Monkey Mountain is a 948-foot hill in Jackson County, Missouri, and the surrounding nature preserve is prized for packing unusual variety into a small area. Its landscape includes marshy lowlands, steep wooded slopes, rocky outcrops, a broad meadow, ponds, streams, and a waterfall. Formerly part of Sni-A-Bar Farm owned by Kansas City newspaperman and philanthropist William Rockhill Nelson, it is now a popular local destination for hikers and equestrians. A 3.5-mile main loop and side trails draw visitors less to a dramatic summit than to the preserve’s mix of woods, meadow, and wet ground, which makes it feel more diverse than its modest height suggests.