Now that nice, summery weather is _finally_ upon us, it is a great time to bring out those rusted bikes, get out and explore all that Columbia has to offer. MOVE took a look at some amazing places to enjoy the ride.
Rock Bridge Memorial State Park offers a cave system with a rock bridge, sinkholes, a spring and the infamous Devil’s Icebox.
Freshman Davis Winborne recommends using mountain bikes on Rock Bridge’s trails.
The park has an abundance of trails to take, including the Deer Run, Grassland, High Ridge, Karst, Sinkhole and Spring Brook trails. They’re all accesible from Highway 163 or 63, but you can check out [www.mostateparks.com](http://www.mostateparks.com/) for more specific information.
“You should definitely use a mountain bike with a front suspension fork and all terrain tires,” Winborne says. “The trail is really beautiful and it runs parallel to a stream for a long way. There are a lot of people, though, so you have to worry about running people over.”
Cosmo Park, a 10-minute drive off of Business Loop 70, is also a great place to break out that bike.
“It’s a lot of downhill and a lot of uphill, but it doesn’t flow as well so you’re riding uphill for a long time straight,” Winborne says. “The downhill part is fun though, but then when you get to the uphill part, it kind of sucks. There’s a road that runs through it though, so you can just push your bike up the road back to the top and run down the trail.”
Another good destination is Finger Lakes State Park, 20 minutes north on 63.
Again, Winborne recommends using a mountain bike compared to a standard bike, and went on the Kelley Branch Mountain Bike Trail.
On a scale of one to 10, one being easy and 10 being difficult, Winborne rated the first part a six and the second part a three.
“There’s a waterfall at the halfway point and it’s really a relaxing ride,” Winborne says. “It’s well balanced between uphill and downhill. It is in a motorbike park, so the nature is kind of ruined by the sound of motorbikes and dirt bikes.”
The park is less crowded than Rock Bridge, but it’s a bit farther away from campus.
“Finger Lakes is definitely my favorite, because the scenery is nice and the flow is good,” Winborne says.
Sophomore Rose McManus recommends the MKT trail. The 10-foot wide trail is constructed on an old railbed and starts right in the heart of downtown Columbia. You can even ride it all the way to western Missouri – a staggering 200 miles.
“It’s more accessible than many other trails around the city and, in fact, connects to many of the smaller trails such as the MU recreational trail,” McManus says. “So in terms of commuting or biking for recreational use, it’s great.”
The trails are made out of concrete, but there is also an alternative gravel path along portions of the concrete trail.
So get those bikes checked, hit those trails and explore all that Columbia has to offer.