house full of energetic young children and truly enjoy the family time we spend on the trails with our kids, looking for butterflies or riding our bikes as fast as training wheels will allow. The Pathways encourage us to enjoy the beautiful setting of Wallace Park. These trails help to increase the quality of life in Paola for our family and are certainly a key component to any progressive community.”
Trail Progress
See how the Wallace Park trails came to life with this photo gallery: