COLUMBIA — If the event at the MKT Trail on Saturday doesn’t spark your interest, Columbia’s park system has 37 more miles of trails to explore. Below are a few of Columbia’s lesser-known trails.
Capen Park Trail
1600 Capen Park Drive
Length: 0.5 mile
Type: Dirt
Selling point: The park is home to limestone cliffs that draw rock climbers and sightseers alike.
User comment: “I come here every day because I can let my dog off the leash. I like that it’s in the woods,” MU student Shana Pauley said.
Cosmo-Bethel Park Lake Trail
4500 Bethel St.
Length: 0.46 mile
Type: Limestone
Selling Point: The trail circles the Cosmo-Bethel Lake, which offers fishing and wildlife-viewing.
User Comment: “I love how you see the families fishing. I think that’s really neat,” said Katie Brown as she chased her 16-month-old son, Abner, away from a flock of geese.
Hinkson Creek Trail
2011 S. Old 63
Length: 4.25 miles
Type: Limestone
Selling Point: The trail crosses the Hinkson Creek in several places, where you can find rust-colored bridges designed to look like the old railroad bridges along the Missouri River.
User comment: “I come here every day because it’s the only place you can bring your dog and not get a ticket,” Columbia College student Randi Robinson said. “There are places to bike, places to run and lots of trees.”