This Leawood hiking and biking trail follows Tomahawk Creek, a stream that originates near the Overland Park Arboretum and flows northeastward through suburban Johnson County before meeting up with Indian Creek about a half mile north of this location. The confluence of the two creeks is along this hiking path, and after the confluence, this hiking trail becomes part of the Indian Creek trail system. The trail splits near the entrance of Leawood Park, giving hikers and bikers the option to continue north and east or turn west to follow Indian Creek west and south to its origin in Olathe.
Dedicated in 2019, this sculpture by Michael Stutz can be viewed about fifty feet east of this part of the Tomahawk Creek Trail. The sculpture portrays a confident female figure striding between limestone blocks, the building material that formed many of the early structures in this part of eastern Kansas. Stutz has created numerous metallic sculptures of faces and bodies that can be seen in major cities throughout the United States. This figure is made of green silicon bronze strips with a layered look that creates the female form and celebrates the connection between exploring nature and enjoying a healthy lifestyle.
Dedicated in the spring of 2022, this public art installation was the first kinetic sculpture in the city of Leawood and was created by Colorado artist John King. The artist's inspiration for the piece came while he was hang gliding, and a hawk flew next to him. "We flew and circled together for several minutes," King explained, "each eyeing the other from above or below." The bright blue kinetic sculpture has iridescent paint that shimmers on sunny days as each of the wings or leaves (depending on one's perspective) at the top of the sculpture moves with the wind.
This seventeen-foot-tall metal sculpture by renowned artist Albert Paley was initially located at 59th and Park Avenue in New York City, just two blocks east of Central Park. The sculpture was part of a special exhibit called Paley on Park Avenue that opened in 2013 and featured thirteen sculptors. Of these works, eight had already been sold before their creation, including this sculpture, which the city of Leawood had already selected as the centerpiece of the community's sculpture walk. After nearly two years in New York, Variance was brought home to Leawood and installed along Tomahawk Creek Parkway in late 2014. Paley, who attended an April 2015 dedication ceremony, is known for making metal look fluid, along with his talent for combining organic forms with geometric ones. His work integrates art and architecture, and he was the first metal sculptor to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Institute of Architects. Paley's work can be found at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and London's Victoria and Albert Museum, among many other renowned museums. Before becoming a sculptor, Paley was a goldsmith who produced studio jewelry. In an interview that appears at the end of this Clio entry, Paley explained his method as bringing the same level of attention to detail to large metal works that he brought to the design of his jewelry. Among Paley's famous works are the gates at the entrance to the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Tomahawk Creek is a stream that originates near the Overland Park Arboretum and flows northeastward through Leawood before meeting up with Indian Creek about a half mile north of this location. The confluence of the two creeks is along this hiking path, and after the confluence, this hiking trail becomes part of the Indian Creek trail system. The trail splits near the entrance of Leawood Park, giving hikers and bikers the option to continue north and east or turn west to follow Indian Creek west and south to its origin in Olathe. If one continues from this pin to Leawood Park and then past the god park, they will walk east and slightly north. If they continued north and east on that trail for a couple of miles, they would approach Bannister Road, where the Indian Creek connects to the Blue River. From there, the Blue River travels north to Swope Park and then further north and slightly east where it connects to the Missouri River, about halfway between downtown Kansas City and Independence.
Dedicated in 1999, this sculpture by Richard Hunt can be found about fifty yards west of the Tomahawk Creek Trail. The artist is known for using shapes like cylinders and triangles to build metal sculptures that are lively and abstract and blend metals like steel and bronze with organic curves. Hunt has been honored with a retrospective of his work at the Museum of Modern Art and is one of the leading African American sculptors of the 21st century. Prior to his death in December 2013, Hunt worked from a studio in his hometown of Chicago and has produced over 150 sculptures in his career.
Dedicated in 2012, this work by Missouri sculptor Larry Young symbolizes human contemplation with the fluid bronze form, creating a negative space that gives the sculpture an abstract human form. Young operates a foundry at his home in Columbia and has created over fifty outdoor sculptures using bronze marble, stainless steel, and other durable materials. Young holds the unique distinction of being the only American to win an Olympic medal for racewalking, taking home medals in 1968 at the Mexico City Games and once again at the Munich Games of 1972.
Located just west of this trail split, Inspiration is a cheerful abstract dancing figure created by long-time Leawood resident Rita Blitt in 1987. Inspiration stands at a monumental 28’ X 26’ X 1.5’ and weighs approximately 4,000 pounds, making it Blitt’s largest piece to date. In 2005, a five-foot version of Inspiration won an award at the Florence Biennale. Blitt’s work celebrates nature, music, and dance. Her sculptures are inspired and directly translated from her single line drawings, often created to music. “I let drawings flow from my subconscious. When I saw the drawing that later became “Inspiration,” I knew immediately that it was special.” In addition, Blitt is a longtime collaborator of David Parsons of Parsons Dance Company, New York. An international painter, sculptor, and filmmaker, Rita Blitt’s work has been featured in over 70 solo exhibitions. Her works can be found in the collections of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, John F. Kennedy Library, National Museum of Singapore, and many more. Her sculptures are permanently placed in public art collections in Australia, Israel, Japan, Singapore and the United States. Inspiration was offered as a gift to the City from Leawood residents Bill and Mary Walker.
