Lodging along Katy Trail

My husband and I are planning to ride from Jefferson City to Columbia. Where is the closest lodging?

You will be riding into Columbia on the MKT Trail and the trailhead is at Flatbranch Park. The address is 101 S. 4th Street. (Roughly 4th and Locust) Very close to the University of Missouri and the central business district. I think there are 2 B&B's nearby. I have not stayed at either, so can't make a recommendation, but the names are The Gathering Place and University Avenue Bed & Breakfast. I don't know what hotel options would be closest to the Central Business District. Any riders out there familiar with the Columbia area for hotel options close to Flatbranch Park? You may want to check the date of your ride with the Mizzou football schedule. Football weekends in Columbia can be a bit of challenge for hotels. Hope you have a fun trip!

There are several trailheads and access points to the MKT spur in Columbia. Traveling north, before you get to the end of the trail in downtown at Flatbranch, you will go under Stadium Blvd. at the Martin Luther King trailhead. Going west on Stadium Blvd. will take you to I-70 where there is Holiday Inn and Drury. Going east will take you to the Hampton Inn which is south of Stadium Blvd at the south east side of the MU campus. Stadium Blvd. has a good shoulder but is not without hills. We've ridden to both the I-70 corner and to the Hampton.

If you are a flatlander, one of the B&B's near downtown or the Hampton Inn may be a better option. The last route I took was to the Flatbranch Park which is just a couple of easy riding blocks to the MU campus. I cut across campus to the Hampton. It was pretty flat like the Katy and a bit less stress than all the cars on Stadium Blvd. There is a restaurant next to the Hampton also.

We've also done the trip you mentioned in the other direction. Park the car in the parking garage on Cherry (I think) just a block or so from Flatbranch Park and then ride to Jefferson City or Boonville. It cost a few bucks to leave the car in the parking garage but it wasn't too much or I'd remember that it wasn't a good deal.

We are new to cycling, but are very excited about riding the Katy Trail for our first long ride.
Thanks for all the great info.

Good choice to ride the Katy! I hope you enjoy it as much as we have. It's where we started and now have riden several similar trails in Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Illinois. Next up is the Root River in Minnesota.