Best Biking Trails in Columbia, Missouri

There are many great bike trails in Columbia, Missouri. In the last ten years the city has made many changes to their roads and trails to make life a lot easier for its bikers. Aside from its numerous great bike trails, there have been countless bike lanes added to major roads to make the whole city more bike friendly. Still, if you a bike enthusiast that either lives in the city or are pasting through the main attraction will be the trails, all of which are of great quality. I have chose four to highlight.

The MKT Trail (9 Miles)

In my opinion this trail is the crow jewel of the bike trails in Columbia. It was built where the old MKT railroad was and has recently been extended further into the city to start at the lovely Flat Branch Park (101 South 4th Street). Aside from this new extension that is a little bit narrower the trail is ten feet wide giving plenty room for bikers and runners alike. There are no spots where you have to worry about car traffic for the trail has a series of tunnels that go under all major roads. The first four miles of the trail weaves through a series of parks in the city and then extends out into the country on its way to connect to the Katy Trail. The trail is very well maintained by the city. There are parts that can get flooded after a heavy rain fall.

Beyond its trailhead it has multiple entry points like at the serene Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial at 800 Stadium Boulevard (my favorite section of the trail) or further down the trail at 3662 Scott Boulevard. No matter where you enter this trail it should be a lovely ride.

MU Recreation Trail (3.5 Miles)

Spurring off from the MKT trail at around the two-mile marker this smaller trail allows a way for students at the University to connect to the larger network of trails. It is a little bit narrower bit of trail but the section closest to the MKT trail is quite pretty and features one of the many very nice trail bridges in the area. There is a fairly steep climb in the middle of this trail as it hikes along behind the Memorial Stadium. Than the trail moves through the University of Missouri campus going as far as the Student Recreation Center. This trail is well maintained but in terms of sight seeing it pales in comparison to the MKT. Still if your student it is a great way to get to the nicer trails without having to deal with traffic.

Hinkston Creek Trail (4.5 Miles)

This stunning little trail gives you amazing views of two of Columbia's nicest nature areas. The trail starts at Old Highway 63 where it starts to snakes its way across the Grindstone Nature area until it cross over into the Hinkston Creek Park. This trail is very scenic offering views of the high hills on either side and crosses over Hinkston Creek multiple time using pretty and sturdy wooden bridges. Also due to a partnership with the University this trail also connects to the later portion of the MU Recreation Trail and beyond that the MKT.

Katy Trail

A little bit of a drive outside of Columbia in the charming little village of Rocheport is one of the main connectors to the massive Katy Trail. One can also reach it if they travel the entire length of the MKT trail to the even smaller village of McBain. The Katy trail is a 225-mile long trail that extends across almost all of Missouri. If you can get out of town for an hour or two I would highly recommend checking out this trail. The Rocheport section of the trail is very flat and scenic. To the west it travels along the Missouri river with massive bluffs towering overhead and to the east it goes through an old train tunnel and into stunning Missouri forestland. The trail is very well maintained and in Rocheport there are countless places to park and perhaps have a bite to eat.

No matter what your taste or timeframe there are many choices for you to bike in the city of Columbia. There are countless smaller trails in the other major parks in the city and more and more bike lanes are being made on cities roads. It's a great time to be a biker in Columbia, so slip on your helmet and ride.

www.gocolumbia.com/parksandrec
www.bikekatytrail.com