The MKT Nature and Fitness Trail is a recreational

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...

, that runs nine miles (14 km) in the

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

of the former

Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad The Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railway was a Class I railroad company in the United States, with its last headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Established in 1865 under the name Union Pacific Railway, Southern Branch, it came to serve an extensive ra ...

. Developed from 1982 onward, it is a spur of the longest rail trail in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, the

Katy Trail Katy Trail may refer to the following places in the United States: * Katy Trail (Dallas) 3.5 mile trail in Dallas, Texas * Katy Trail State Park The Katy Trail State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Missouri that contains the Katy Tr ...

. It is open for use by

hikers Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

, joggers, and

cyclists Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of Bicycle, cycles for transport, recreation, Physical exercise, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", ...

year-round, from sunrise to sunset, with snow covering in the winter offering users

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

opportunities. The trail is made up of "limestone pug" (crushed

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

), creating a hard, flat surface. The trail follows

Flat Branch Flat Branch is a stream in Columbia, Missouri. It was the original water source for the town of Columbia and its forerunner Smithton. It is a branch of Hinkson Creek and begins Northwest of Downtown Columbia. Flat Branch Park straddles the creek b ...

Creek and

Hinkson Creek Hinkson Creek is a stream in Boone County in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its middle section runs through the city of Columbia, Missouri It was named after Robert Hinkson, a pioneer citizen who lived along its banks. Several trails, conservation ar ...

for much of their distance and is part of a larger system of recreational pathways in the Columbia Metropolitan Area.

History

Paving the MKT

In 2006, Ted Curtis, the senior planner for Columbia's Non-Motorized Grant Program, proposed to pave the trail. While Curtis's proposal allowed for the trail to resist weather damage better and was in line with an initiative to improve recreational opportunities for the trail's use, many protested the paving plan, claiming it would interfere with the enjoyment of nature and remove a major soft-surface path for runners. In response, Curtis revised the plan to include a shoulder on the trail for runners and build spur trails that lead to creeks and other aspects of nature.

References

External links

MKT Nature and Fitness Trail
at City of Columbia website.
Map of MKT Trail
{{coord, 38.91923, -92.38920, dim:10000_region:US-MO, format=dms, display=title Protected areas of Boone County, Missouri Transportation in Columbia, Missouri Rail trails in Missouri Bike paths in Missouri Parks in Columbia, Missouri Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad Tourist attractions in Columbia, Missouri Rail transportation in Columbia, Missouri