This is the point where Tomahawk Creek flows into Indian Creek near Leawood Park. Both creeks have suburban walking and biking trails that follow their winding path through Johnson County, and both the trails and creeks connect here near Leawood Park. The Indian Creek Trail is twenty five miles long while the Tomahawk Creek Greenway trail is twelve miles. Indian Creek originates in Olathe near 135th and Mur-Len while Tomahawk Creek starts near the Overland Park Arboretum and flows north and east until it connects to Indian Creek. Indian Creek follows a mostly northern and eastern path, crossing into Missouri and then connecting to the Blue River about two miles east and slightly north of this location. The Blue River flows north from there, traveling through Swope Park and reaching the Missouri River between Kansas City, Missouri, and Independence.
A historical marker just a few hundred yards east of this point of the trail serves as a reminder of the central role of nearby Mission Road in the early history of Kansas City. The marker is just east of the intersection of Lee Boulevard and Mission Road, a name that references the mission schools established by Methodist, Baptist, and Quaker missionaries before the Civil War. Once celebrated for their role in assimilating Native American children, the mid-19th century missions operated by missionaries are viewed more critically today. In the later 19th and early 20th centuries, the lands around those short-lived missions became some of the most desirable suburban neighborhoods. Native American history is often "hidden in plain sight" in this part of the city, with some of the leading streets following trails that were pioneered by Native Americans. Like the two creeks that come together at this park, many neighborhood and street names reflect the area's first inhabitants. Other streets are named after early residents and developers.The marker at the entrance to the park shares some of the history of real estate development in suburban Kansas City, acknowledging that developers like J.C. Nichols took actions that limited housing to wealthy families. Leawood is an extension of that history, an affluent suburb in the southeastern part of the Kansas City metropolitan area named after Oscar G. Lee, a retired police chief who purchased a large plot of land in the 1920s. After World War II, real estate investors Clifford and John Kroh began planting the area and selling lots, and the city was incorporated in 1948. The 1950s and 1960s saw the construction of additional residential developments and Ranch Mart, one of the first Johnson County shopping centers at Mission and 95th Street and a reminder of the numerous horse farms that were converted into suburban neighborhoods. Leawood's rapid growth continued in the 1970s as planned neighborhoods were created to the south of I-435. Leawood continues to be ranked as one of the wealthiest suburbs in the Kansas City area and is known for the quality of its public schools, shopping districts, and suburban parks. The city is home to the headquarters of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the corporate headquarters of AMC Theatres. Some of the metro's leading celebrities, from Travis Kelce to Heidi Gardner, call Leawood home.
Dedicated in 2024 to honor Leawood's 75th-anniversary, "Reaching" is a public art installation by native resident William S. Nemitoff, and it greets visitors to Leawood's City Park and is viewable from I-435 at night. The 27-foot tall sculpture is one of several within the park and is about two blocks west of this point. The signature sculpture of the park, "Reaching" consists of seventy-five curved aluminum branches that are lit up each evening in colors that reflect each season or special lighting configurations to celebrate a local sports team. The public art installation was inspired by the ancient Solominc Gate in the Gezer region of Israel, which is a sister city to Leawood. Additional works inside the park near this part of the trail include a pair of painted metal sculptures a few hundred feet northwest of this location, which are meant to resemble children at play and designed by Jorge Blanco of Florida. Another work of art near the entrance to the park, Lllooppi was created by Kanas City artist Nate Fors. The name comes from scrambling the letters in "lollipop" and features a central 45-foot white pole meant to resemble the spindle of a record player along with seven brightly painted metal disks jutting meant to resemble vinyl records.
Dedicated in the fall of 2014, this off-leash dog park offers fenced-in enclosures for both large and small breeds, along with benches and pathways and a unique water fountain built just for dogs. The park covers five acres within a flood zone and is part of an eight-acre tract of land that was donated in 2013 by the Hallbrook Office Center. The park was expanded a decade later to include an agility course. The name "Leawoof" was selected after a naming contest with city council members choosing the pun of their city's name over other options like "Canine Creek." The park was made possible by the Leawood Foundation, along with financial support from the foundation established by Hallmark founders J.C. and Elizabeth Hall. The foundation of Jack and Glenna Wylie also supported the park. Jack was a noted dog lover and passed away just a few months after the park he helped create opened. Additional support came from supporters Kenneth and Lisa Block, Peter and Lynne Brown, Dave and Susan Gibbons, Doug and Kathy Stevens, and Kurt Rasmussen. Continental Consulting Engineers Incorporated donated time and expertise to help the park move from idea to reality.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
Get a QR Code for this tour
This walking tour is a work in progress and will blend history, art, and an exploration of the flora and fauna and ecology of the watershed. We expect to have the trail ready in spring 2025.
